Western Front
Britain: In December plan to expand RFC on Western Front to 106 regular and 95 reserve squadrons.
First flight of Royal Aircraft Factory SE5 single-seat fighter (prototype crashes January 1917).
During December RFC loses 27 aircraft in action, 17 within BEF lines.
Horses pulling artillery guns up a slope at a French artillery school in Bougainville:
http://imgur.com/J5c6joO* © IWM (Q 58155)
Eastern Front
Romania: Battle Of Bucharest: Government leaves Bucharest for Jassy.
Battle of the Arges: (until December 5): 3 Rumanian divisions counter-stroke takes 3,000 PoWs and 20 guns from Mackensen, but Falkenhayn joins up to save 217th Division on December 2 and Russian 40th Division remains inactive till vain attacks on December 4 and 5.
Carpathians: Lechitski driven off Rakida and Kirlibaba heights but pushes up Trotus Valley on December 3, takes peak commanding Jablonitsa Pass on December 4.
Southern Front
Italy: Austrians bomb Vicenza.
Greece: King’s troops (over 40 killed) fight 3,000 Allied sailors and marines (227 casualties) for 3 1/2 hours in Athens outskirts until armistice leads to Allied withdrawal until December 2.
French C-in-C Admiral Dartigue involved in Athens fighting. Battleship Mirabeau fires 4 shells near Royal Palace forcing Constantine and family into cellar.
Macedonia: German and Bulgarian troops launch two counterattacks against Serbian and French lines in Macedonia, recapturing some trenches.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Egypt: Surrender reported of sons of Ali Dinar (late Sultan of Darfur); organised resistance ended.
Naval and Overseas Operations
During December U-boats sink 167 ships (39 British worth 109,936t; 58 Allied; 70 neutral) worth 276,400t.
Adriatic: In December British Monitor
Earl of Peterborough arrives at Venice to support Italian Army.
Political, etc.
Austria-Hungary: At Herceghalom, Hungary, 2 passenger trains collide, resulting in 69 deaths: the deadliest train accident in Hungary. Many of the passengers were mourners who attended yesterday's funeral of Emperor Franz Joseph. The crash site:
http://imgur.com/bqaKaXm
Germany: Compared to 1910, the population of Berlin dropped by almost 300,000 and is now 1,712,679 people.
United Kingdom: Last meeting of War Committee of British Cabinet (see 9th and November 3rd, 1915).
British Admiral Baron Beresford warns about increased German submarine activity: “We are in a position of unparalleled gravity.
Publication of Despatch of 1 October 1916 from Sir A. Murray (operations 1 June - 30 September 1916).
Mr. Lloyd George declares his inability to remain in the Government.
United States: Professor Frederick M. Scott of the University of Michigan predicts the U.S. will have its own “American” language in the future.
President Wilson, accompanied by Secret Service men, goes through Washington’s shopping district to buy Christmas presents.
Greece: Greek Government refuse Entente demands (leads to fighting listed above).