Western Front
The Army Council approves the expansion of the Royal Flying Corps to 106 frontline squadrons.
Battle of Verdun: French soldier at the hallowed out hills of Fort Vaux near Verdun:
http://imgur.com/naiulNX
Eastern Front
Romania: Fighting continues round Tarnopol and Stanislau (Galicia) and in south Bukovina.
With help of Russians, Romanians feebly rally on the Jalomitsa and south-west of Buzeu.
Southern Front
Greece: Venizelist troops land at Syra which with other Cyclades comes under National Government.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
A lone British soldier in Mesopotamia (Iraq) looking towards Ottoman positions:
http://imgur.com/nHeC7tC
British feint on Sanna-i-yat, and move on Shatt-el-Hai.
Political, etc.
Austria-Hungary: Identical Notes presented by Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian, German and Turkish Governments to United States Ambassadors in their respective countries requesting them to inform the Governments of the Entente powers that the four Allied Central Powers are ready to negotiate for peace (see 30th).
Germany: German Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg (in concert with the note for Austria-Hungary, above) offers the Allied nations to start peace negotiations:
http://imgur.com/hYUXa2Q
Von Bethmann-Hollweg reading the German government’s peace proposal at the Reichstag:
http://imgur.com/AJvJlof
Kaiser’s warlike speech to troops at Mulhouse, Alsace. General Groner addresses unique TU (Trade Union) Congress at Berlin, orders War Office bureaux to recognize unions (December 13).
France: Reorganisation of French Government. M. Aristide Briand remains Premier. New War Cabinet of five Ministers formed., includes Armaments Minister Albert Thomas. General Robert Nivelle becomes Commander-in-Chief of French Northern and North Eastern Groups of Armies (see May 15th, 1917); Nivelle cancels long-planned French blow south of Somme. General Joseph Joffre (see December 3rd, 1915) becomes Technical Military Adviser to the War Cabinet. Ferdinand Foch removed by Joffre from command of Northern Army Group (Franchet d’Esperey succeeds on December 27). Admiral Louis Dartigue relieved of command for Athens debacle, Vice-Admiral Dominique-Marie Gauchet takes over as French and titular Allied C-in-C (outside Adriatic and Aegean) on December 16, for duration of war.
United Kingdom: Sir Edward Carson succeeds Mr Balfour as First Lord of the Admiralty, Great Britain (see 11th and July 19th, 1917).
Munitions Ministry Trench Mortar committee formed.
Poland: Józef Piłsudski, founder of the Polish Legions, arrives in Warsaw in the newly-established Kingdom of Poland:
http://imgur.com/BxtFXiu
United States: Wall Street reacts in turmoil to Germany’s announcement, and nearly 2.5 million shares are sold off.
Greece: King regrets Athens incidents via Paris Ambassador.
Netherlands: Government orders grain ships to only carry grain and to not mix cargo, in order to prevent them from being targeted by German submarines.