Western Front
On the Western Front, British troops repel German advances at Gavrelle and French troops repel attacks against Chemin des Dames.
Southern Front
Salonika: Continued Bulgarian attacks and shelling of Hill 380 (their old front line) and on April 28. Sarrail postpones offensive to West due to bad weather.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Second German destroyer raid on Ramsgate (night 26th/27th) (see March 18th). Two killed, three wounded.
Britain: Admiralty Anti-Submarine Division director urges general convoy system, Jellicoe approves trial convoy from Gibraltar.
Schooner Q-ship (NZ skipper William Edward Sanders wins Victoria Cross)
Prize (ex-German ship
Else captured in 1914) damages
U-93 (11 ships sunk on her first cruise) and captures her captain Edgar von Spiegel plus 2 other crew members, but U-boat gets home. Another source has the fight occurring on 30 April, and gives the details of the fight: HMS
Prize was damaged by shellfire. After the 'panic party' had taken to the boats and the ship appeared to be sinking, the U-boat approached to within 80 yards (73m) of her port quarter, whereupon the White Ensign was hoisted and the
Prize opened fire.
Within a few minutes the submarine was on fire and her bows rose in the air, whilst the
Prize was further damaged. The U-boat disappeared from sight, and was believed to have been sunk by the crew of the
Prize and by several of the German crew (including her captain) who had been blown or jumped into the sea.
Neither of the crippled ships had sunk, with the
Prize being towed in flames back to Kinsale, while the
U-93 struggled back to the Sylt nine days later after a dramatic escape effort through the British mine and destroyer barrages off Dover. Oblt.z.S. Wilhelm Ziegner took command of
U-93 after von Spiegel was thought to haved been killed in the battle.
U-93 was later sunk on January 7, 1918 by SS
Braeneil ramming). And subsequently, the Q-Ship
Prize was sunk with all hands by
U-48 on August 14, 1917.
‘This is how your money can fight – turn it into U-boats.’ German poster for war loans and in the background a sinking Allied ship:
https://i2.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...leihe.jpg?ssl=1
Asiatic and Egyptian Theaters
Mesopotamia: Marshall reconnoiters Ali Ihsan’s Band-i-Adhaim position (dug since April 23). Dust storms and great heat (110°F+) prevent much shelling (until April 29).
Political, etc
Germany: Germany begins calling up men previously exempted by the draft due to their work in vital industries. Women will take their place.
Russia: A small riot occurs in Petrograd, as a crowd attacks a gathering of Lenin’s followers. Several of the rioters, mostly Bolsheviks, are arrested.
France: French Socialists refuse to send representatives to Stockholm Conference on 15 May.
United States: (Listed for yesterday) Dr. Guy Brewster demonstrates his body shield to the New Jersey National Guard and survives 5 bullets shot at him:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...9161728/photo/1
Preliminary conferences between the U.S. government and the French war mission begin in Washington D.C.
New York celebrates “France Day” for the anniversary of when Lafayette left Bordeaux in 1777 to aid the US.
China: I. M. Pei (the Chinese-American architect) is born in Canton, China.
Mexico: Mexican government warns its German residents to not congregate at the U.S.-Mexican border or else they will face arrest.