World War One Diary for Tuesday, August 20, 1918:

Southern Fronts

Albania – Austrian counter­-offensive (until August 26): Colonel-General Pflanzer-Baltin flown in to command XIX Corps including fresh 45th Division and Bulgar 12th Division (43 battalions) vs Ferrero’s 23 Italian battalions (13,000 sick ion August).

Western Front

Battle of Noyon (until August 29) and the Ailette: Mangin’s 12 divisions and 220 tanks advance 3 miles between rivers Oise and Aisne, taking 8,000 PoWs (‘another black day’, Ludendorff), reaches Oise on August 21, but repulsed north of Soissons on August 22. Foch letter to Clemenceau says victory in 1919.

Somme: Since August 8, Canadian Corps (11,822 casualties) has advanced up to 14 miles on a 6-mile front, liberating 65 square miles and 27 villages, capturing over 9,000 PoWs, nearly 200 guns and over 1,000 MGs and mortars.

Eastern Front

USSR: Central Executive Committee abolishes right to own land. Lenin’s letter to Armenian workers.