November 1918

[November 1], 1918 (Friday)

• Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro - The Serbian First Army under command of Petar Bojović liberated Belgrade from the control of the Central Powers.
• Following the establishment of the West Ukrainian People's Republic in Galicia with the capital at Lemberg, ethnic Polish residents opposed to the creation of the republic began an uprising in the city known as the Battle of Lemberg, igniting the Polish–Ukrainian War.
• Meuse–Argonne offensive - The final major offensive for the Americans and French against the Germans in France yielded the capture of Buzancy near the Aisne River and Le Chesne near the Ardennes Forest.
• The Italian Navy attacked Austro-Hungarian ships anchored in the port of Pula, Croatia in the last major engagement the fleet committed in World War I. During the attack, the Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis was destroyed by Italian saboteurs, killing between 300 and 400 crew including Admiral Janko Vuković.
• The Banat Republic was established around the city of Timișoara within the dissolving Austria-Hungary.
• The worst rapid transit accident in world history occurred under the intersection of Malbone Street and Flatbush Avenue, in Brooklyn, New York City, with at least 93 dead and over 100 passengers injured.
• The National Conservative Party won the most seats in the parliamentary elections in Cuba.
• French flying ace René Fonck scored his 75th and final aerial victory, ending the war as the highest-scoring Allied ace and second-highest scoring ace overall of World War I after German ace Manfred von Richthofen.
• German submarine was scuttled at Kotor, Montenegro.
• The French Navy expanded its French Naval Aviation arm to 37 airships, 1,264 airplanes, and over 11,000 men.
• The French West Africa School of Medicine was established in Dakar, French West Africa, with students selected for academic success in sciences from William Ponty secondary school.
• The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association was established.
• Born:
• * Werner Baake, German air force officer, commander of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 for the Luftwaffe during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross; in Nordhausen, Germany
• * Héctor Benítez, Venezuelan baseball player, center fielder for the Leones del Caracas from 1946 to 1954, two-time winner of the Baseball World Cup; in Caracas, Venezuela

  [November 2], 1918 (Saturday)

• Canadian and British forces captured Valenciennes, France in one of the last battles of World War I. Canadian non-commissioned officer Sergeant Hugh Cairns successfully led the capture of several German machine gun nests the previous day before he was critically wounded. He died from his wounds the same day the commune was liberated from the Germans, and was awarded posthumously the Victoria Cross. He was the last of 71 Canadians to receive the decoration.
• Battle of Przemyśl - Ukrainian and Polish soldiers clashed at Przemyśl in the former region of Galicia.
• U.S. Democrat Thomas Kilby was elected the 36th Governor of Alabama, defeating independent Dallas B Smith with 80 percent of the electorate in the Alabama state election.
• The Norwegian Mathematical Society was established with mathematician Carl Størmer as its first president.
• Born:
• * Raimon Panikkar, Spanish theologian, leading researcher on comparative religion; in Barcelona
• * Alexander Vraciu, American air naval officer, commander of the VF-16 and VF-20 squadrons during World War II in the Pacific Theatre, three-time recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Navy Cross, and four Air Medals; in East Chicago, Indiana

  [November 3], 1918 (Sunday)

• Austria-Hungary signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti with the Allies in Padua to end the war on the Italian Front.
• Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro - Allied forces reached Bosnia and stopped as the ceasefire with Austria-Hungary had been signed.
• Battle of Vittorio Veneto - The battle ended as soon as the armistice between the Allies and Austria-Hungary was signed. At that point, the Central Powers had suffered 30,000 killed and wounded with another 300,000 taken prisoner. Italy sustained 37,461 casualties, with most from the attempt to recapture Monte Grappa.
• Bombing campaigns between Italy and Austria-Hungary ended. Since 1915, Austria-Hungary had conducted 343 bombing raids on Italy, killing 984 people and injuring 1,193.
• Kiel mutiny - Thousands of supporters descended on the German port of Kiel to support a mutiny of sailors in the Imperial German Navy High Seas Fleet. A German force sent to quell the demonstration shot into the crowd, killing seven and wounding another 29 men. Although supporters withdrew, the act was considered the start of the German Revolution.
• Battle of Przemyśl - Ukrainian forces pushed Polish defenders into the western half of the city of Przemyśl, Galicia.
• The Imperial German Navy scuttled several destroyers including near Ghent, Belgium.
• The Provisional All-Russian Government was established in opposition to the Bolshevik government in Russia.
• The Communist Party of Austria was established.
• The Robespierre Monument was unveiled in Moscow to commemorate the first anniversary of the October Revolution. However, its shoddy concrete and steel wire design proved unstable and the statue collapsed four days later.
• Czech nationalists in Prague destroyed a Baroque Marian column that was built in 1650.
• The opera La nave by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi premiered at the La Scala in Milan.
• Born:
• * Bob Feller, American baseball player, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1956, including the 1948 World Series; in Van Meter, Iowa
• * Elizabeth P. Hoisington, American army officer, first American woman to obtain the rank of brigadier general, commander of the Women's Army Corps, two-time recipient of the Legion of Merit and U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal; in Newton, Kansas
• * Russell B. Long, American politician, U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1948 to 1987, chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance from 1966 to 1981; in Shreveport, Louisiana
• Died: Aleksandr Lyapunov, 61, Russian physicist and mathematician, known for the development of the stability theory for dynamical systems in mathematics, brother to composer Sergei Lyapunov

  [November 4], 1918 (Monday)

• Kiel mutiny - German militia were called to occupy the port of Kiel but many of the soldiers called in defected to the revolutionary side. By the end of the day, some 40,000 revolutionaries had occupied the port and released 14 demands to the German government.
• The Komancza Republic was established with the intention to unite with the West Ukrainian People's Republic. It was dissolved in less than three months into Poland.
• Liberation of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro - Austro-Hungarian forces withdrew from Cetinje, Montenegro, ending the Central Powers occupation of the country.
• Under the terms of the Armistice of Villa Giusti, the Allies occupied Tirol State, including Innsbruck, in Austria.
• Battle of the Sambre - British and French forces captured the Sambre–Oise Canal from the Germans, the last major battle of World War I. British war poet Wilfred Owen was killed during the battle, but news of his death only reached his parents in Shrewsbury a week later on Armistice Day. He was awarded the Military Cross posthumously a year later.
• The New Zealand Division captured Le Quesnoy, France, taking 2,000 German prisoners. Casualties for New Zealand were 122 killed and 375 wounded, while the Germans suffered 43 killed and 251 wounded.
• Forty German Fokker aircraft attacked nine Sopwith Camels with the No. 65 Squadron southeast of Ghent, Belgium. Aircraft with No. 204 Squadron joined the action, and the resulting massive dogfight ended with 22 German aircraft reported either shot down or last seen headed earthward out of control.
• Battle of Przemyśl - Ukrainian and Polish forces called for a temporary ceasefire in Przemyśl to allow the release of the Polish commanding officer and to exchange food supplies.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was established for the government of Lithuania.
• Born:
• * Art Carney, American actor, best known for the role of Ed Norton in The Honeymooners, recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for Harry and Tonto; in Mount Vernon, New York
• * Cameron Mitchell, American actor, best known for the lead role in 1960s television western The High Chaparral; in Dallastown, Pennsylvania
• Died:
• * Thomas Baker, 21, Australian air force officer, commander of the No. 4 Squadron of the Australian Flying Corps, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Military Medal; killed in action
• * Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, 90, American socialite and philanthropist, wife to Russell Sage, founder of the Russell Sage Foundation and Russell Sage College
• * Andrew Dickson White, 85, American academic and diplomat, co-founder and 1st president of Cornell University, 16th U.S. Ambassador to Germany