Western Front
Artois: Third Battle of the Scarpe (until May 4): British attack on 16-mile front east of Arras with 14 divisions; 2,685 guns (vs 1,429 German pieces) and 16 tanks before dawn at 0345 hours with few Third Army gains although Canadians (1,259 casualties) storm Fresnoy, capturing 500 PoWs.
Five Sopwith 1½ Strutters of No.43 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, carry out machine-gun attacks on German troops massing at Oppy for a counter-attack on the morning of the first day of the Third Battle of the Scarpe, the Arras Offensive. Although the Royal Flying Corps had carried out low flying attacks during the assaults around Vimy, this is regarded as the first true occasion on which the Royal Flying Corps fly close air support sorties.
And the
Battle of Bullecourt (until May 17): 6 British-Australian divisions with 12 tanks of Fifth Army break into strongly fortified village 14 miles west of Cambrai and break through Hindenburg Line switch at Queant.
The new British Mark IV tank has been in operation since March 1917 and its 12 mm reinforced armor can no longer be penetrated by armor piercing bullets from the German infantry weapons:
https://i2.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...rk-IV.jpg?ssl=1
A British soldier tending to a grave of a fallen soldier near Blangy. © IWM (Q 5289):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...5912322/photo/1
French Saint-Chamond tank “Teddy” at Conde-sur-Aisne. © IWM (Q 69623):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...6410497/photo/1
Aisne: French Army mutinies become more widespread, with the Colonial division and 2 French infantry regiments (21st Division) affected (until May 4).
German soldiers training in trenches near Sedan:
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...8707712/photo/1
Barbed wire entanglement of the Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line) near Heninel. © IWM (Q 5286):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...8537600/photo/1
Political, etc
Russia: First demonstration against Provisional Government, Foreign Minister Miliukov defends policy to Petrograd crowds. Provisional Governments just wins Petrograd Soviet confidence vote (on May 4).
Russian Provisional Government grants citizens the freedoms of association and meeting.
General Alexeiev protests v. "no annexation, etc." propaganda.
France: Anglo-French Paris War Conference (until May 5).
United Kingdom: British government takes control of all shipping in the face of the German U-boat threat.
Members of Imperial War Conference received by King at Windsor.
King George signs a proclamation urging people to lessen their consumption of wheat and be frugal in use of other grains as well.
British Trade Corporation founded with capital of 10 millions.
United States: U.S. government announces it will issue $2 billion worth of “liberty loans" to help finance the war effort; US loans Italy $100 million, France also on May 8 and Russia on May 16.
Brazil: Foreign Minister Müller resigns as German name hampers his neutral policy.
Sweden: Sweden prohibits the exportation of nearly all foodstuffs in order to control food shortages.