Western Front
Aisne: French rangefinder and counter-battery work begins for 4,544 guns (3 million shells) but hampered by weather and German air opposition.
Artois: BEF capture 9 villages (6 fall to 7th Division and 4th Australian Division with 700 killed and 240 PoWs for 1,000 casualties) between Arras and St Quentin, and advance to north-west, at Templeux.
British troops manning a 4.5-inch howitzer near Arras, France: © IWM
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...8367106/photo/1
France: Petain meets Prime Minister Ribot for first time at dinner.
The ruins of Monchy, France after its capture by the Allies: © IWM
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...7610882/photo/1
Eastern Front
Russian troops attack on a five-mile front on the Northern Romanian border at Oituz Valley, but fail to make substantial gains.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Mediterranean: 13 German and 2 Austrian U-boats at sea.
Political, etc
Russia: Measures passed include equal rights for women. Legal and religious curbs, 8 hour day for workers on April 6. Not one of these measures was actually enforced.
United Kingdom: US and British flags fly from Victoria Tower, Westminster.
Speeches of Sir R, Boden and Lt.-Gen. Smuts re: Empire and War.
British Government give Barrow strikers 24 hours to resume work; threaten violent repressive measures if orders not carried out.
United States: President Wilson calls a special session of Congress. Champ Clark is voted as the new Speaker of the House by a vote of 217 to 205:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...6475268/photo/1 Wilson‘s war message to Congress: ‘The world must be made safe for democracy’. President Woodrow Wilson addresses Congress this day, asking those present to support war against Germany:
https://i2.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...l1917.jpg?ssl=1
Gold in the U.S. Treasury has reached $3 billion, mostly due to inflow from Allied countries buying U.S. goods.