Western Front
British troops posing in a wrecked German light railway engine at Combles:
http://imgur.com/Qf1O6N8* © IWM (Q 5785)
At the Somme, British troops win 1000 yards of trenches near Grandcourt “without opposition.”
Eastern Front
The Sereth river (south-east of Focsani) being frozen, Austro-Hungarian “attacks lightly”, but is driven back. Again, probably nothing more than planned probe-and-withdraw raids.
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Mesopotamia: Near Kut, the Turks evacuate the south bank of the Tigris east of the Hai-Tigris junction; also forward positions west of the Hai.
Second phase of the Battle of Kut begins.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Atlantic: S.S. California, Anchor Line, sunk by submarine without warning.* 43 killed and missing. [ed note: NOT the same ship, the
SS Californian, that played such a large non-role in the
Titanic disaster. The
SS Californian had already been sunk, by
U-35 in the Mediterranean, on 9 November, 1915]
Political, etc.
Germany: German Foreign Secretary Zimmermann states Germany “regrets” the U.S. decision to cut off diplomatic ties.
Germany will not allow James W. Gerard, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, to leave until they are satisfied with the German ambassador’s treatment.
France: Report presented to the French Senate charges that munition manufacturers have made millions in excess profits on government contracts.
United Kingdom: (listed for yesterday) The decoded Zimmermann Telegram is passed on to the British Foreign Office. Discussion begins on how to tell the U.S.
New Air Board formed with Lord Cowdray as chairman.
Mr. Neville Chamberlain announces his scheme for National Service.
United States: Members of the New York militia guarding a bridge against German sabotage:
http://imgur.com/EJLcn66
Henry Ford states his factories can make 1000 small submarines a day if the U.S. were to enter the war.
(listed for yesterday): U.S. Senate overrides Wilson’s veto and passes the Immigration Act of 1917, which restricts immigration, specifically from much of Asia.
Nearly 1000 Germans, Austro-Hungarians, Bulgarians, and Ottoman citizens living in New York City apply for naturalization.
Switzerland: Switzerland states it will continue to maintain relations with Germany in order to preserve its neutrality.
Mexico: (listed for yesterday) Mexico’s Constitutional Congress officially ratifies its new Constitution:
https://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Cons...Mexicanos_(1917)