Western Front
Charles Mangin put in command of French Sixth Army, Joseph Micheler to head Reserve Army Group for 1917 spring offensive, Denis Duchene takes over latter’s Tenth Army.
Ruins of the Cathedral at Ypres:
http://imgur.com/ZKywr9T* © IWM (Q 6213)
Eastern Front
Romania: Battle of Casin begins (until January 16, 1917): Fairly steady Austro-Hungarian advance until the Allies eventually check Archduke Joseph’s 4-division advance along three Carpathian valleys.
Dobruja: German and Bulgarian troops defeat Russian forces in Dobruja, Romania and capture 900 Russian prisoners.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
British positions south of Kut consolidated; second air raid on Baghela; also on Beersheba.
Naval and Overseas Operations
North Sea: British submarine HMS E.30 hits a mine in the North Sea and sinks with the death of all 30 crew:
http://imgur.com/71cD6rd
Adriatic: Four Austrian destroyers raid Otranto Barrage (night December 22-23): only 1 drifter damaged but 2 French destroyers hit, 2 Italian damaged plus one in collisions.
Greece: British ships again shell mouth of Struma (Gulf of Orfano).
Political, etc.
Austria-Hungary: Count Ottokar von und zu Czernin succeeds Baron Stephan Burian as Austro-Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs (see January 13th, 1915, and April 15th, 1918).
Germany: Henning von Holtzendorff memo urges unrestricted U-boat war, promises it can force England to peace table in 5 months I.e. before August 1 1917 and harvest if begun February 1.
France: French Chamber of Deputies approve new taxes on theatre and vaudeville tickets to cover the costs of war.
United Kingdom: Great Britain forms the following ministries: Food (see 26th); Shipping (see January 27th); Pensions.
New Shipping Ministry orders five types of standard merchant ship (3,000-8,000t) until April 1917.
King George V makes a speech proroguing Parliament, stating the war will go on until victory:
http://imgur.com/JmOVLGh
It is decided to widen the role of the Air Board, under the presidency of Dickinson Pierson, Lord Cowdray, giving it limited executive powers. A section of the New Ministries and Secretaries Act, 1916, which brought the Board into being, laid down that "for the purpose of this Act the President of the Air Board shall be deemed to be a Minister appointed under this Act"
Switzerland: Swiss Note to Belligerents to support U.S.A. peace efforts.
Mexico: Forces under Mexican rebel Pancho Villa captures the city of Torreon after routing Mexican government forces.