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August 1918

{{short description|Month in 1918}}

{{Events by month|1918}}

{{calendar|year=1918|month=August}}

The following events occurred in August 1918:

File:John Monash portrait 1918.jpg received a knighthood on the battlefield in France.]]

File:8th August 1918 (Will Longstaff).jpg depicting German prisoners of war on the first day of the Battle of Amiens.]]

File:MontStQuentinLeistAWMart02929.jpg Australian troops capturing Mont Saint-Quentin, France in battle.]]

[[August 1]], 1918 (Thursday)

  • Second Battle of the Marne – The French Tenth Army launched an attack against Germany defenses and were able to penetrate {{convert|5|mi|km}} into German-held territory.Hart, Peter (2008). 1918: A Very British Victory, Phoenix Books, London. {{ISBN|978-0-7538-2689-8}}, pp. 298-300
  • North Russia intervention – Royal Navy Fairey Campania seaplanes from the seaplane tender {{HMS|Nairana|1917|6}} joined Allied ground forces in driving Bolshevik troops from the mouth of the Northern Dvina river in Russia in the first fully combined air, sea, and land military operation in history.Dobson, Christopher, and John Miller, The Day They Almost Bombed Moscow: The Allied War in Russia, 1918-1920, New York: Atheneum, 1986, no ISBN, pp. 63-64
  • A military dictatorship was established in Mughan region of Azerbaijan in opposition to the country's move to independence in May. It became a Soviet republic in 1919 following a Bolshevik uprising.{{cite book| last1=Smele| first1=Jonathan D.| title=Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926| date=2015| publisher=Rowman & Littlefield| isbn=9781442252813|page=771}}
  • French flying ace Gabriel Guérin was killed in action. His 23 victories tied him with fellow pilot René Dorme for ninth-highest-scoring French ace of World War I.Franks, Norman, Aircraft Versus Aircraft: The Illustrated Story of Fighter Pilot Combat From 1914 to the Present Day, London: Grub Street, 1998, {{ISBN|1-902304-04-7}}, p. 62
  • Disabled Canadian war veteran Claude Cludernay was ejected from the Greek-owned White City Café in Toronto for being drunk and disorderly and striking a waiter. Rumors of alleged mistreatment of a war veteran spread throughout the city, leading to rioting.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-anti-greek-riots| title=Toronto Feature: Anti-Greek Riots|first=Laura Neilson|last=Bonikowsky|date=July 2, 2015| website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|accessdate=August 30, 2019}}
  • The New York City Subway system opened the IRT Pelham Line starting with 138th Street, the original and oldest station of the Pelham Line.{{cite web|title=New Subway Lines Will Open Tonight: Ceremonies to Mark Through Service on 7th and Lexington Links of System| url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=940CE4DE1739E13ABC4953DFBE668383609EDE| website=The New York Times|accessdate=30 June 2015|date=August 1, 1918}}
  • The film comedy-drama Mickey, starring Mabel Normand and directed by F. Richard Jones, was released in August and became the highest-grossing movie of the year with $8 million in ticket sales worldwide.{{cite news |last=Coons |first=Robin |work=The Daytona Beach News-Journal |title=Hollywood Chatter |date=June 30, 1939 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eHIoAAAAIBAJ&dq=mickey%20normand%20gross&pg=4926%2C5479066 |accessdate=February 27, 2011}}
  • Born:
  • D. Djajakusuma, Indonesian filmmaker, known for films including Six Hours in Yogya and Whips of Fire; in Temanggung Regency, Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1987){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • T. J. Jemison, American religious leader, president of the National Baptist Convention from 1982 to 1994; in Selma, Alabama (d. 2013){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: John Riley Banister, 64, American law enforcer, noted Texas Ranger and Treasury Agent (b. 1854){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 2]], 1918 (Friday)

  • North Russia intervention – Anti-Bolshevik forces supported by the British occupied Arkhangelsk, Russia where the Northern Regional Government was established.Churchill's Crusade: The British Invasion of Russia 1918–1920, Clifford Kinvig, London 2006, {{ISBN|1-85285-477-4}}, p. 29
  • While on a mine-laying mission in the Heligoland Bight, Royal Navy destroyers {{HMS|Ariel|1911|6}} and {{HMS|Vehement|1917|6}} both struck mines. The Ariel sank with 49 of her 70 crew lost while the Vehement remained afloat despite an explosion killing 48 of her crew. Attempts were made to tow the crippled vessel back to shore but after its engines gave out, the destroyer was scuttled.{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Peter C. |title=Into the Minefields: British Destroyer Minelaying 1916-1960 |publisher=Pen and Sword Maritime |location=Barnsley |year=2005 |isbn=1-84415-271-5 |pages=74–85}}
  • The first general strike in Canada occurred in Vancouver in a one-day protest over the shooting death of labor activist Albert Goodwin on July 27.{{cite web|url=http://www.carpentersunionbc.com/Pages/gingergoodwin.html |title=Ginger Goodwin - Miners' Memorial Day |accessdate=2007-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829212040/http://www.carpentersunionbc.com/Pages/gingergoodwin.html |archive-date=2007-08-29 }}
  • Canadian World War I veterans led crowds estimated between 5,000 and 20,000 people to vandalize and loot Greek businesses in downtown Toronto against the perceived mistreatment of a disabled Canadian veteran the previous day at a Greek-owned restaurant. Because police resources were too small to deal with the size of the unrest, Mayor Thomas Langton Church invoked the Riot Act to allow the Canadian military authority to send militias into the city and regain order.Thomas Gallant, George Treheles and Michael Vitopoulos, The 1918 Anti-Greek Riot in Toronto, Thessalonikeans Society of Metro Toronto, 2005, {{ISBN|0968051537}} ([http://www.arts.yorku.ca/hist/tgallant/documents/synopsis.pdf a summary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129233515/http://www.arts.yorku.ca/hist/tgallant/documents/synopsis.pdf |date=2015-11-29 }})
  • French submarine {{ship|French submarine|Floréal||2}} accidentally collided with a Royal Navy steamship and sank in the Aegean Sea.{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyFrench.htm |title=French Navy |publisher=Naval History |accessdate=21 February 2013}}
  • The Catholic Church established the Diocese of Garanhuns{{cite web| title=Diocese of Garanhuns| url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/gara1.htm| website=GCatholic.org| accessdate=2 December 2017}} and Diocese of Nazaré in Olinda e Recife, Brazil.{{cite web| title=Diocese of Nazaré| url=http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/naza0.htm| website=GCatholic.org| accessdate=2 December 2017}}
  • The 42nd Infantry Division of the United States Army created a temporary war cemetery near Fère-en-Tardenois, France, which later lead to the permanent establishment of the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial.{{cite web| url=http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/oa_pict.pdf| title=Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial| publisher=American Battle Monuments Commission| accessdate=2009-10-20| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813030210/http://abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/oa_pict.pdf| archive-date=2009-08-13| url-status=dead}}
  • Born: Jim Delligatti, American entrepreneur, creator of the Big Mac for McDonald's; in Uniontown, Pennsylvania (d. 2016){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 3]], 1918 (Saturday)

  • In an attempt to overturn a string of military defeats in June and July on the Western Front, the Imperial German Army launched an attack on the commune of Fismes, France that was occupied by the U.S. Army's 32nd Infantry Division. The unit suffered 2,000 casualties during the first two days of fighting before they were relieved by the 28th Infantry Division.The A.E.F. in Battle (1928). D. Appleton and co.
  • Australian hospital ship {{ship|HMAT|Warilda}} was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel by German submarine {{SMU|UC-49||6}} with the loss of 123 of the 801 people on board.{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/6456.html |title=Warilda |publisher=Uboat.net |accessdate=17 December 2012}}
  • Canadian militia clashed with rioters targeting Greek businesses in downtown Toronto, with an estimated 50,000 on both sides involved before the riot ended. Over 20 Greek restaurants were attacked, with damages estimated at more than $1,000,000 in 2010 values.[http://violentaugust.com/ Violent August: The 1918 Anti-Greek Riots in Toronto.], a Burgeoning Communications Inc. documentary produced, written and directed by John Burry
  • German submarine {{SMU|UB-53||6}} struck two mines and sank in the Strait of Otranto with the loss of ten of her crew.{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+53 |title=UB 53 |publisher=Uboat.net |accessdate=10 November 2012}}
  • Australia House, Australia's high commissioner to the United Kingdom, opened in London.{{NHLE |num=1357166 |desc=Australia House and the Government of Victoria offices |grade=II |accessdate=28 July 2013}}
  • The South Sydney Rabbitohs won the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership.{{cite news| last=Middleton| first=David| title=Ten of the most dominant seasons in rugby league history from historian David Middleton| url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/ten-of-the-greatest-seasons-in-rugby-league-history-according-to-historian-david-middleton/story-fni3fbgz-1226729899765| accessdate=6 February 2014| newspaper=The Daily Telegraph| date=30 September 2013}}
  • Born:
  • Sidney Gottlieb, American intelligence officer, member of MKUltra for the CIA; in New York City (d. 1999){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Mihiel Gilormini, Puerto Rican air force officer, co-founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, five-time recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star and Air Medal; in Yauco, Puerto Rico (d. 1988){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Hugo II Logothetti, 65, Austrian noble and diplomat, last emissary for Austria-Hungary to Mesopotamia (b. 1852){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 4]], 1918 (Sunday)

  • The Union for the Liberation of Ukraine was established in Lemberg.Lavrov, Yu. [http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Soiuz_vyzvolennia Union for the Liberation of Ukraine, SVU (СОЮЗ ВИЗВОЛЕННЯ УКРАЇНИ (СВУ))]. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine.
  • The Party of the Right won 23 of the 53 seats in the Luxembourg elections, and were tasked with revising the constitution to democratize the country's political structure.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p. 1,253 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}
  • Adolf Hitler was awarded a second Iron Cross on recommendation by Lieutenant Hugo Gutmann, Hitler's Jewish superior, for action during the Second Battle of the Marne.{{cite book | last = Kershaw | first = Ian | author-link = Ian Kershaw | title = Hitler: 1889–1936: Hubris | location = New York | publisher = W. W. Norton & Company | year = 1999 | orig-year = 1998 | isbn = 978-0-393-04671-7 | page = [https://archive.org/details/hitlerhubris00kers/page/59 59] | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/hitlerhubris00kers/page/59 }}
  • Born:
  • Noel Willman, Irish actor, known for film roles including The Man Who Knew Too Much, Doctor Zhivago, and The Odessa File; in Derry, Ireland (d. 1988){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Iceberg Slim, American writer, author of Pimp: The Story of My Life; in Chicago (d. 1992){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 5]], 1918 (Monday)

  • The People's Army of Komuch, a Russian anti-Bolshevik force supported by units of the Czechoslovak Legion, launched an assault on the city of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia that was held by the Red Guards.Н.Е.Какурин, И.И.Вацетис "Гражданская война. 1918-1921" (N.E.Kakurin, I.I.Vacietis "Civil War. 1918-1921") - Sankt-Peterburg, "Polygon" Publishing House, 2002. {{ISBN|5-89173-150-9}}
  • Five Imperial German Navy Zeppelins attempted to bomb England in the final airship raid of the war, but most of the bomb drops fell into the North Sea by mistake due to heavy cloud cover. The missions proved even more disastrous when a Royal Air Force Airco plane piloted by Major Egbert Cadbury and crewed by Captain Robert Leckie shot down Zeppelin airship L70, killing the entire crew including Imperial German Navy Airship Division commander Peter Strasser who was on board as an observer.Cross, Wilbur, Zeppelins of World War I, New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1991, {{ISBN|1-56619-390-7}}, pp. 175-179Whitehouse, Arch, The Zeppelin Fighters, New York: Ace Books, 1966, pp. 245-248 Strasser's death ended further airship raids on England. In total, German airships conducted 208 raids throughout the war, dropped 5,907 bombs, killed 528 people, and injured 1,156.Whitehouse, 1966, p. 8
  • Axeman of New Orleans – New Orleans resident Ed Schneider returned home late from work to find his pregnant wife had been attacked and bludgeoned. Remarkably, she survived the attack and gave birth two days later. New Orleans police began to make connections between two earlier attacks in the city, leading to suspect a serial killer.{{cite book| first=Hélèna| last=Katz| title=Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America| publisher=ABC-CLIO| location=Santa Barbara, CA| isbn=9780313376924| year=2010| page=57}}
  • The first film adaption of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth was released through Metro Pictures, with Katherine Corri Harris in the leading role and directed by Albert Capellani. The film is now considered lost.[http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/wharton/marshalls.pdf Marshall, Scott. "Edith Wharton on Film and Television: A History and Filmography." Edith Wharton Review (1996): 15–25. Washington State University. 15 Jan. 2009]
  • Born: Betty Oliphant, British-Canadian arts executive, co-founder of the National Ballet of Canada; in London (d. 2004){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 6]], 1918 (Tuesday)

  • Second Battle of the Marne – French efforts to gain more territory from the Germans petered out, but the offensive had managed to shorten the Western Front by {{convert|28|mi|km}}.The Allies had taken 29,367 prisoners, 793 guns and 3,000 machine guns and inflicted 168,000 casualties on the Germans including 56,700 killed. Allied casualties were 95,165 killed or wounded for the French, 16,552 for the British, 12,000 for the Americans, and over 9,000 for the Italians. French commander Ferdinand Foch was made Marshal of France for his leadership of all Allied forces during the battle.Hart 2008, pp. 298-300
  • The People's Army of Komuch attacked the north side of Kazan, Russia, forcing most of the city's Red Guards to move north and leave the south side of the city vulnerable. A Czechoslovak Legion force took advantage of this and attacked from the south, so by evening the entire city was nearly surrounded.Какурин, И.И.Вацетис 2002
  • North Russia intervention – The Soviet council in Murmansk issued an agreement to join the Northern Regional Government in Arkhangelsk, Russia.Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, pp. 25–26
  • Royal Navy destroyer {{HMS|Comet|1910|6}} accidentally collided with another vessel while being towed and sank in the Mediterranean Sea.{{cite Uboat.net|id=1389|name=comet|type=1ship}}
  • The Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway was established between Minneapolis and Northfield, Minnesota.Olson, Russell L. (1976). The Electric Railways of Minnesota. Minnesota Transportation Museum, Hopkins/H. M. Smyth Co., St. Paul
  • American {{ship||United States lightship Diamond Shoal|LV-71|2}}, a vessel with the United States Lighthouse Service, was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of North Carolina by German submarine {{SMU|U-140||6}}. Its shipwreck was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.{{cite news|title=Sinks Lightship Off Cape Hatteras|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/08/08/97014979.pdf|accessdate=5 August 2017|work=The New York Times|issue=August 6, 1918|date=August 7, 1918}}

[[August 7]], 1918 (Wednesday)

  • The city of Kazan, Russia fell to the People's Army of Komuch, resulting in a major victory for the White Army in the Russian Civil War.
  • French Navy cruiser {{ship|French cruiser|Dupetit-Thouars||2}} was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarine {{SMU|U-62||6}}, with 13 crew killed.{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/1759.html |title=Dupetit-Thouars|publisher=Uboat.net |accessdate=15 October 2012}}
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 154 but it was disbanded within a month due to shortage of available aircraft. The squadron number was revived in 1941.{{cite web| title=History of 154 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/154squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054550/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/154squadron.cfm| archive-date=4 March 2016| url-status=dead}}
  • The Blériot-SPAD aircraft was first flown.{{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |pages=163}}

[[August 8]], 1918 (Thursday)

File:The Hundred Days Offensive, August-november 1918 Q68975.jpg.]]

  • Battle of Amiens – The British Fourth Army, supported by Canadian, Australian, and French troops along with about 500 tanks, pushed eight miles past the German front line. The Canadians and Australians captured 12,000 German soldiers, while the British took 13,000 and the French captured another 3,000 prisoners. In all, the Allies captured close to 30,000 Germans on the first day of battle, leading German General Erich Ludendorff to refer to it as "the black day of the German Army". It was the beginning of a string of almost continuous victories for the Canadians and Australians, known as the 'Hundred Days Offensive'.{{cite news| first=John| last=Lichfield| title=A History of the First World War in 100 Moments: The 'blackest day' of the German army| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/history-of-the-first-world-war-in-100-moments/a-history-of-the-first-world-war-in-100-moments-the-blackest-day-of-the-german-army--and-the-assault-that-finally-broke-its-spirit-9588029.html| newspaper=The Independent| location=London| date=2014-07-07| accessdate=2014-07-07}}
  • German submarine {{SMU|UC-49||6}} was depth charged and sunk in the English Channel by a Royal Navy vessel with the loss of all 31 crew.{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UC+49 |title=UC 49 |publisher=Uboat.net |accessdate=17 December 2012}}
  • The sports club Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba was established in Córdoba, Argentina. It is best known for its football and basketball teams.{{cite web| title=History of Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba| url=http://www.institutoacc.com.ar/index.php/historia-2/| website=Instituto ACC| publisher=History of Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba| accessdate=4 December 2017| language=es}}
  • Born: Jim Moran, American entrepreneur, founder of the JM Family Enterprises, one of the leading car dealerships in the United States; in Chicago (d. 2007){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 9]], 1918 (Friday)

[[August 10]], 1918 (Saturday)

  • Battle of Amiens – German forces began to withdraw from positions captured during the Spring Offensive and retreat back towards the Hindenburg Line.{{cite book |first=Daniel George |last=Dancocks |title=Spearhead to Victory: Canada and the Great War |publisher=Hurtig |year=1987 |page=294 |isbn=0-88830-310-6}}
  • The American Expeditionary Forces established the First United States Army under the command of General John J. Pershing after sufficient men and equipment had arrived in France, becoming the oldest active American field army.United States Army Center of Military History, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150415020334/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/army/firstarmy.htm Lineage and Honors], First United States Army, dated 30 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  • French troopship {{SS|Polynesien|1890|2}} was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by German submarine {{SMU|UC-22||6}} with the loss of 19 lives.{{cite web |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/4855.html |title=Polynesien |publisher=Uboat.net |accessdate=29 November 2012}}{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Imperial and Foreign news items. |date=23 August 1918 |page=5 |issue=41876 |column=E }}
  • German flying ace Erich Loewenhardt died when his aircraft collided with another plane from Jagdstaffel 11. Both pilots had bailed out but Löwenhardt's parachute failed to open, causing him to plummet to his death. Hours earlier, he had achieved his 54th victory putting him third behind fellow pilots Manfred von Richthofen and Ernst Udet as Germany's greatest World War I aces.{{cite book|last1=Franks|first1=Norman|last2=Bailey|first2=Frank W.|last3=Guest|first3=Russell|title=Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918|date=1993|publisher=Grub Street| isbn=978-0-948817-73-1|page=159}}
  • German flying ace Rudolf Berthold collided with an enemy plane during a dogfight, forcing his Fokker plane to crash into a house. Berhold survived the crash with injuries, but was grounded from further missions.[http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/berthold.htm firstworldwar.com Who's Who: Rudolf Berthold] His total of 44 kills made him the sixth-highest-scoring German ace of World War I.Franks 1998, pp. 58, 63
  • Axeman of New Orleans – Joseph Romano, an elderly resident in New Orleans, was attacked in his home and struck in the head with an axe. His nieces that lived with him surprised the attacker, who they described as a dark-skinned male dressed in a dark suit and slouched. Though Romano was able to walk to the ambulance, he died two days later from complications to his head injury. The murder and resulting news coverage created a public panic in New Orleans, however, a new set of murders would not occur until March 1919.Katz 2010, p. 56
  • Following its second bankruptcy, the Colorado Midland Railway ceased operations in what was the largest single American railroad abandonment to this date.{{cite web |title= Colorado Midland Railway-a short history |url= http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rstamm4/Short_History_Page.html |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120716220629/http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rstamm4/Short_History_Page.html |url-status=dead |archive-date= July 16, 2012 |accessdate= October 11, 2009 }}
  • The football club Hamarkameratene was established in Hamar, Norway, originally under the name Freidig.{{cite book |last= Gjerdåker |first= Brynjulv |title= Stiftstad og bygdeby. Hamars historie 1935–1991 |year=1998 |publisher= Hamar Municipality |location=Hamar |language= no |isbn=82-994906-1-8 |pages=102–106}}{{cite web |url= http://www.hamar.kommune.no/getfile.php/Bilder/Hamar/Nyhetsbilder/Politikere/Briskebyrapporten%2C%20ikke%20sladdet_1.pdf |title= Briskebyrapporten |publisher= Lynx Avokatfirma |date= 17 August 2011 |language= no |accessdate= 5 December 2011 |archive-date=13 June 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120613031347/http://www.hamar.kommune.no/getfile.php/Bilder/Hamar/Nyhetsbilder/Politikere/Briskebyrapporten,%20ikke%20sladdet_1.pdf |url-status=live }}
  • The inaugural meeting of the British Chess Problem Society, the oldest society of its kind in the world, was held in London with English mathematician Henry Dudeney as chair.{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Valois |title=The Founding of the BCPS |work=The Problemist |pages=432–434 |date=July 1988 }}
  • Born: Eugene Parks Wilkinson, American naval officer, first commander of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine, first commander of the USS Long Beach, the world's first nuclear surface warship, and first president and CEO of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, and Legion of Merit; in Long Beach, California (d. 2013){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died:
  • Jean Brillant, 28, Canadian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross; killed in action (b. 1890){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Anastasie Brown, 91, American clergy, Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods from 1868 to 1874, and director of the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (b. 1826){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Irby Curry, 24, American football player, quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores football team from 1915 to 1916; killed in action (b. 1894){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • William Pitt Kellogg, 87, American politician, U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1868 to 1872 and from 1877 to 1883 (b. 1830){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 11]], 1918 (Sunday)

  • Vladimir Lenin issued an order by telegraph to hang at least 100 kulaks in an effort to suppress a kulak revolt in the Penza Gubernia region of Russia, although whether the order was carried out was unknown.Telegram to the Penza Gubernia Executive Committee of the Soviets in J. Brooks and G. Chernyavskiy's, Lenin and the Making of the Soviet State: A Brief History with Documents (2007). Bedford/St Martin’s: Boston and New York: p. 77
  • British pilot Stuart Culley shot down German Zeppelin L 53 over the North Sea, the last airship to be destroyed in World War I. Culley had taken off in a Sopwith Camel from a barge towed behind the destroyer HMS Redoubt prior to engaging the airship, making it the first successful interception of an enemy aircraft by a shipborne fighter.Whitehouse, 1966, p. 251
  • The Saint John Shipbuilding company was established in Saint John, New Brunswick.Shipbuildinghistory.com, [http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/canada/saintjohn.htm "Saint John Shipbuilding, East Saint John NB"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204075458/http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/canada/saintjohn.htm |date=2013-12-04 }}, Accessed March 10, 2010

[[August 12]], 1918 (Monday)

File:The Hundred Days Offensive, August-november 1918 Q9271.jpg during the Battle of Amiens.]]

[[August 13]], 1918 (Tuesday)

  • Battle of San Matteo – Italian alpine troops launched a surprise attack on the San Matteo peak of Ortler mountain in the Alps that was held by Austro-Hungarian troops. Half of the Austro-Hungarian unit was captured while the rest retreated off the summit. At an altitude of 2,800 metres, it was the highest battle ever fought until a battle during the Kargil War in 1999 was fought at 5,600 metres.Bönisch, Georg [http://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/0,1518,296104,00.html "Die toten Augen im Berg"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605035907/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegelspecial/0,1518,296104,00.html |date=2011-06-05 }} [War in the eternal ice of the Alps] Der Spiegel 30 March 2004 (in German)
  • Italian Navy cruiser {{ship|Italian cruiser|Etruria||2}} was destroyed at port in Livorno, Italy when a barge carrying ammunition exploded beside the vessel.{{cite book| last1=O'Hara| first1=Vincent| author1-link = Vincent P. O'Hara | last2=Dickson| first2=W. David| last3=Worth| first3=Richard| title=To Crown the Waves: The Great Navies of the First World War| year=2013| publisher=Naval Institute Press| location=Annapolis| isbn=9781612510828| page=187}}
  • German submarine {{SMU|UB-30||6}} was depth-charged and sunk in the North Sea with the loss of all 26 crew.{{cite book| last1=Gröner| first1=Erich| last2=Jung| first2=Dieter| last3=Maass| first3=Martin| translator-last1=Thomas| translator-first1=Keith| translator-last2=Magowan| translator-first2=Rachel| year=1991| title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels| volume=2| work=German Warships 1815–1945| location=London| publisher=Conway Maritime Press| isbn=0-85177-593-4| ref=CITEREFGröner1991| page=25}}
  • American pilot Field Eugene Kindley shot down a Fokker fighter plane piloted by Lothar von Richthofen, the brother the late great German war ace Manfred von Richthofen, scoring his fourth victory. Richthofen was an ace in his own right with 40 confirmed air-to-air victories, but suffered serious wounds during the crash and never flew in combat again.American Aces of World War I. Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|1-84176-375-6}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-375-0}}, p. 50
  • Born:
  • Frederick Sanger, British biochemist, twice recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research into insulin and DNA sequencing; in Rendcomb, England (d. 2013){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Noor Hassanali, Trinidadian state leader, second President of Trinidad and Tobago; in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2006){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Charles Dawson Booker, 21, British air force officer, commander of the No. 201 Squadron during World War I; killed in action (b. 1897){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 14]], 1918 (Wednesday)

[[August 15]], 1918 (Thursday)

  • An earthquake measuring with a magnitude of 8.3 triggered a tsunami in the Celebes Sea and caused widespread damage along the coastline of Mindanao, Philippines, including 52 deaths.{{citation|title=ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009)|url=http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php|author=ISC|date=27 June 2015|publisher=International Seismological Centre|series=Version 2.0}}{{cite web | url=http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?eq_0=3116&t=101650&s=18&d=99,91,95,93&nd=display | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224113038/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?eq_0=3116&t=101650&s=18&d=99,91,95,93&nd=display | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 24, 2018 | title=Comments for the Tsunami Event | publisher=National Geophysical Data Center | work=NGDC/WDS Tsunami Event Database | accessdate=27 June 2015}}
  • Hundred Days Offensive – Field Marshal Douglas Haig refused an order from Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch to continue the Amiens offensive as troop advances and supply routes were faltering in the face of regrouping German positions. Instead, he reorganized the British Third Army and U.S. Army Second Corps for an offensive on the German-held town of Albert, France.Hart 2008, pp. 360, 364
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 242.{{cite web| title=History of 242 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/242squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002040232/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/242squadron.cfm| archive-date=2 October 2012| url-status=dead}}
  • Born: Derrick Bailey, British cricketer, batsman for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club from 1949 to 1952; in London (d. 2009){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 16]], 1918 (Friday)

  • An Allied force under command of Lionel Dunsterville arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan.{{Cite book | last = Missen | first =Leslie | title = Dunsterforce. Marshall Cavendish Illustrated Encyclopedia of World War I | publisher = Marshall Cavendish Corporation | year =1984 | isbn =0-86307-181-3 | pages=2766–2772}}
  • Battle of Lake Baikal – A Czechoslovak Legion force under command of Radola Gajda used two captured armed steamships to raid a Red Army port on Lake Baikal in Siberia. The Russian icebreaker SS Baikal was sunk in the attack, and the port's harbor and train station were shelled and destroyed. The victory was the only time Czech forces ever engaged in a naval battle.{{cite web |last1=Kadlečík |first1=Martin |title=History - Naval Battle |url=http://www.narmyslenka.cz/view.php?nazevclanku=namorni-bitva&cisloclanku=2008080006 |website=Národní myšlenky |publisher=Publikace Národní myšlenky |accessdate=14 June 2018 |language=cs |date=August 15, 2008 |archive-date=31 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531095514/http://www.narmyslenka.cz/view.php?nazevclanku=namorni-bitva&cisloclanku=2008080006 |url-status=dead }}
  • Freight sheds owned by Grand Trunk Railway in Ottawa were destroyed by fire, with losses of property and goods estimated at $85,000.{{cite web|date=June 19, 2008 |url=http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm |title=Significant dates in Ottawa railway history |work=Colin Churcher's Railway Pages |accessdate=July 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622131511/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm |archive-date=22 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}

[[August 17]], 1918 (Saturday)

File:Gun Carrier Miraumont August 1918 AWM H04522.jpeg.]]

[[August 18]], 1918 (Sunday)

  • The Royal Air Force established air squadrons No. 246,{{cite web| title=History of 246 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/246squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920065731/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/246squadron.cfm| archive-date=20 September 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 249,{{cite web| title=History of 249 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/249squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071053/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/249squadron.cfm| archive-date=4 March 2016| url-status=dead}} and No. 257.{{cite web| title=History of 257 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/257squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  • The Brazilian Medical Mission, led by Dr. Nabuco Gouveia, was established with 86 doctors to provide war-time medical care for the Western Front.{{cite journal|last1=Faria|first1=Ivan Rodrigues de|title=Participação do Brasil na Primeira Guerra Mundial (Brazil's participation in World War I)|journal=Brazilian Army Journal|date=1996|page=67|location=Rio de Janeiro|language=pt}}
  • The Thule Society was established in Munich, a secret occult group that developed elaborate theories on the origins of the Aryan race.Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. 1985. The Occult Roots of Nazism: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany 1890-1935. Wellingborough, England: The Aquarian Press. {{ISBN|0-85030-402-4}}, p. 144
  • Born:
  • Cisco Houston, American folk singer, known with his collaborations with Woody Guthrie; in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1961){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Alexander Shelepin, Soviet politician, second Chairman of the KGB; in Voronezh, Russia (d. 1994){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 19]], 1918 (Monday)

  • A U.S. Navy Curtiss airplane broke a new world speed record of 163 mph (262 km/h).Angelucci, Enzo, The American Fighter: The Definitive Guide to American Fighter Aircraft From 1917 to the Present, New York: Orion Books, 1987, p. 114
  • A Handley aircraft carrying six crew and one passenger crashed near Maxstoke, England during a test flight, killing all on board.{{cite web|url=http://www.aviationarchaeology.org.uk/marg/crashes1918.htm| title=Military crashes in the south west Midlands - 1918| publisher=Aviation Archaeology| accessdate=February 26, 2017}}{{cite news| url=https://issuu.com/thecoleshillpost/docs/coleshill_past_august_2014| title=Maxstoke's silent witnesses to casualties on the home front| newspaper=Coleshill Past WWI Centenary Edition| author=Michael Walpole| date=August 2014| accessdate=February 26, 2017}}
  • Born:
  • Shankar Dayal Sharma, Indian state leader, 9th President of India; in Bhopal, India (d. 1999){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Ed Frutig, American football player, main receiver for the Michigan Wolverines football team in 1941, receiver for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions from 1941 to 1946; in River Rouge, Michigan (d. 2011){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Orville Gibson, 62, American designer, founder of the Gibson Guitar Company (b. 1856){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 20]], 1918 (Tuesday)

  • The Royal Air Force established air squadrons No. 229,{{cite web| title=History of 229 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/229squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530081340/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/229squadron.cfm| archive-date=30 May 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 230,{{cite web| title=History of 230 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/230squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} No. 231,{{cite web| title=History of 231 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/231squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194707/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/231squadron.cfm| archive-date=3 March 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 232,{{cite web| title=History of 232 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/232squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192334/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/232squadron.cfm| archive-date=3 March 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 234,{{cite web| title=History of 234 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/234squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502011619/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/234squadron.cfm| archive-date=2 May 2017| url-status=dead}} No. 235,{{cite web| title=History of 235 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/235squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121103434/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/235squadron.cfm| archive-date=21 November 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 236,{{cite web| title=History of 236 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/236squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121044445/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/236squadron.cfm| archive-date=21 November 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 237,{{cite web| title=History of 237 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/237squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} No. 238,{{cite web| title=History of 238 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/238squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320214813/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/238squadron.cfm| archive-date=20 March 2017| url-status=dead}} No. 239,{{cite web| title=History of 239 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/239squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053339/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/239squadron.cfm| archive-date=4 March 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 240,{{cite web| title=History of 240 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/240squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818133101/https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/240squadron.cfm| archive-date=18 August 2017| url-status=dead}} No. 245,{{cite web| title=History of 245 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/245squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413064751/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/245squadron.cfm| archive-date=13 April 2014| url-status=dead}} No. 247,{{cite web| title=History of 247 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/247squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818134144/https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/247squadron.cfm| archive-date=18 August 2017| url-status=dead}} No. 248,{{cite web| title=History of 248 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/248squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121043417/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/248squadron.cfm| archive-date=21 November 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 259,{{cite web| title=History of 259 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/259squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081950/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/259squadron.cfm| archive-date=4 March 2016| url-status=dead}} No. 261,{{cite web| title=History of 261 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/261squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205220927/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/261squadron.cfm| archive-date=5 February 2015| url-status=dead}} and No. 265.{{cite web| title=History of 265 Squadron| url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/265squadron.cfm| website=Royal Air Force| accessdate=13 December 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804080519/http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/265squadron.cfm| archive-date=4 August 2009| url-status=dead}}
  • Born:
  • Crystal Bennett, British archaeologist, founder of the British Institute in Amman, Jordan; in Alderney, Channel Islands (d. 1987){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Hasan Abdullayev, Azerbaijani physicist, director of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences from 1957 to 1993, recipient of the Order of Lenin; in Yaycı, Azerbaijan (d. 1993){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Jacqueline Susann, American writer, author of Valley of the Dolls, The Love Machine, and Once Is Not Enough; in Philadelphia (d. 1974){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 21]], 1918 (Wednesday)

  • Second Battle of the Somme – The second phase of the Allied offensive against Germany began with attacks on Albert{{cite book |title=A Record of the Battles and Engagements of the British Armies in France and Flanders 1914–1918 |last=James |first=E. A. |year=1990 |orig-year=1924 |publisher=Gale & Polden |location=Aldershot |edition=London Stamp Exchange |isbn=0-948130-18-0 |page=33}} and Bapaume, France.{{cite book |last=Harper |first=Glyn |author-link=Glyn Harper |title=Dark Journey: Three Key New Zealand Battles of the Western Front |year=2007 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |location=Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=978-1-86950-579-0 |page=323}}
  • The Nieuport-Delage aircraft was first flown.{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=John W. R. |author1-link=John W. R. Taylor |first2=Jean |last2=Alexander |title=Combat Aircraft of the World |location=New York |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |year=1969 |isbn=0-71810-564-8 |pages=116–117}}
  • The U.S. Navy motor patrol boat {{USS|Montauk|SP-392}} sank off Florida, drowning seven of her crew.{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/casualties-usnavy-marinecorps-personnel-killed-injured-selected-accidents-other-incidents-notdirectly-result-enemy-action.html#1900 |title=Casualties: US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Injured in Selected Accidents and Other Incidents Not Directly the Result of Enemy Action |date=3 November 2020 |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=19 February 2023}}
  • The comic strip Cap Stubbs and Tippie by Edwina Dumm debuted in the Ohio newspaper The Columbus Monitor, remaining in syndication until 1966.{{cite web |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn92070582/1918-08-21/ed-1/seq-4/;words=CAP+STUBBS?date1=1836&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=cap+%22stubbs%22&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=3&index=99 |title=Introducing 'Cap Stubbs' [Advertisement] |publisher=The Evening Herald |via=Chronicling America |date=August 21, 1918 |page=4 |location=Albuquerque, New Mexico}}{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/capstubs.htm |title=Cap Stubbs and Tippie |encyclopedia=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240525211615/https://www.webcitation.org/66nyYbihQ?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/capstubs.htm |archive-date=May 25, 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE4DE1038F931A35756C0A966958260 |title=Edwina Dumm, Cartoonist, 96 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 2, 1990}}
  • A powerful tornado struck Tyler, Minnesota, killing 36 people and injuring over 100 others. It would be the fourth deadliest tornado in the state's history.{{cite web |url=http://climate.umn.edu/doc/historical/tornadic.htm |title=Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811154836/http://climate.umn.edu/doc/historical/tornadic.htm |archive-date=11 August 2007}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gendisasters.com/minnesota/3395/tyler,-mn-tornado,-aug-1918 |title=Tyler, MN Tornado, Aug 1918 {{!}} GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods |access-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619113024/http://www.gendisasters.com/minnesota/3395/tyler,-mn-tornado,-aug-1918 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |url-status=live}}
  • Born: Bruria Kaufman, American-Israeli physicist, major contributor to general relativity and statistical physics; in New York City (d. 2010){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 22]], 1918 (Thursday)

[[August 23]], 1918 (Friday)

  • Second Battle of Bapaume – The New Zealand Division, with British support, secured the rail line between Albert and Arras, France and recaptured the French commune Bihucourt from the Germans.{{cite book| last=Gibbon| first=Frederick P.| title=The 42nd (East Lancashire) Division 1914–1918| year=1920| publisher=George Newnes| location=London| oclc=6132827| pages=157–158}} They also launched attacks on the German-held French communes of Achiet-le-Petit, Irles, and Grévillers.{{cite book|last=Gray|first=John H.|title=From the Uttermost Ends of the Earth: The New Zealand Division on the Western Front 1916–1918|year=2010|publisher=Wilson Scott Publishing|location=Christchurch, New Zealand|isbn=978-1-877427-30-5|page=278}}
  • The Bessarabian Peasants' Party was established in Chișinău, Moldova as a replacement for the National Moldavian Party.Svetlana Suveică, Basarabia în primul deceniu interbelic (1918–1928): modernizare prin reforme. Monografii ANTIM VII. Chișinău: Editura Pontos, 2010. {{ISBN|978-9975-51-070-7}} p. 66
  • The Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine was established with Ukrainian scholar Vladimir Vernadsky as its head.See Vernadsky's diaries in the "Works" section, summarized in Sergei Glebov. "Russian and East European Books and Manuscripts in the United States" in Russian and East European Books and Manuscripts in the United States: Proceedings of a Conference in Honor of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Bakhmeteff Archive of Russian and East European History and Culture (Slavic and East European Information Resources, Volume 4, Number 4 2003), eds. Jared S. Ingersoll and Tanya Chebotarev, The Haworth Press, 2003, {{ISBN|0-7890-2405-5}} p. 29
  • Born: Bernard Fisher, American medical scientist, leading researcher into treatment of breast cancer; in Pittsburgh (d. 2019){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 24]], 1918 (Saturday)

[[August 25]], 1918 (Sunday)

[[August 26]], 1918 (Monday)

[[August 27]], 1918 (Tuesday)

  • Battle of Amiens – The Allies reported capturing 50,000 German troops and 500 guns since the start offensive nearly a month earlier. English war correspondent Philip Gibbs called the battle a turning point in the war on the Western Front, writing that "the change has been greater in the minds of men than in the taking of territory. On our side the army seems to be buoyed up with the enormous hope of getting on with this business quickly" and that, "there is a change also in the enemy's mind. They no longer have even a dim hope of victory on this western front. All they hope for now is to defend themselves long enough to gain peace by negotiation."[http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/amiens_gibbs.htm Battle of Amiens, 27 August 1918] by Philip Gibbs from Source Records of the Great War, Vol. VI, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni 1923.
  • Second Battle of Bapaume – After shelling failed to force the Germans out of Bapaume, France, New Zealand forces launched a general assault on the town.Harper 2007, pp. 427-428
  • Battle of Ambos Nogales – U.S. troops with the 35th Infantry Regiment skirmished against Mexican Carrancistas and their German advisers at the border town of Nogales, Arizona. Twenty-eight American soldiers and several civilians were wounded and four soldiers and two civilians were killed in the fight. As well, between 28 and 30 Mexican soldiers, two German advisers, and around 100 Mexican civilians were killed, including Mayor Felix B. Peñaloza who attempted to quell the violence but was supposedly hit by a bullet from the Arizona side. Another 300 Mexican civilians were reported wounded. As German military officers were involved, it was considered the only battle of World War I fought on American soil.{{Cite web |accessdate=6 January 2013 |url=http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/huachuca/HI2-06.htm |title=Buffalo Soldiers at Huachuca: The Battle of Ambos Nogales |author=James P. Finely |work=Huachuca Illustrated A Magazine of the Fort Huachuca Museum |publisher=BYU.edu |year=1993}} Note: Finely quotes: Glass, Edward L.N., History of the Tenth Cavalry, 1866-1921, Old Army Press, 1921,83.
  • The first Director of the United States Army Air Service was appointed.{{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|orig-year= 1961|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180735/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 20, 2016 |edition=reprint|year=1983|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979|page=4}}
  • Born:
  • Ann Baumgartner, American aviator, first woman to pilot a United States Army Air Forces jet aircraft; in Augusta, Georgia (d. 2008){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Jelle Zijlstra, Dutch state leader, 34th Prime Minister of the Netherlands; in Oosterbierum, Netherlands (d. 2001){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Chang Chun-ha, Korean journalist and activist, critic of the Yun Posun and Park Chung-hee administrations; in Uijeongbu, Korea (d. 1975){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 28]], 1918 (Wednesday)

  • Battle of the Scarpe – Canadian forces captured a portion of the Fresnes-Rouvroy defence line in France at a cost of 254 officers and 5,547 troops. William Clark-Kennedy earned the Victoria Cross for leading an advance while seriously wounded. More than 3,300 German soldiers were taken prisoner, along with 53 guns and 519 machine guns.[http://www.1914-1918.net/bat29.htm The Second Battles of Arras 1918][http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/firstworldwar/025005-1500-e.html War Diaries - Canada and the First World War - Library and Archives Canada]
  • Battle of Baku – Ottoman troops attempted to overrun a key Allied position but were driven back, although the undermanned force had to retreat further into Baku, Azerbaijan.
  • North Russia intervention – A British attempt to invade Russian-held territory in East Karelia (located between Russia and Finland) failed with the loss of three dead and 18 wounded.Kinvig, pp. 259–262
  • The General Aeroplane Company, the first commercial airplane manufacturer in Detroit, officially ceased operations.Bluth, John A., [https://archive.today/20100605081920/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=219 Detroit's first commercial airplane builder], May 1, 2001, Special to The Detroit News Online, Michigan History Section, Detroit News
  • Born: Alejandro Agustín Lanusse, Argentine state leader, 37th President of Argentina; in Buenos Aires (d. 1996){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[August 29]], 1918 (Thursday)

[[August 30]], 1918 (Friday)

[[August 31]], 1918 (Saturday)

  • Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin – The Australian Corps under command of John Monash crossed the Somme River and captured the German-held hill of Mont Saint-Quentin in France.{{cite web| title=Mont St Quentin – Péronne 31 August – 2 September 1918 | url=http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/battlefields/mont-st-quentin-peronne-1918.html | publisher=Australian Government: Department of Veterans' Affairs together with Board of Studies NSW |work=Australians on the Western Front 1914–1918 |date=12 February 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725073538/http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/battlefields/mont-st-quentin-peronne-1918.html |archive-date=25 July 2008 |url-status=dead }}
  • Second Battle of Bapaume – New Zealand forces captured the French commune of Riencourt.Gibbon 1920, p. 163
  • As the Red Terror ramped up, Cheka agents stormed the British embassy in Petrograd, suspecting counterrevolutionary organizations were using resources within it. In the ensuing raid, British naval officer Francis Cromie was shot and killed by Cheka agents and another 40 were arrested on suspicion of collaborating with counterrevolutionaries. The British government shut down the embassy days later and ordered the diplomatic staff to Finland.{{Cite book|title=The V.C. AND D.S.O.; A complete record of all those officers, non-commissioned officers and men of His Majesty's naval, military and air forces who have been awarded these decorations from the time of their institution, with descriptions of the deeds and services which won the distinctions and with many biographical and other details, compiled from official publications and despatches, letters from commanding officers and other contemporary accounts, and from information from private sources.| volume=III| first1=Creagh| last1=O'Moore| first2=Edith|last2=Humphris|publisher=The Standard Art Book Co. Ltd.| location=London|year=1926|page=230}}
  • U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed into a law a bill to revoke the charter of the National German-American Alliance, officially ending the organization even though it had been inactive since April.{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=C.T.|title=Culture at Twilight: The National German-American Alliance, 1901-1918|date=1999|publisher=Peter Lang|page=158}}
  • Born:
  • Alan Jay Lerner, American songwriter, known for his lyrical collaborations with Frederick Loewe and Burton Lane for My Fair Lady, Camelot and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever; in New York City (d. 1986){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Kenny Washington, American football player, first African-American to be signed onto an NFL team, running back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1946 to 1948; in Los Angeles (d. 1971){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Ghenadie Petrescu, 82, Romanian clergy, Patriarch of All Romania for the Romanian Orthodox Church from 1893 to 1896 (b. 1836){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

References

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{{Events by month links}}

1918

*1918-08