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October 1918

{{short description|Month in 1918}}

{{Events by month|1918}}

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

The following events occurred in October 1918:

File:Cher Ami cropped.jpg, homing pigeon for the United States Army, awarded the Croix de guerre for getting a message from the American "Lost Battalion" through to relief forces during the Meuse–Argonne offensive.]]

File:Breaking the hindenburg line.jpg, depicting British forces breaking through the German Hindenburg Line on the Western Front.]]

File:Alvin C York Painting.jpg by Frank Schoonover, fighting during the Meuse–Argonne offensive|alt=Sgt. Alvin C. York, 327th Inf., 82nd Div., Attack made from Hill 223 – N. of Chatel-Chéhéry, Argonne Forest, near Corny, Ardennes, France, October 8, 1918.]]

[[October 1]], 1918 (Tuesday)

File:Loket vid järnvägsolyckan i Getå 1918.jpg near Getå, Sweden, the worst train disaster in the country's history.]]

  • The Desert Mounted Corps captured Damascus, ending the Battle of Megiddo. The battle was a complete loss for the Ottoman Empire, with only 6,000 out of the 35,000 troops deployed escaping. In comparison, total British casualties were 782 killed, 4,179 wounded and 382 missing out of 57,000 men in the corps.{{Cite book |last=Falls |first=Cyril |title=Military Operations: Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War |publisher=HM Stationery Office |others=A. F. Becke (maps) |year=1930 |series=Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |volume=2 Part II |location=London |page=574 |oclc=256950972}}{{Cite book |last=Liddell Hart |first=Basil Henry |author-link=Basil Liddell Hart |url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffirstwo00lidd/page/432 |title=History of the First World War |publisher=Pan Books |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-330-23354-5 |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyoffirstwo00lidd/page/432 432] |url-access=registration}}
  • Battle of the Canal du Nord – The British First and Third Armies, including the Canadian Corps, captured the entire Canal du Nord in north France along with 36,500 German prisoners and 380 guns. The Allies lost 30,000 casualties but were now in attacking distance of the German-held French city of Cambrai. In all, 12 Victoria Crosses were awarded for bravery and action during the battle.{{Cite journal |last=Borys |first=David |date=2011 |title=Crossing the Canal: Combined Arms Operations at the Canal Du Nord, Sept - Oct 1918 |url=http://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/vol20/iss4/3 |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=20 |page=4 |via=Wilfred Laurier University - Scholars Commons at Laurier}}
  • Fifth Battle of Ypres – Allied forces captured the left bank of the Lys River.{{Cite book |last1=Edmonds |first1=J. E. |title=Military Operations France and Belgium 1918: 26th September – 11th November: The Advance to Victory |last2=Maxwell-Hyslop |first2=R. |publisher=HMSO |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-89839-192-3 |edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |volume=V |location=London |pages=74–94 |orig-year=1947}}
  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Allied forces conquered Berat, Albania.{{Cite book |last=Falls |first=C. |title=Military Operations Macedonia: From the Spring of 1917 to the End of the War |publisher=HMSO |year=1996 |isbn=0-89839-243-8 |edition=Imperial War Museum and Battery Press |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |volume=II |location=Nashville, TN |pages=246–253 |orig-year=1935}}
  • The Red Army captured the city of Syzran, Russia and forced the People's Army of Komuch to retreat to Samara.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}}
  • A landslide caused a train to derail in Getå, Östergötland, Sweden, killing 41 passengers and injuring another 41 people in what was the worst railroad accident in Swedish history.{{Cite book |last=Wegmann |first=Rolph |title=Getå 1918 : den stora tågolyckan |publisher=Linköping Railair Research |year=1998 |isbn=91-973446-0-5 |location=Linköping, Sweden |pages=9–20 |language=sv |trans-title=Getå 1918 : the great train disaster}}
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 152.{{Cite web |title=History of 152 Squadron |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/152squadron.cfm |access-date=13 December 2017 |website=Royal Air Force}}
  • The Communist Party of Lithuania was established.{{Cite book |title=Lithuania. An Encyclopedic Survey |publisher=Encyclopedia Publishers |year=1986 |editor-last=Jonas Zinkus |location=Vilnius |page=149 |oclc=15541947}}
  • Born: James R. Browning, American judge, justice of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1961 to 1988; in Great Falls, Montana (d. 2012){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 2]], 1918 (Wednesday)

File:AWMH10659Damascus.jpg Harry Chauvel commanding Desert Mounted Corps leads his corps through Damascus.]]

  • Fifth Battle of Ypres – German reinforcements forced the Allies to halt their advance further into Belgium. The British lost {{nowrap|4,695 casualties,}} and the Belgians had {{nowrap|2,000 killed}} and {{nowrap|10,000 wounded}}, but had advanced a total {{convert|18|mi|km|abbr=on}} and captured {{circa|10,000}} prisoners, {{nowrap|300 guns}} and {{nowrap|600 machine-guns.}}{{sfn|Edmonds|Maxwell-Hyslop|1947|pp=74–94}}
  • Battle of St Quentin Canal – British and Australian forces launched attacks to break the Hindenburg Line at Beaurevoir, France, and succeeded in creating a 17 km breach.{{Cite book |last=Terraine |first=John |title=To Win a War: 1918, The Year of Victory |date=1978 |isbn=9780304353217 |location=London |page=177}}
  • Meuse–Argonne offensive – American forces forced a gap in the German line in Argonne Forest in France and advanced {{convert|2.5|km|abbr=on}} into enemy territory.{{Cite journal |last=Fleming |first=Thomas |date=October 1993 |title=Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I |url=http://www.historynet.com/meuse-argonne-offensive-of-world-war-i.htm |journal=Military History |publisher=HistoryNet.com}}
  • Lost Battalion – Nine companies of the 77th Infantry Division, composed of 554 men under command of Major Charles W. Whittlesey, were cut off from the main attacking force in Argonne Forest.{{Cite book |last=Laplander |first=Robert |title=Finding the Lost Battalion |publisher=Lulu |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4116-7656-5 |location=Wisconsin |page=528}}
  • Battle of Durazzo – The Italian Navy, supported by British and American vessels, attacked the port of Durazzo, Albania held by Austria-Hungary.Halpern, Paul G., Koburger Jr., Charles W., The central powers in the Adriatic, 1914–1918: War in a narrow sea Wstport CT (2001), {{ISBN|0-275-97071-X}}, p. 112 The attack damaged several Austro-Hungarian navy ships and destroyed three key coastal defences, along with the Royal Palace of Durrës.{{Cite news |last=Kabashi |first=Gezim |date=December 24, 2012 |title=Fotot e Rralla - Bombardimi i Durresit me 2 Tetor 1918 |trans-title=Rare Photos - Bombing of Durres on October 2, 1918 |url=http://gazetaedurresit.com/fotot-e-rralla-bombardimi-i-durresit-me-2-tetor-1918/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024051532/http://gazetaedurresit.com/fotot-e-rralla-bombardimi-i-durresit-me-2-tetor-1918/ |archive-date=October 24, 2014 |work=Gazeta e Durresit}}
  • The 3rd Light Horse Brigade of the Australian Mounted Division charged Ottoman forces 17 miles (27 km) north of Damascus and captured 2,000 Ottoman troops.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 594
  • Pursuit to Haritan – The Yildirim Army Group abandoned Rayak, Lebanon to join defense forces in Aleppo.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 605
  • The experimental Kettering Bug aircraft, designed by the U.S. Army Signals Corps to carry unmanned aerial torpedoes, failed on its first test flight and crashed. Later test flights proved successful.{{Cite web |title=Remote Piloted Aerial Vehicles : The 'Aerial Target' and 'Aerial Torpedo' in the USA |url=http://www.ctie.monash.edu/hargrave/rpav_usa.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716210742/http://www.ctie.monash.edu/hargrave/rpav_usa.html |archive-date=2011-07-16 |access-date=2018-08-20}}
  • The Selwyn Theatre, designed by architect George Keister and built by the Selwyn brothers Edgar and Archie, opened on 42nd Street of Manhattan in New York City.Henderson, Mary C., The City and the Theatre: New York playhouses from Bowling Green to Times Square (1973), p. 275: "Selwyn Theatre 229 West Forty-second Street, Standard house. Architect: George Keister. Opening production: October 2, 1918, Information Please."
  • Born: Charles J. Loring Jr., American air force pilot, commander of the 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron during the Korean War, recipient of the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Flying Cross, and 12 Air Medals; in Portland, Maine (d. 1952, killed in action){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died:
  • John Barnett, 38, Australian rugby player, second-row for the Newtown Jets from 1910 to 1915, gold medalist at the 1908 Summer Olympics, member of the Australia national rugby league team from 1907 to 1910 (b. 1880){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Granville Stuart, 84, American pioneer, prominent settler of the Montana Territory, earning the nickname "Mr. Montana" (b. 1834){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 3]], 1918 (Thursday)

File:Zar Ferdinand Bulgarien.jpg abdicates his throne in Bulgaria.]]

File:1307109799 king-faisal-i-of-iraq-kopiya.jpg]]

  • Kaiser Wilhelm appointed Prince Maximilian of Baden Chancellor of Germany.{{Cite book |last=Haffner |first=Sebastian |title=Die deutsche Revolution 1918/19 (German) |publisher=Kindler |year=2002 |isbn=3-463-40423-0 |page=44}}
  • King Ferdinand abdicated in the wake of the Bulgarian military collapse, with his son, Boris succeeding him.{{Cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Palmer |title=The Kaiser: Warlord Of The Second Reich |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |year=1978 |isbn=0-297-77393-3 |location=London |page=206}}
  • Prince Faisal, leader of the Arab rebellion, led his forces into Damascus.Roberts, P.M., World War I, a Student Encyclopedia, 2006, ABC-CLIO, p. 657
  • Lost Battalion – German forces attacked the "lost" portion of the American 77th Infantry Division dug into a hill in Argonne Forest that they had taken the previous day. The communications line had been cut making it impossible to call for reinforcements or emergency supplies, and an attempt to break out left heavy casualties. Despite heavy fire, the Americans held onto the hill.Laplander 2007, p. 452
  • Pursuit to Haritan – The Desert Mounted Corps left Haifa, Palestine to pursue the remaining Yildirim Army Group into Syria.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 563
  • British ocean liner {{SS|Burutu|1902|2}} collided with another vessel and sank, killing at least 170 people.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=British steamer sunk in collision. |date=7 October 1918 |page=5 |issue=41914 |column=B }}{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Heavy death-roll in sunk liner |date=8 October 1918 |page=5 |issue=41915 |column=D }}
  • German destroyers {{SMS|S33|1914|6}} and {{SMS|S34|1914|6}} were both lost at the same time in the North Sea, when S34 struck a mine and sank and S33 was torpedoed by Royal Navy submarine {{HMS|L10}} while rescuing survivors from the other ship. At least 70 sailors were lost.{{Cite web |title=Major Warships Sunk in World War 1 1918 |url=http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/sunk18.htm |access-date=24 February 2013 |publisher=World War I}}
  • Royal Navy submarine {{HMS|L10}} was sunk in the Heligoland Bight by two German destroyers with the loss of all 38 crew.{{Cite book |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1985 |isbn=0-85177-245-5 |editor-last=Gardiner |editor-first=Robert |location=Annapolis, Maryland |page=93 |editor-last2=Gray |editor-first2=Randal}}
  • Belgian pilot Willy Coppens survived an attempt on his life when German troops loaded the basket of an observation balloon, his favorite target, with explosives and used artillery fire on Allied units to lure him into the trap. The Germans detonated the explosives when Coppens arrived in his Hanriot plane to attack the balloon, but he flew through the explosion and emerged uninjured.[http://fly.historicwings.com/2013/04/days-on-the-wing/ fly.historicwings.com Flight Stories 25 April 2015.]
  • The Soviet Red Army established the 11th Army.{{Cite book |last=Kenez |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Kenez |title=Civil War in South Russia, 1918: The First Year of the Volunteer Army |publisher=University of California Press |year=1971 |location=Berkeley, California |page=184}}
  • British writer Siegfried Sassoon visited his mentor journalist Robbie Ross for the last time. Sassoon later wrote that Ross, in saying goodbye, gave him a "presentiment of final farewell".{{Cite book |last=Sassoon |first=Siegfried |title=Siegfried's Journey, 1916–1920 |publisher=Faber |year=1945 |location=London |pages=71–84}}

[[October 4]], 1918 (Friday)

  • Now Chancellor of Germany, Prince Maximilian of Baden formed a new and more liberal government and sued for peace.Haffner 2002, p. 44
  • Lost Battalion – With no way to escape and German soldiers shooting the army unit's messengers, the lost units of the 77th Infantry Division resorted to using carrier pigeons to get word back to headquarters. One carrier pigeon nicknamed Cher Ami managed to get to base despite being severely wounded from a shell burst. It carried the message to call off a "friendly fire" barrage that also gave the unit's position: "We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake stop it."Laplander 2007, p. 354
  • Explosions at a shell-manufacturing plant in Sayreville, New Jersey killed more than 100 people and destroyed enough ammunition to supply the Western Front for six months.{{Cite news |date=October 5, 1918 |title=Great Munition Plant Blown Up; 100 May Be Dead |url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70B12FE3E5D147A93C7A9178BD95F4C8185F9 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite news |date=October 6, 1918 |title=Day of Explosions and Fire Finishes Shell Plant Ruin |url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F70B1EFF3A5F1B7A93C4A9178BD95F4C8185F9 |work=The New York Times}}
  • Japanese ocean liner Hirano Maru was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean {{convert|200|nmi|km}} south of Ireland by German submarine {{SMU|UB-91||6}} with the loss of 292 of the 320 people on board.{{Cite web |title=Hirano Maru |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/2866.html |access-date=13 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Japanese steamer torpedoed. |date=11 October 1918 |page=8 |issue=41918 |column=D }}
  • German submarine {{SMU|UB-68||6}} was shelled and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea with the loss of one of her 34 crew.{{Cite web |title=UB 68 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+68 |access-date=11 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • Born:
  • Kenichi Fukui, Japanese chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research supporting the frontier molecular orbital theory in chemical reactions; in Nara, Japan (d. 1998){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Adrian Kantrowitz, American surgeon, member of the surgical team to perform the first pediatric heart transplant, inventor of the intra-aortic balloon pump; New York City (d. 2008){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Nikolai Skrydlov, Russian naval officer, recipient of the Order of St. George for action during the Russo-Turkish War; executed (b. 1844){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 5]], 1918 (Saturday)

File:Roland Garros (aviator) SDASM (cropped).jpg Roland Garros]]

  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Serbians and French forces liberated Vranje, Serbia from the control of the Central Powers.Falls 1935 pp.246-253
  • Battle of St Quentin Canal – Australian forces captured Montbrehain, France, and began clearing the Hindenburg Line of German defenses.
  • Lost Battalion – German forces continued to attack the hill held by the "lost" American units of the 77th Infantry Division while the 28th Infantry Division and 82nd Infantry Division were dispatched to rescue the surrounded units. The Americans would lose 766 men over the four days of fighting.“Lost Battalions: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality” by Richard Slotkin, Henry Holt & Co, New York NY, 2005, p. 343
  • Pursuit to Haritan – British units left Damascus to pursue the retreating Ottoman forces.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 pp. 601, 667
  • French flying ace Roland Garros died from wounds received after being shot down over Vouziers, Ardennes, France by German ace Hermann Habich from Jagdstaffel 49.{{Cite news |date=17 October 1918 |title=Garros Is Killed, Berlin Reports. Famous French Airman Was Shot Down on Oct. 4, Says Message |url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D0CEEDC1539E13ABC4F52DFB6678383609EDE |work=New York Times}}{{Cite news |date=1 November 1918 |title=Roland Garros Killed. Famous French Aviator, Reported Wounded, Died Oct. 5 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A02E0D61539E13ABC4953DFB7678383609EDE |work=New York Times}}
  • German submarines {{SMU|UB-10||6}}, {{SMU|UB-40||6}}, {{SMU|UB-59||6}}, and {{SMU|UC-4||6}} were scuttled when they could not be moved along with the other retreating Imperial German Navy vessels from the Zeebrugge and Ostend ports in West Flanders, Belgium.{{Cite book |last=Messimer |first=Dwight R. |title=Verschollen: World War I U-boat Losses |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-55750-475-3 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |page=132 |oclc=231973419}}
  • The art exhibition hall Kunsthalle Bern opened in Bern, Switzerland.{{Cite web |title=100 Jahre Kunsthalle Bern |url=https://kunsthalle-bern.ch/100-jahre-kunsthalle-bern/ |access-date=21 December 2017 |website=Kunsthalle Bern}}
  • Died:
  • Robbie Ross, 49, Canadian-British journalist, literary executor and lover to Oscar Wilde (b. 1869){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Eddie Grant, 35, American baseball player, third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants ball clubs, member of the "Lost Battalion"; killed in action (b. 1883){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 6]], 1918 (Sunday)

File:Erwin R. Bleckley.jpg]]

  • Lost Battalion – American fighter pilot Erwin R. Bleckley of the 50th Aero Squadron was shot down and killed while attempting to resupply the 77th Division surrounded by German forces in Argonne Forest, France. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.{{Cite magazine |title=2nd Lt. Erwin R. Bleckley Citation |url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/MOH%20Collection/Bleckley_Erwin.pdf |magazine=Air Force Magazine}}
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 269.{{Cite web |title=History of 269 Squadron |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/269squadron.cfm |access-date=13 December 2017 |website=Royal Air Force}}
  • Royal Navy cruiser {{HMS|Otranto}} collided with {{HMS|Kashmir|1915|6}} in the Atlantic Ocean north east of Ireland before it was driven ashore and wrecked with the loss of 431 lives.{{Cite book |last=Scott |first=R. Neil |title=Many Were Held by the Sea: The Tragic Sinking of HMS Otranto |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4422-1342-5 |location=Lanham, Maryland |pages=67–77}}
  • Silent film star Theda Bara starred in the film adaptation of Salomé,{{Cite journal |date=Feb 15, 1919 |title=How Keane Built Up the Band Box: Chicago Madison Street Exhibitor Swore Public Would Pay for the Right Stuff and Proved It |url=https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal |journal=Moving Picture World |location=New York City |publisher=Chalmers Publishing Company |volume=39 |issue=7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal/page/897 897] |access-date=2014-07-25}}{{Cite journal |last=Gray |first=Paul |date=Feb 15, 1919 |title=Dayton New Letter: Business Good in Dayton |url=https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal |journal=Moving Picture World |location=New York City |publisher=Chalmers Publishing Company |volume=39 |issue=7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal/page/927 927] |access-date=2014-07-25}} which roused controversy for its mix of biblical and sexual themes and resulted in some American church groups picketing the film.{{Cite journal |date=January 25, 1919 |title=Protest Against Showing of Salome: Church Federations of St. Louis Raise Objection to Theda Bara's Dearth of Attire |url=https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal |journal=Moving Picture World |location=New York City |publisher=Chalmers Publishing Company |volume=39 |issue=4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/movingwor39chal/page/476 476] |access-date=2014-07-25}}
  • Born:
  • Goh Keng Swee, Singaporean state leader, second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore; in Malacca, Malaysia (d. 2010){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • George Moore, American track athlete, silver medalist at the 1948 Summer Olympics; in St. Louis (d. 2014){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Henry M. Morris, American engineer religious leader, proponent of creationism, co-founder of the Creation Research Society and Institute for Creation Research; in Dallas (d. 2006){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Erwin R. Bleckley, 23, United States Army fighter pilot, posthumous Medal of Honor recipient; killed in action (b. 1894)

[[October 7]], 1918 (Monday)

[[October 8]], 1918 (Tuesday)

File:111-SC-42756 - NARA - 55244713-cropped.jpg (right) of the 77th Infantry Division talking to Major Kenny, commander of 307th Infantry, after the "Lost Battalion" was rescued during the Meuse–Argonne offensive. ]]

  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Austro-Hungarian forces withdrew from Kotor, Montenegro.
  • Battle of Cambrai – British forces launched a major attack on the Germans involving 730,000 British, Canadian and Australian troops and 324 tanks, supported by artillery and aircraft.{{Cite book |last=Keegan |first=John |author-link=John Keegan |title=The First World War |publisher=Pimlico |year=1999 |isbn=0-7126-6645-1 |edition=UK |location=London |pages=396–397}} With German defenses so weakened, the Canadian Corps was able to occupy the French city of Cambrai by the end of the day with little resistance.{{Cite book |last=Christie |first=Norm |author-link=Norm Christie |title=For King and Empire: The Canadian at Cambrai, September–October 1918. |publisher=CEF Books |year=1997 |location=Nepean, Ontario |page=125}}
  • Lost Battalion – Army scout Private Abraham Krotoshinsky of the "lost" American units of the 77th Infantry Division found a path through the German line in Argonne Forest and met up with an infiltrating American relief force sent to rescue the stranded unit. Krotoshinsky lead the unit back to relieve the defending units and take the 194 surviving soldiers to safety. Six members of the "Lost Battalion" were awarded the Medal of Honor and unit commander Charles W. Whittlesey was promoted to lieutenant colonel.{{Cite book |last=L. Wardlaw Miles |url=http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=2549374&pageId=7511407 |title=History of the 308th Infantry, 1917–1919 |publisher=Putnam |year=1927 |location=New York |chapter=Citations Awarded to the 308th Infantry}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zO4eDQAAQBAJ&q=whittlesey+French+legion+of+honor&pg=PA109 |title=Beautiful War: Studies in Dreadful Fascination by Philip D. Beidler=2016 |date=December 2016 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=9780817319304 |page=109 |access-date=October 25, 2017}}
  • Pursuit to Haritan – The Desert Mounted Corps units entered Beirut where they captured 600 Ottoman prisoners without resistance.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 p. 603
  • U.S. Army Corporal Alvin York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 more near Chatel-Chéhéry, France, during the Meuse–Argonne offensive. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and eventually became the most decorated American soldier of World War I.{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2009 |title=York, Alvin C. (Medal of Honor citation) |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901074542/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html |archive-date=1 September 2010 |access-date=August 29, 2010 |website=Medal of Honor recipients — World War I |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History}}
  • Born: Jens Christian Skou, Danish biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of the enzyme found in the cell membrane of all animals; in Lemvig, Denmark (d. 2018){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died:
  • James B. McCreary, 80, American politician, 27th and 37th Governor of Kentucky, U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1903 to 1909 (b. 1838){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • James W. Dawes, 73, American politician, 5th Governor of Nebraska (b. 1845){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 9]], 1918 (Wednesday)

[[October 10]], 1918 (Thursday)

File:Canadian troops on Arras- Cambrai road-1918.jpg, France, as the city is taken back from German forces.]]

  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – French forces liberated Pristina, Kosovo.
  • Battle of St Quentin Canal – Most of the fighting around the Hindenburg Line ended. British casualties were 8,802,{{Cite book |last=Nichols |first=G. H. F. |title=The 18th Division in the Great War |publisher=Blackwood |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-84342-866-4 |edition=Naval & Military Press |location=London |page=560 |orig-year=1922}} while the Americans had suffered 13,182 on the opening day of fighting. The Australians had 2,577 casualties.{{Cite book |last=Clodfelter |first=Micheal |title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500–2000 |publisher=McFarland |year=2002 |isbn=9780786412044 |edition=2nd |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |page=454}} German casualties were unknown but 36,000 soldiers were taken prisoner.{{sfn|Boraston|1920|p=285}}
  • Battle of Cambrai – The French city of Cambrai was fully in British hands. The Germans suffered 10,000 casualties while the British had 12,000 casualties.Keegan 1999, pp. 396-397
  • British cargo ship {{RMS|Leinster}} was sunk in the Irish Sea by German submarine {{SMU|UB-123}} with the loss of over 523 lives.{{Cite web |title=Leinster |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3552.html |access-date=16 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • Pursuit to Haritan – British forces occupied Baalbek, Lebanon, a strategic supply hub, as units advanced on Homs.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 pp. 605
  • The American Expeditionary Forces established the Second United States Army with General John J. Pershing selecting Lieutenant General Robert Lee Bullard to command.United States Army Center of Military History, [http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/army/secondarmy.htm Lineage and Honors]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, Second United States Army, dated 30 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2017
  • The Northwestern Army was established to fight for the White Russians that held Pskov, Russia during the Russian Civil War.{{Cite web |title=Estonica.org - North-Western Army |url=http://www.estonica.org/en/North-Western_Army/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102172231/http://www.estonica.org/en/North-Western_Army/ |archive-date=2019-01-02 |access-date=2019-01-10 |website=www.estonica.org}}
  • Born: Yigal Allon, Israeli politician, cabinet minister for the Levi Eshkol and Golda Meir administrations; in Kfar Tavor, Ottoman Empire (d. 1980){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Henry Dobson, 76, Australian politician, 17th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1841){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 11]], 1918 (Friday)

  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Allied forces liberated Niš, Serbia before German forces could reach it.Falls 1935, pp. 246-253
  • An earthquake measuring 7.1 in magnitude shook Puerto Rico, killing between 76 and 116 people, including a destructive tsunami that contributed to $29 million in property damage.{{Citation |last=Reid |first=H. |title=The Porto Rico Earthquakes of October–November, 1918 |journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=95–127 |year=1919 |url=http://www.bssaonline.org/content/9/4/95.extract |access-date=2018-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195013/http://www.bssaonline.org/content/9/4/95.extract |archive-date=2015-09-23 |url-status=dead |publisher=Seismological Society of America |doi=10.1785/BSSA0090040095 |s2cid=129077177 |author-link=Harry Fielding Reid|url-access=subscription }}
  • The Imperial German Navy air command proposed that merchant ships be converted into Germany's first aircraft carriers with flight decks.Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849–1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, {{ISBN|0-87021-210-9}}, p. 28
  • The Soviet Red Army established the 8th Rifle Division.{{Cite web |title=8th Minsk Red Banner Rifle Division |url=http://www.rkka.ru/handbook/reg/8sd18.htm |access-date=21 Jan 2016 |website=rkka.ru}}
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 156.{{Cite web |title=History of 156 Squadron |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/156squadron.cfm |access-date=13 December 2017 |website=Royal Air Force}}
  • Born: Jerome Robbins, American choreographer, five-time Tony Award winner for his work on many musicals including Peter Pan, The King and I, West Side Story, Gypsy, and Fiddler on the Roof; in New York City (d. 1998){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Archibald Willard, 82, American painter, best known for the artwork The Spirit of '76 (b. 1836){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 12]], 1918 (Saturday)

  • The city of Cloquet, Minnesota and nearby areas were destroyed in a fire that killed 453 people.Roberts, Kate (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3Y01NYd41UC&pg=PA27 Minnesota 150: The People, Places, and Things That Shape Our State], p. 27. Minnesota Historical Society Press.
  • The Imperial German Navy Airship Division flew its last combat mission.Phythyon, John R., Jr., Great War at Sea: Zeppelins, Virginia Beach, Virginia: Avalanche Press, Inc., 2007, p. 14.
  • Troopship RMS Niagara returned to New Zealand, with future New Zealand prime ministers William Massey and Joseph Ward on board. Although it was carrying a number of people ill with influenza, it was not quarantined. Although later cited as the cause of the Spanish flu epidemic in the country, six persons had already died in the three days preceding the ship's arrival.[http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/rms-niagara New Zealand History online: RMS Niagara - the 1918 influenza pandemic]
  • The Australian Labor Party established its own newspaper, The Labor News, in Sydney. It was later absorbed by the Labor Daily in 1924.{{Cite web |title=Labor daily (Sydney, N.S.W.) |url=http://library.sl.nsw.gov.au/record=b1161560~S1 |access-date=12 June 2013 |publisher=State Library of New South Wales catalogue}}
  • The football club Capivariano was established in Capivari, Brazil.{{Cite web |title=Capivariano Futebol Clube |url=http://www.futebolpaulista.com.br/clubes/Capivariano+Futebol+Clube/Historia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121231153106/http://www.futebolpaulista.com.br/clubes/Capivariano+Futebol+Clube/Historia |archive-date=December 31, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2012 |publisher=Federação Paulista de Futebol |language=pt}}
  • The Volcano Katla Katla (volcano) in Iceland erupted, the eruption lasted for 24 days.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Mary Hannay Foott, 72, Australian poet, known for her poetry collections including Where the Pelican Builds and Other Poems (b. 1841){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 13]], 1918 (Sunday)

[[October 14]], 1918 (Monday)

File:Willy Coppens.jpg Willy Coppens]]

  • Battle of Courtrai – Allied forces began attacking German defenses along the River Lys from Comines-Warneton to Dixmude, Belgium, capturing Cortemarck and Moorslede by the end of the day.{{Cite book |last=Boraston |first=J. H. |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_90328 |title=Sir Douglas Haig's Despatches |publisher=Dent |year=1919 |edition=1920 |location=London |page=290 |oclc=633614212}}
  • Meuse–Argonne offensive – American forces began a series of assaults on the Hindenburg Line around Montfaucon, France.{{Cite web |title=Meuse River-Argonne Forest Offensive, 26 September-11 November 1918 |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_meuse_argonne.html |access-date=2013-09-26 |publisher=Historyofwar.org}}
  • The provisional government for Czechoslovakia was formed with Czech nationalist leader Tomáš Masaryk as president (even though he was still in exile in the United States).Kalvoda, Josef, The Genesis of Czechoslovakia, Eastern European Monographs: Boulder, 1986, p. 421
  • The first all-U.S. Marine Corps air combat action in history took place, with eight Airco aircraft bombing Pitthem, Belgium. German aircraft attacked the bombing squadron on the return flight, causing marine pilot Ralph Talbot and gunner Robert G. Robinson to be separated from the rest of their unit. The two ran into a squadron of 12 German fighters but were able to hold them off during the resulting dogfight until Talbot was able to land at a Belgian hospital where Robinson was treated for wounds. The two both received the Medal of Honor for their exploit.Knapp, Walter, "The Marines Take Wing", Aviation History, May 2012, pp. 50-53Borch, Fred L., and Robert E. Dorr, "Bravery Over Belgium," Military History, March 2012, p. 17
  • Malleson mission – A force of 570 British and Indian soldiers defeated Soviet forces at the village of Dushak, Turkestan, inflicting 1,000 Bolshevik casualties while losing 60 killed and 180 wounded.Ellis, C. H, "The British Intervention in Transcaspia 1918–1919", University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1963 [https://archive.org/stream/britishintervent002569mbp/britishintervent002569mbp_djvu.txt p 75]
  • After surviving a major attempt on his life days earlier, Belgian flying ace Willy Coppens was wounded after shooting down a German observation balloon near Praatbos, Belgium. It was the last of his 37 victories, 34 of them observation balloons. He was forced to crash-land near Torhout, Belgium, but with the war ending four weeks later, he retained his title as the top-scoring "balloon buster".O'Connor, M. "Airfields & Airmen of the Channel Coast". Pen & Sword Military, 2005. p. 93 {{ISBN|1-84415-258-8}}
  • German submarine SM U-139 attacked two Portuguese naval trawlers near the Azores and sunk one, killing six crew, before being hit and forced away. It was the only time a naval battle occurred in the mid-Atlantic during World War I.João Medina, Aniceto Afonso, História contemporânea de Portugal: Primeira República (2 v.) (1990), p. 127
  • The British Red Cross began operating a military hospital out of the Charlton House in Charlton, London, England for World War I soldiers.{{Cite web |title=Charlton Manor House |url=https://www.greenwichheritage.org/visit/charlton-house/charlton-manor-house |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221091006/https://www.greenwichheritage.org/visit/charlton-house/charlton-manor-house |archive-date=21 December 2021 |access-date=21 August 2018 |website=Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust}}
  • The silent film drama The Goddess of Lost Lake, produced and starring Louise Glaum and directed by Wallace Worsley, was released. The film is now considered lost.[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.5701/default.html The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:The Goddess of Lost Lake]
  • Born:
  • Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player, winner of 19 Grand Slams; in Sydney (d. 2015){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Doug Ring, Australian cricketer, bowler for the Victoria cricket team from 1938 to 1953 and the Australia national cricket team from 1948 to 1953; in Hobart (d. 2003){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Ellen Faull, American opera singer, best known for her performances with New York City Opera; in Pittsburgh (d. 2008){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Premindra Singh Bhagat, Indian army officer, leading commanding officer during the Sino-Indian War, recipient of the Victoria Cross and Param Vishisht Seva Medal; in Gorakhpur, India (d. 1975){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Marcel Chaput, Canadian scientist and activist, founding member of the Quebec nationalist organization Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale; in Hull, Quebec (d. 1991){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Louis Lipsett, 44, British-Canadian army officer, commander of the 3rd Canadian Division, recipient of the Order of the Bath and the Order of St Michael and St George; killed in action (b. 1874){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 15]], 1918 (Tuesday)

[[October 16]], 1918 (Wednesday)

[[October 17]], 1918 (Thursday)

  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Serbian and French forces liberated Peć, Kosovo.
  • Battle of Courtrai – Allied forces recaptured from the Germans the Belgian towns of Thourout and Ostend, and the French towns of Lille and Douai.{{sfn|Edmonds|Maxwell-Hyslop|1947|pp=271–276}}
  • Battle of the Selle – British forces under command of General Henry Rawlinson launched a major attack to push German forces off the east bank of Selle River in France, capturing the French commune of Le Cateau by the end of the day.{{Cite web |title=The Great War Timeline - 1918 |url=http://www.greatwar.co.uk/timeline/ww1-events-1918.htm |access-date=5 August 2018 |website=The Great War 1914–1918}}
  • Meuse–Argonne offensive – American forces pushed the Germans out of Argonne Forest in France, while the French reached the Aisne River.{{Cite web |title=Meuse River-Argonne Forest Offensive, 26 September-11 November 1918 |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_meuse_argonne.html |access-date=2013-09-26 |publisher=Historyofwar.org}}
  • California University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University of Pennsylvania began an annual football game rivalry that eventually became known as the Coal Bowl after the trophy was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Coal Association.{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2009 |title=Cal U-IUP to meet in first-ever Coal Bowl |url=http://www.calvulcans.com/news/2009/9/28/FB_0928094844.aspx?path=football |access-date=October 2, 2009 |publisher=California University of Pennsylvania}}{{Cite web |date=September 28, 2009 |title=IUP hosting first Coal Bowl Oct. 3 with California University of Pennsylvania |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/inpa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/coalbowlstory.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112084321/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/inpa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/coalbowlstory.pdf |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=October 2, 2009 |publisher=Indiana University of Pennsylvania}}
  • Student newspaper The Ubyssey published its first edition for the student body at the University of British Columbia.Hawthorn, T. The Ubyssey marks a checkered past. The Globe and Mail, 22 October 2008
  • Born:
  • Rita Hayworth, American actress, best known for her lead roles in Gilda, Cover Girl and The Lady from Shanghai; in New York City (d. 1987){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Ralph Wilson, American sports executive, founder and first owner of the Buffalo Bills; in Columbus, Ohio (d. 2014){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Malak Hifni Nasif, 31, Egyptian activist, co-founder of the Union for the Education of Women in Egypt; died of influenza (b. 1886){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 18]], 1918 (Friday)

[[October 19]], 1918 (Saturday)

[[October 20]], 1918 (Sunday)

[[October 21]], 1918 (Monday)

  • Germany suspended all submarine warfare and ordered all subs to port, ending its Atlantic U-boat campaign.{{Cite book |last=Newbolt |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Newbolt |url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-RN5a.htm |title=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents |date=1931 |publisher=Longmans, Green |volume=V |location=London |page=367 |chapter=Naval Operations}}
  • Parliamentary elections were held in Norway, with a first round of votes in October and a second in early November.Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p.1 438 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}}
  • Pursuit to Haritan – Rampant illness and exhaustion among British troops forced Field Marshal Edmumd Allenby to reorganize units among the Desert Mounted Corps and 21st Corps before ordering to occupy Hama, Lebanon and advance north to Aleppo.Falls 1930 Vol. 2 pp. 611–2 note
  • German naval cruiser {{SMS|Frankfurt}} collided with fellow naval submarine {{SMU|UB-89||6}} in the port of Kiel, Germany, killing seven crew on board. The submarine was raised on October 30.{{Cite web |title=UB 89 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+89 |access-date=13 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • Leon Trotsky established the Registration Agency as a foreign intelligence agency for the Red Army, the predecessor for the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), with Semyon Aralov as its first director.Earl F. Ziemke, Russian Review 60 (2001), p. 130
  • The Ministry of Finance for the government of Azerbaijan was established.{{Cite web |title=The ministry of finance of the republic of azerbaijan |url=http://www.azerbaijan.az/_StatePower/_MinistersCabinet/_ministersCabinet_e.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119222916/http://azerbaijan.az/_StatePower/_MinistersCabinet/_ministersCabinet_e.html |archive-date=2010-11-19 |access-date=2010-11-08}}
  • The Royal Air Force established air squadron No. 185.{{Cite web |title=History of 185 Squadron |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/185squadron.cfm |access-date=13 December 2017 |website=Royal Air Force}}
  • Canadian Northern Railway opened the Mount Royal Tunnel for regular traffic between Montreal and Toronto.{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2008 |title=Significant dates in Canadian railway history |url=http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622133256/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/candate.htm |archive-date=22 June 2008 |access-date=July 28, 2008 |website=Colin Churcher's Railway Pages}}{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2008 |title=Significant dates in Ottawa railway history |url=http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622131511/http://www.railways.incanada.net/candate/ottawa.htm |archive-date=22 June 2008 |access-date=July 28, 2008 |website=Colin Churcher's Railway Pages}}
  • The American Club held its inaugural meeting at the Savoy Hotel in London, reflecting the growing community of American expatriates in England.Anthony Lejeune, The Gentlemen's Clubs of London (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1979) pp.20-5
  • Born:
  • Hulett C. Smith, American politician, 27th Governor of West Virginia; in Beckley, West Virginia (d. 2012){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Albertina Sisulu, South African activist, opponent to apartheid with husband Walter Sisulu; in Tsomo, South Africa (d. 2011){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Charles Sanford Olmsted, 65, American clergy, Bishop of Colorado from 1902 to 1918 (b. 1853){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 22]], 1918 (Tuesday)

[[October 23]], 1918 (Wednesday)

[[October 24]], 1918 (Thursday)

File:Sul Grappa.jpg during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.]]

  • Battle of Vittorio Veneto – The Italian Army launched a major assault on Austro-Hungarian positions at Vittorio Veneto, Italy, one year after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto. The assault was so intense that over the next seven days, close to 2.5 million shells were fired.Gooch, John. "The Italian Army and the First World War". Cambridge University Press. 30 June 2014, p. 97 As well, The Italian Military Aviation Corps fielded 400 aircraft which were to oppose at least 470 enemy aircraft.Gooch, John, Mussolini and His Generals: The Armed Forces and Fascist Foreign Policy, 1922–1940, Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2007, {{ISBN|978-0-521-85602-7}}, p. 53
  • A naval order was issued by the German Admiralty, calling on the High Seas Fleet to provoke a decisive battle against the Royal Navy Grand Fleet in the North Sea, but only fueled dissent among fleet sailors that lead to the Kiel mutiny days later.Admiral Water Gladisch (GE) (1965), Der Krieg zur See 1914-18/Nordsee Bd.7 (Frankfurt: Verlag E S Mittler & Sohn), pp. 344-347
  • Born: Frank O'Flynn, New Zealand politician, cabinet minister for the David Lange administration; in Greymouth, New Zealand (d. 2003){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Daniel Burley Woolfall, 66, English sports executive, second President of FIFA (b. 1852){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 25]], 1918 (Friday)

File:Liberation of Bruges 1918.jpg of Belgium with his wife, Queen Elisabeth enter Bruges after its liberation from the Germans alongside Admiral Roger Keyes (far left) and the 1st Earl of Athlone (far right).]]

[[October 26]], 1918 (Saturday)

[[October 27]], 1918 (Sunday)

[[October 28]], 1918 (Monday)

File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg

  • Czechoslovakia declared its independence from Austria-Hungary.{{Cite book |last=Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts |title=World War II: A Political, Social, and Military History |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2005 |isbn=1-57607-999-6}}
  • The Aster Revolution started when Count Mihály Károlyi proclaimed the newly created Hungarian National Council would seek to dissolve the union between Hungary and Austria.{{Cite book |last=Cornelius |first=Deborah S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CInVseCvW-wC&q=aster+revolution&pg=PA9 |title=Hungary in World War II: Caught in the Cauldron |date=2017-02-25 |publisher=Fordham Univ Press |isbn=9780823233434 |page=10 |language=en}}
  • Battle of Vittorio Veneto – With Austria-Hungary dissolving, the Austro-Hungarian high command ordered a general retreat from all positions in northern Italy.Peter Banyard. "Vittorio Veneto" War Monthly, Issue 31, pp. 37-38
  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Allied forces captured Makri, Evros in Macedonia, some 30 km from the Turkish border.
  • German submarine {{SMU|UB-116||6}} struck a mine and was then depth charged and sunk off the Orkney Island, United Kingdom with the loss of all 36 crew.{{Cite web |title=UB 116 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+116 |access-date=16 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • French ace Michel Coiffard was gravely wounded during a dogfight with German Fokker fighters over Bergnicourt, France, but managed to fly back to base, where he died of his wounds. His 34 kills made him the sixth-highest scoring French ace of World War I.{{Cite book |last1=Guttman |first1=Jon |title=Spad XII/XIII Aces of World War I |last2=Dempsey, Harry |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-84176-316-3 |series=Aircraft of the Aces #39 |page=63}}
  • American flying ace Field Eugene Kindley and gunner Jesse Orin Creech shared the kill of a German Fokker plane near Villers-Pol, France. It was the last of Kindley's 12 aerial victories.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
  • Several German submarines including {{SMU|U-47|Germany|6}},{{Cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Erich |title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels |last2=Jung |first2=Dieter |last3=Maass |first3=Martin |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |year=1991 |isbn=0-85177-593-4 |volume=2 |location=London |page=10 |translator-last=Thomas |translator-first=Keith |ref=CITEREFGröner1991 |translator-last2=Magowan |translator-first2=Rachel}} {{SMU|U-65|Germany|6}},{{cite Uboat.net|id=65|name=U 65|type=1sub}} {{SMU|UB-48||6}},{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=30}} {{SMU|UC-25||6}},{{cite Uboat.net|name=UC 25|id=UC+25|type=1sub|accessdate=22 February 2009}} and {{SMU|UC-53||6}}{{cite Uboat.net|name=UC 53|id=UC+53 |type=1sub|accessdate=23 February 2009}} were scuttled at Pula, Austria-Hungary, while {{SMU|UC-54||6}} was scuttled at Trieste, Italy.{{cite Uboat.net|name=UC 54|id=UC+54 |type=1sub|accessdate=23 February 2009}}
  • The Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army, established air squadrons Jagdstaffel 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, and 90.{{Cite book |last1=Franks |first1=Norman |author-link=Norman Franks |url=https://archive.org/details/abovelines00fran |title=Above The Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service, and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918 |last2=Bailey |first2=Frank W. |last3=Guest |first3=Russell F. |publisher=Grub Street |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-948817-73-1 |location=London, UK |page=[https://archive.org/details/abovelines00fran/page/n28 55] |url-access=limited}}
  • The London and Lake Erie Railway and Transportation Company ceased operations and was put up for sale, with most of its assets eventually sold to the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway.The London Advertiser, October 28, 1918{{Cite book |last=Mills |first=John M. |title=Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto |publisher=UCRS/OERHA |year=1967 |location=Toronto, ON}}
  • The Sancti Petri Lighthouse was installed near Sancti Petri island ruins of the southern Spain coastline.{{Cite web |title=Faro de Sancti Petri |url=http://www.puertosdeandalucia.es/es/arquitectura-y-patrimonio/item/491-faro-de-sancti-petri |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807115442/http://www.puertosdeandalucia.es/es/arquitectura-y-patrimonio/item/491-faro-de-sancti-petri |archive-date=7 August 2016 |access-date=17 January 2013 |publisher=Agencia Publica de Puertos de Andalucia |language=es}}
  • Died: Albert Hastings Markham, 76, British naval officer and explorer, leading commander of the Nukapu Expedition from 1871 to 1872, member of the British Arctic Expedition of 1875 to 1876, designer of the New Zealand flag, recipient of the Order of the Bath (b. 1841){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 29]], 1918 (Tuesday)

File:KongressfallofAH.jpg, Ljubljana to celebrate the formation of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.]]

  • The provisional State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was proclaimed in Zagreb, with Anton Korošec as president, from the former monarchies of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, Duchy of Carniola, Kingdom of Dalmatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.{{Cite journal |last=Boban |first=Ljubo |author-link=Ljubo Boban |date=October 1993 |title=Kada je i kako nastala Država Slovenaca, Hrvata i Srba |trans-title=When and how was the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs formed |url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=76927&lang=en |journal=Radovi – Journal – Institute of Croatian History |language=hr |publisher=Institute of Croatian History, Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=187–198 |issn=0353-295X |access-date=16 December 2012}}
  • Battle of Sharqat – After six days of retreating from the pursuing British Indian forces, the Ottoman Sixth Army held the line south of Mosul at a cost of many killed and wounded. The British Indian force took 13,000 prisoners and lost 1800 killed or wounded.Kemel, p. 302
  • Battle of Vittorio Veneto – Allied forces occupied Vittorio Veneto, Italy.Banyard, pp. 37-38
  • Wilhelm Groener replaced Erich Ludendorff as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff under General Paul von Hindenburg.{{Cite web |title=Biografie Wilhelm Groener (German) |url=http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/GroenerWilhelm/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711071623/http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/biografien/GroenerWilhelm/index.html |archive-date=July 11, 2014 |access-date=22 May 2013 |publisher=Deutsches Historisches Museum}}
  • Crews of several ships in the German High Seas Fleet mutinied at the port of Wilhelmshaven, Germany, or offshore nearby, following a naval order issued five days earlier to engage the Royal Navy in a decisive battle in the North Sea.{{Cite book |last=Tarrant |first=V. E. |title=Jutland: The German Perspective, a New View of the Great Battle, 31 May 1916 |publisher=Cassell Military Paperbacks |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-304-35848-9 |location=London, UK |pages=281–282 |orig-year=1995}}
  • Danish Air Lines was established as the national airline for Denmark until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines in 1953.{{Cite web |title=SAS - History milestones |url=https://www.sasgroup.net/en/history-milestones/ |access-date=10 January 2018 |website=SASGroup |publisher=Scandinavian Airline Systems}}
  • The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, or Komsomol, was established as the main youth organization of the new Soviet Union.{{Cite journal |last=Gooderham |first=Peter |year=1982 |title=The Komsomol and Worker Youth: The Inculcation of 'Communist Values' in Leningrad during NEP |journal=Soviet Studies |volume=34 |issue=4 |page=509 |doi=10.1080/09668138208411442 |jstor=151905}}
  • Born:
  • Diana Serra Cary, American actress, known for her child actor roles in Captain January and The Family Secret; in San Diego (d. 2020){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Ștefan Baciu, Romanian-Brazilian poet, best known for his contributions to the expressionism movement and to the Romanian literary magazine Gândirea; in Brașov, Austria-Hungary (d. 1993){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died:
  • Rudolf Tobias, 45, Estonian composer, known for his collaborations with the Estonia Theatre and Royal Academy of Music (b. 1873){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Michel Oreste, 59, Haitian state leader, 21st President of Haiti (b. 1859){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 30]], 1918 (Wednesday)

File:Captain Edward Rickenbacker, America's premier Ace officially credited with 22 enemy planes and the proud wearer of th - NARA - 533720.jpg Eddie Rickenbacker]]

  • The Armistice of Mudros ended conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies. It was signed by the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs Rauf Orbay and Royal Navy Admiral Somerset Gough-Calthorpe on board HMS Agamemnon in Moudros harbor on the Greek island of Lemnos.Karsh, Efraim, Empires of the Sand: The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, (Harvard University Press, 2001), p. 327
  • The Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was granted independence from the Ottoman Empire by the Armistice of Mudros.[https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC&pg=PA190 Robert D. Burrowes: Historical Dictionary of Yemen, Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press 2000, p. 190.]
  • The Martin Declaration was published, which included Slovakia in the formation of the Czecho-Slovak state.{{Cite book |last=Mametey |first=Victor S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wiKQgAACAAJ |title=Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe: From the Congress of Vienna to the Fall of Communism |publisher=Garland Pub. |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-8153-0092-2 |editor-last=Frucht, Richard C. |page=483 |chapter=Martin Declaration}}
  • Widespread mutiny among the Imperial German Navy forced a plan to attack the Royal Navy to be called off.Prof. Arthur J. Marder (1969), From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919: Victory and Aftermath volume 5 (Oxford: Oxford University Press), p. 174
  • Battle of Sharqat – Ottoman forces under command of İsmail Hakkı Bey dug in to defend the line between Baghdad and Mosul formally surrendered to the British once word of the armistice reached them, ending the Mesopotamian campaign and all fighting between the British and Ottoman empires.Edward J. Erickson, Ordered to Die: A history of the Ottoman Army in the First World War (Greenwood Press, Wesport, CT 2001), p. 203
  • Canadian navy patrol vessel {{HMCS|Galiano}} was lost in a storm in Barkley Sound, British Columbia with all 39 crew.{{Cite book |last1=Macpherson |first1=Ken |title=The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 |last2=Barrie |first2=Ron |date=2002 |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |isbn=1-55125-072-1 |edition=Third |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |page=20}}
  • American ace Eddie Rickenbacker shot down a German observation balloon near Remonville, France while flying a SPAD fighter plane for his 26th and final aerial victory. His 26 victories (22 airplanes and four balloons) made him the top-scoring American ace of World War I.{{Cite web |title=American decorations : a list of awards of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished-Service Cross and the Distinguished-Service Medal awarded under authority of the Congress of the United States |url=https://archive.org/stream/americandecorati01unit#page/1/mode/1up |access-date=August 12, 2016}}
  • German submarine {{SMU|U-73||6}} was scuttled at Kotor, Montenegro,{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=11}} while fellow sub {{SMU|UC-34||6}} was scuttled at Pula, Austria-Hungary.{{Cite web |title=UC 34 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UC+34 |access-date=5 December 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • Born: Frank Minis Johnson, American judge, justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 1981 to 1991; in Haleyville, Alabama (d. 1999){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: James Walker Hood, 87, American religious leader and activist, bishop for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in North Carolina and first president of the Colored Conventions Movement (b. 1831){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

[[October 31]], 1918 (Thursday)

File:800px-Oszirozsas forradalmarok.jpg during the Aster Revolution, which lead to an independent Hungary.]]

  • The Aster Revolution ended with a coup, with revolutionaries supported by the Royal Hungarian Army seizing public buildings in Budapest. Prime Minister Sándor Wekerle resigned from his position while former prime minister István Tisza was assassinated in his home. By the end of the day, Austro-Hungarian Emperor Charles accepted the coup and appointed Mihály Károlyi as prime minister, who dissolved the Kingdom of Hungary and proclaimed a new republic.Cornelius 2017, p. 10
  • Battle of Vittorio Veneto – Italian forces pushed on Monte Grappa in the Alps and recovered much of the ground lost at the start of the Italian campaign. Fighting was intense and 24,507 Italian casualties were recorded.{{Cite book |last=Cervone |first=Pier Paolo |title=Vittorio Veneto, l'ultima battaglia |publisher=Mursia (Gruppo Editoriale) |year=1994 |isbn=88-425-1775-5 |location=Milano |language=it}}
  • Meuse–Argonne offensive – American forces pushed the Germans out of Argonne Forest in France while the French reached the Aisne River.{{Cite web |title=Novembre 1918 (November 1918) |url=http://pagesperso-orange.fr/grande.guerre/novembre18.html |access-date=2009-10-08}}
  • Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro – Serbian forces liberated Podgorica, Montenegro, while Italian and French forces recaptured Shkodër, Albania. Meanwhile, British forces had occupied the Bulgarian cities of Pleven, Ruse, and Veliko Tarnovo.
  • Pursuit to Haritan – British forces learned an armistice had been signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies, ending the advance just short of Homs, Syria. In all, the British captured between 75,000 and 100,000 prisoners and 360 guns since the start of the pursuit on September 18. British casualties were recorded at 782 killed and 4,179 wounded soldiers.{{Cite book |last=DiMarco |first=Louis A. |title=War Horse: A History of the Military Horse and Rider |publisher=Westholme Publishing |year=2008 |location=Yardley, Pennsylvania |page=332 |oclc=226378925}}
  • German submarine {{SMU|UB-129||6}} was scuttled at Rijeka, Croatia.{{Cite web |title=UB 129 |url=http://uboat.net/wwi/boats/index.html?boat=UB+129 |access-date=16 November 2012 |publisher=Uboat.net}}
  • The Polish Telegraphic Agency was established as the official news agency for independent Poland.{{Cite web |title=Historia |url=http://www.historiaradia.neostrada.pl/Historia.html |access-date=22 December 2017 |website=Historia Radia |publisher=Maurycy Bryx |language=pl}}
  • The extension to the Daegu railline in Korea was established to link to the seaport Pohang.{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2005 |script-title=ko:대구선 일부구간 이설 개통 |url=http://www.silvernews.or.kr/?inc=newsview&no=675&s=14&ss=0&sss=0 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722141406/http://www.silvernews.or.kr/?inc=newsview&no=675&s=14&ss=0&sss=0 |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |access-date=December 4, 2010 |website=Silvernet News |language=ko}}
  • War poet Wilfred Owen wrote his last letter home to his mother while seeking shelter in a cellar in France. He was killed in action 4 days later.{{Cite web |title=There is no danger down here |url=https://lettersofnote.com/2018/11/04/there-is-no-danger-down-here/ |access-date=26 October 2020 |website=Letters Of Note |publisher=Shaun Usher |language=en}}
  • Born:
  • Ian Stevenson, Canadian-born American psychologist, known for his research into reincarnation; in Montreal (d. 2007){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Konstantinos Mitsotakis, Greek state leader, Prime Minister of Greece from 1990 to 1993; in Halepa, Greece (d. 2017){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
  • Died: Egon Schiele, 28, Austrian artist, known for erotic and provocative works including Portrait of Wally; died of influenza (b. 1890){{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

References

{{reflist}}

  • {{Cite book |last=Boraston |first=J. H. |title=Sir Douglas Haig's Despatches |publisher=Dent |year=1920 |edition=repr. |location=London |oclc=633614212 |orig-year=1919}}
  • {{Cite book |last1=Edmonds |first1=J. E. |title=Military Operations France and Belgium 1918: 26th September – 11th November: The Advance to Victory |last2=Maxwell-Hyslop |first2=R. |publisher=HMSO |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-89839-192-3 |edition=Imperial War Museum & Battery Press |series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |volume=V |location=London |ref={{harvid|Edmonds|Maxwell-Hyslop|1947}} |orig-year=1947}}

{{Events by month links}}

1918

*1918-10