Western Front
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) School of Photography is formed at Farnborough.
After his Albatros D III’s lower wing cracks in combat in January, Richthofen switches temporarily to a more conventional Halberstadt fighter. Despite modifications wing failures continue to plague the ‘Vee-strutter’ Albatros D III and D V/Va.
No 53 Squadron with B E 2 arrives in France. No 43 Squadron with Sopwith two-seater on January 17; No 35 Squadron with Armstrong-Whitworths on January 24.
Normal activity proceeding.
Eastern Front
Romania: Stubborn fighting in Carpathians. Austro-Hungarian troops advance against Romanian troops in Bekas Pass, crossing the Moldavian frontier.
Dobruja: Austro-Germans in touch with Bulgarians along the Sereth lines at Focsani and Fundeni.
Southern Front
Salonika: Captain G Murlis Green (17 Squadron) forces down 2 Albatros two-seaters behind British lines.
Lieutenant W S Scott of RFC 17 Squadron lands second agent behind Bulgarian lines (first on December 17, 1916).
Naval and Overseas Operations
North Sea: During January battlecruisers
Courageous and
Glorious (Nicknamed ‘Outrageous’ and ‘Laborious’, respectively) join Grand Fleet.
In January.
HMS Muskerry, world’s first fleet minesweeper enters service, 19 sister ships follow by August 1917. Beatty proposes 157-mile minefield with 80,000 mines (only 1,100 in stock) to encircle Heligoland Bight, officially announced on January 23.
Eastern Mediterranean: Egypt-bound British troop transport
Ivernia sunk by coastal submarine
UB-47 off Cape Matapan (120 lives lost).
Caribbean: During January US Atlantic Fleet maneuvers until April.
East Africa: British carry German lines near Lissaki in the Mgeta valley (German East Africa), and pursue Germans towards the Rufiji valley at Kibambawe.
Political, etc.
United Kingdom: RFP (Retail Food Price) 87% (up 3%).
During January Wheeldon family arrested for farcical plot to murder Prime Minister on golf course with air rifle poison dart (charged at Derby on January 31, jailed March).
Official film
Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks released.
Rail fares up 50%.
J.R.R. Tolkien, while on medical leave, is currently writing the early versions of The Book of Lost Tales.
Turkey: Bank of National Credit formed.
Publication of denunciation by Turkey of Treaty of Paris (1856) and Treaty of Berlin (1878).
United States: Sketch by Theodore Roosevelt on his “unsuccessful effort to draw bats from the belfry of WA White.”
http://imgur.com/Efc7h0d
Thomas Van Lear becomes the first (and only) Socialist mayor of Minneapolis:
http://imgur.com/uOkr2sL
Tuskegee Institute reports that 50 African Americans were lynched in the United States last year.
Egypt: General Sir R. Wingate becomes High Commissioner of Egypt.