The Second Hundred Years War

All characters and events on this blog—even those based on real people and events—are entirely fictional. Also, the dates are way off.

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“The Weary Death”, 1915. By Pavel Karlovich Wenig

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Белогвардейский бронепоезд , 1919 г.

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White Army armored train, c. 1919.

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“Old plane possibly near the border” – Unidentified airplane, possibly an experimental twin engine Curtiss Jenny tested or used in the southwest during the Border War Date: circa 1916-1917 From the T. Asplund collection, Negative Number 055165

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Timeline of the Second Mexican-American War, 1905

May 1905:

05.08.1905: Start of the Mexican Revolution: In response to President Porfirio Diaz’s suppression of the Liberal Party, the Central Committee in Oaxaca orders the activation of resistance cells. In Sinaloa and Durango, 37 combat units are organized. Insurgents carry out La liquidacion de los traidores, a series of attacks against government officials, cronies of Diaz, and foreigners sympathetic to the Diaz regime. Attacks take the form of assassinations, bombings, and assaults on rural police and military outposts.

November 1905:

11.20.1905: Mexico invades the United States. Diaz thinks a revanchist campaign to redeem the losses of 1848 will unite his country. This belief has been pushed by the Kaiser's diplomatic corps. Germany says it will supply Mexico using Argentina as an intermediary.

11.22.1905: The United States Congress declares war on Mexico.

11.25.1905: The U.S. Army begins sending reinforcements to the west.

December 1905: In Mexico, El Norte-based Liga Reforma (Reformex) militias have killed over 400 Mexican government officials since the revolution began on May 8.

12.12.1905: Diaz's Army is shockingly good and moves fast. At the Battle of Salt Lake City, the U.S. 24th Infantry Regiment is overwhelmed and destroyed before it can retreat.

12.20.1905: In the United States, the Mexican Army is established throughout regions lost in 1848. It has bested U.S. units everywhere it has encountered them thanks to the latest German equipment and training and now a World War I-style stalemate has emerged. The Americans recruit heavily from refugee populations of Mexicans and the more moderate Reformex leaders to form a U.S.-aligned government in Mexico and an Army to support it. It is called the Republic of Mexico/ República de México (RdM), predecessor of the Republic of Northern Mexico/República del Norte de México (RNM). It is headed by 57-year-old President Germán Valerio Guerrero, a former Diaz-government official.

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Timeline of the Second Mexican-American War, 1906

March 1906:

03.20.1906: In Mexico, American forces land at Veracruz. The surprise breaks the stalemate in the Intermountain West.

03.27.1906: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, is captured by U.S. forces.

April 1906:

04.05.1906: In Mexico, Republica de Mexico (RdM) forces push past the Veracruz-Acapulco Line.

04.06.1906: The Argentine government informs the U.S. government that "popular support in this country may result in filibusters of private citizens that this government is not equipped to prevent" if U.S. forces also cross the Veracruz-Acapulco Line.

04.14.1906: In Mexico, U.S. forces cross the Veracruz-Acapulco Line. Diaz's forces are getting pushed against the southern border and are hiding out in the Yucatan.

04.21.1906: Argentina begins sending "volunteers" to Southern Mexico via Belize and Guatemala, as well as landing them directly on the Yucatan beaches at night.

May 1906: The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company obtains a license from Short Brothers in the UK to build copies of the British Royal Navy’s 23-class rigid airship.

September 1906:

09.23.1906: Argentine leadership gives the order to intervene in Mexico to prop up the Diaz regime.

09.30.1906: Start of the Argentine First Phase Campaign in Mexico.

October 1906:

10.05.1906: In Mexico, the Argentine People’s Volunteer Army finishes its First Phase Campaign.

November 1906:

11.10.1906: The Argentine Volunteer Army recaptures Oaxaca and the U.S. begins to retreat.

11.15.1906: In Mexico, General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., launches the Home-by-Christmas Offensive.

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Timeline of the Second Mexican-American War, 1907

1907: The M1903 Springfield rifle and its .30-06 cartridge, officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1906, have almost completely replaced the Krag-Jorgensen rifle and its .30 Army ammunition.

February 1907:

02.02.1907: U.S. forces in Mexico begin Operation Ripper, the Third Battle of Monterrey, intending to destroy as much as possible of the Argentine Volunteer Army and the Federales around Monterrey.

March 1907:

03.19.1907: In Mexico, Monterrey is retaken by U.S. and RdM forces but President Roosevelt relieves General Arthur MacArthur, Jr., of command of the U.S. Forces in Mexico because he has been impermissibly trying to widen the war.

June 1907: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company renegotiates its airship license with Short Brothers to instead produce the newer R.31-class airship. The U.S. government orders a batch of six and will ultimately procure 17 over the next decade.

06.15.1907: In Mexico, Armistice talks begin at Tehuacan between representatives of the U.S. and RdM and representatives of the Estados Unidos Medicanos (EUM - the Diaz government).

August 1907:

08.13.1907: In Mexico, the Battle of Bloody Ridge begins.

08.31.1907: In Mexico, the Battle of Bloody Ridge ends with a U.S./RdM victory.

October 1907:

10.08.1907: In Mexico, Armistice talks move from Tehuacan to the nearby village of San Antonio Cañada.

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Timeline of the Second Mexican-American War, 1908

1908: In Mexico, the EUM Federales adopt the M1908 Mondragon self-loading rifle. It is an unpleasant surprise to U.S. troops facing it in combat, as it gives the Federales a dramatic advantage in firepower compared with the U.S. Army Springfield, though it is far-less reliable than the bolt-action.

January 1908:

01.05.1908: Operation Little Switch: Exchange of sick and wounded POWs in Mexico. RdM president Germán Valerio Guerrero is uncooperative with POW exchanges and generally wants the U.S. to finish off the EUM so he can rule the entirety of Mexico.

April 1908:

04.14.1908: Battle of Puebla begins. It will be the last major Argentine offensive in Mexico and its purpose is both to eliminate a salient into the EUM lines and to apply pressure to Guerrero regarding the prisoner exchange after he unilaterally released 27,000 EUM POWs.

04.24.1908: Battle of Puebla ends with the Argentines having eliminated the Puebla salient into Southern Mexico.

May 1908:

05.02.1908: In Mexico, an armistice is signed at San Antonio Cañada to halt the Mexican war. The front lines stabilize along the Veracruz-Acapulco Line.

END OF THE SECOND MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR (1905-1908)

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Prelude to the Third Mexican American War, 1908

No official name changes ever take place, but common usage evolves to call the resulting two Mexicos the Republic of Northern Mexico (RNM or just El Norte) and the United States of Southern Mexico (EUSM). Both nations proclaim Mexico City as their capital, but functionally the RNM government is based in Monterrey and the EUSM government in Oaxaca.

July 1908:

07.12.1908: In both the RNM and the EUSM, Socialist-leaning anti-Diaz fighters from Reformex organize themselves into the Communist Party of Mexico (CommuMex). They use cover names like The Independencia-Monterey Peace Committee, the Executive Committee of the Santa Muerta Front, and the Mexico-Guatemala-Belize Catholic Association.

September 1908:

09.03.1908: In the United States, Orville Wright stages a demonstration for the U.S. Army at Fort Myers, Virginia.

09.17.1908: In the United States, Lt. Thomas Selfridge is killed when Orville Wright crashes with him aboard.

November 1908:

11.03.1908: In the United States, William Howard Taft and James S. Sherman defeat William Jennings Bryan and John W. Kern in the presidential election.

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Prelude to the Third Mexican American War, 1909

March 1909:

03.04.1909: In the United States, William Howard Taft replaces Theodore Roosevelt as President.

August 1909:

08.02.1909: The Wright Military Flyer, a high-speed version of the Model A, enters service as Signal Corps Number One (SC No. 1).

October 1909:

10.12.1909: Operation Zeppelin: First U.S. combat mission in Mexico since April 1908. U.S. Army trucks transport 1,000+ RNM troops against a CommuMex position near Monterrey.

10.16.1909: Tensions over a disputed strip of the Acapulco-Veracruz Line, nearly result in the assassinations of both President Diaz of Mexico and U.S. President Taft.

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Prelude to the Third Mexican American War, 1910

1910: First flight of the Curtiss Model D “Pusher,” the Etrich Taube biplane, and the Wright Model B.

January 1910:

01.03.1910: Battle of Los Aldamas: CommuMex guerrillas defeat RNM troops supported by U.S. advisors. This first major loss shows the actual strength of the CommuMex forces.

May 1910:

05.08.1910: In Mexico, the Catholic Crisis begins: Shootings in Mexico City. The Republic of Northern Mexico destabilizes.

October 1910:

10.02.1910: In Mexico, the United States has approximately 16,000 “advisors” stationed in the Republic of Northern Mexico.

10.30.1910: In Mexico, General Fulgencio Letrado Alameda is overthrown in a Monterrey coup. Government instability begins in the Republic of Northern Mexico. Mexico will have seven different governments in 1911 and 1912.

November 1910:

11.14.1910: In the United States, a Curtiss Model D “Pusher” takes off from the deck of the American light cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-2) with Eugene B. Ely at the controls.

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Prelude to the Third Mexican American War, 1911

1911: In the United States, the Curtiss Model D “Pusher” goes on sale. It is one of the first series-built aircraft. The U.S. Army adopts both the Montana Peak campaign hat and the .45 Colt automatic pistol.

January 1911:

01.18.1911: In the United States, a Curtiss Model D “Pusher” lands on the deck of the American armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4) with Eugene B. Ely at the controls. Presumably, he couldn’t find the Birmingham.

March 1911:

03.11.1911: In the United States, Robert Lee Bullard is promoted to Colonel in the Army.

April 1911: In the United States, the Army Signal Corps buys a Curtiss Pusher and dubs it Signal Corps No. 2 (S.C. No. 2).

04.30.1911: In the United States, the first draft of OPLAN 34A, which proposes U.S.-backed RNM raids on Southern Mexico, goes before President Taft for his approval.

May 1911:

05.13.1911-05.19.1911: Emiliano Zapata participates in the Battle of Cuautla where he commands forces that defeat the EUSM’s elite 5th Cavalry Regiment.

05.25.1911: In Southern Mexico, President Porfirio Diaz is overthrown in a CommuMex coup and flees Oaxaca. Francisco Leon de la Barra takes over as interim president.

05.30.1911: In Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, the fugitive ex-president, leaves the EUSM for exile in Spain.

June 1911:

06.14.1911: In the United States, President Taft is assassinated. He is replaced by his Vice President, James S. Sherman.

July 1911:

07.07.1911: OPLAN 34:

a. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of the Navy George von Lengerke Meyer, Army Chief of Staff Major General Leonard Wood, and Aide for Naval Operations Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright finalize the details of OPLAN 34, approved by President Taft just before his assassination, to continue operations in and around Mexico in secret.

b. The Army and Navy are directed to engage in covert operations against the Zapatistas and other revolutionaries, both directly and in support of ARNM troops. These include commando raids and aerial attacks against military and communication facilities as well as espionage, sabotage, intelligence, and counterinsurgency operations.

c. Whenever possible, activities are to be carried out without direct U.S. involvement or in ways that maintain plausible deniability of American involvement.

August 1911: EUSM President Francisco Leon de la Barra sends General Victoriano Huerta to suppress the revolutionaries in Morelos—disarming them peacefully if possible. He arrives with 1,000 troops—Zapata sees this as provocative.

08.01.1911: In the Republic of Northern Mexico, President Germán Valerio Guerrero is assassinated by his own generals. A “Military Revolutionary Council” succeeds him with General Fulgencio Letrado Alameda (known as “Big Lencho”) as its chairman.

08.08.1911:

1. U.S. President James Sherman approves OPLAN 34 with slight modifications.

2. ARNM troops, trained by the United States Marine Corps, and provided with American equipment and vehicles, begin conducting commando raids shortly thereafter. Most of these commando raids are staged from patrol boats against South Mexican coastal and island installations and supply depots.

3. American high-altitude spy zeppelins also conduct flyovers of Southern territory, gathering intelligence and information on potential targets.

4. At first, mercenaries captain many of the commandos’ boats, but eventually American captains start leading the raids as well.

5. As the raids increase in tempo into 1912, it becomes evident the ARNM troops are suffering consistently high casualty rates while achieving few successes.

October 1911: Francisco I. Madero elected president of the Republic of Northern Mexico. U.S. President Sherman believes the situation in Mexico is stabilizing and turns his attention to helping his Anglo-Free-French cobelligerents in Europe.

10.10.1911: The United States begins training and equipping its American Expeditionary Force for deployment to France under Frederick Funston.

10.19.1911: Eugene Ely killed in a crash in Macon, Georgia.

November 1911:

11.01.1911: In Libya, Giulio Gavotti, an Italian aviator, drops the world’s first aerial bomb delivered from a heavier-than-air craft from his Etrich Taube monoplane over the Ain Zara oasis.

11.25.1911: In Mexico, Emiliano Zapata has soured on the rule of Francisco Leon de la Barra and proclaims the Plan of Ayala in Morelos, rekindling the Mexican Revolution in the EUSM as the Zapatista Rebellion.

12.04.1911: In Libya, the Italian Army uses an Etrich Taube in combat for the first time at the Battle of Ain Zara.

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Prelude to the Third Mexican American War, 1912

February 1912:

02.01.1912: First flight of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 biplane, which will serve as a reconnaissance plane, a light bomber, a night fighter, a trainer, and a coastal-patrol aircraft. They will be obsolete as a front-line aircraft as early as 1915 but won’t be withdrawn until 1917 and will serve in secondary roles through 1919. They do make relatively effective anti-Zeppelin fighters.

March 1912:

03.03.1912: General Pascual Orozco decrees a revolt against the government of Mexican President Francisco Madero.

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Timeline of the Third Mexican-American War, 1912

May 1912:

05.02.1912: Gulf of Mexico Incident:

1. The destroyer USS Truxtun (DD-14), while conducting intelligence for Madero’s forces fighting CommuMex insurgents, is confronted by three South Mexican torpedo boats.

2. Truxtun fires warning shots and the South Mexican boats attack with torpedoes and machine-gun fire.

3. Truxtun is lightly damaged, as are all three torpedo boats.

4. Four Mexican sailors are killed and six more wounded.

5. There are no U.S. casualties, except for one officer’s cap, which is pierced by a shell splinter.

05.03.1912: USS Truxtun (DD-14) is joined by USS Flusser (DD-20) on station off Cancun performing signals intelligence for North Mexican forces.

05.04.1912: Second Gulf of Mexico Incident: In poor light, nervous crews aboard Truxtun and Flusser open fire and report they are under attack by more South Mexican gunboats.

05.07.1912: Gulf of Mexico Resolution: The United States Congress authorizes President James Sherman to assist any Latin American country whose government is considered to be jeopardized by revolutionary activity or foreign aggression.

July 1912:

07.20.1912:

1. The British Army, led personally by King George V, invades Northern France via the Cotentin Peninsula. Mary of Teck is left behind as regent.

2. The American Expeditionary Force (AEF) lands at Bordeaux. Robert Lee Bullard, a 51-year-old colonel, is with them.

September 1912:

09.28.1912: The U.S. Navy and USMC start equipping Tampico, Mexico, as a logistical center for military aid in North Mexico in its struggle against CommuMex insurgents.

October 1912:

10.30.1912: U.S. President James S. Sherman dies of Bright’s Disease (from which he had suffered since 1904) and is replaced by his Secretary of State, Philander C. Knox.

November 1912:

11.05.1912: United States Presidential Election: Woodrow Wilson and Thomas Marshall defeat quasi-incumbent Philander Knox and Nicholas Murray Butler thanks to Theodore Roosevelt and Hiram Johnson splitting the Republican vote between Progressive members of the party and Conservatives.

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Timeline of the Third Mexican-American War, 1913

February 1913:

02.07.1913: Operation Rolling Thunder airship-bombing campaign begins against Southern Mexico using R.31-type airships built under license by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.

02.08.1913: First U.S. combat troops land at Tampico.

02.09.1913-02.19.1913: The Ten Tragic Days: In Mexico, General Felix Diaz (Porfirio’s nephew) and General Bernardo Reyes plot to overthrow Madero. Rebel forces bombard the National Palace and downtown Mexico City from the military arsenal. Madero loyalists initially hold their ground.

02.18.1913: Madero’s commander, General Victoriano Huerta, secretly switches sides, capturing Madero and part of his cabinet. Madero is forced to resign. Huerta calls a late-night special session of Congress, and under the guns of his troops, the legislators endorse his assumption of power.

02.22.1913: 1. On the orders of General Huerta, deposed President of Mexico Francisco Madero and his Vice President Pino Suarez are taken by night from the National Palace to prison and shot by officers of the rural police. 2. The United States does not interfere to save Madero and, along with the British and Free French governments, proceeds to treat Huerta as the legitimate head of the government of Northern Mexico.

April 1913: In Germany, the Fokker M.5 reconnaissance plane, eventual basis of the 1915 Fokker Eindecker scout/fighter, makes its first flight.

May 1913: In Mexico, General Huerta removes the Republic of Northern Mexico from the gold standard and starts issuing debased paper currency in place of silver and gold coin.

June 1913:

06.07.1913: In Mexico, the Battle of the Urgir Valley, sees the U.S. Army utilizing Air Cavalry in airships and gliders.

September 1913:

09.18.1913: In Britain, the Avro 504, which will be produced through 1932 and remain in service through 1934, makes its first flight.

October 1913: In Italy, refugees from Feodosia arrive, spreading the Soldiers’ Sickness there, then to France, from where it spreads to Germany and England.

10.06.1913: 1. In France, American pressure leads to the Truce of Calais, which will last until 1921. 2. In France, the AEF has cases of Soldiers’ Sickness on par with the European armies but there are no cases in the Americas yet. 3. In the United States, President Wilson orders the AEF to remain in Europe “as a peacekeeping force."

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Timeline of the Third Mexican-American War, 1914

1914: In Britain, all British Army tanks and airships are now gasoline-fueled. The steam era has ended for aircraft and armored fighting vehicles.

February 1914:

02.12.1914: In the United States, the Army grounds all its pusher-configuration aircraft as unsafe.

April 1914:

04.25.1914: In Mexico, a Curtiss Model F flying boat becomes the first U.S. heavier-than-air craft to see military action, when launched from the USS Mississippi on a scouting mission over Veracruz.

July 1914:

07.15.1914: In the United States, President Wilson suffers a massive stroke that will leave him incapacitated for the rest of his presidency. At first, First Lady Ellen Wilson takes over as “steward” of the presidency, but she herself is ailing from Bright’s Disease.

07.17.1914: In Britain, the Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus fighter plane flies for the first time. It will be deployed in November and will serve until 1916.

07.19.1914 to 07.23.1914: In Britain, the first signs of the Soldiers’ Sickness appear.

07.22.1914: In France, the Morane-Saulnier Type N Bullet flies for the first time. It will enter service in April 1915 and serve through early 1916.

August 1914:

08.06.1914: In the United States, First Lady Ellen Wilson dies of Bright’s Disease. Daughter Margaret Woodrow Wilson (04.16.1886-02.12.1944) takes over as “steward” of the presidency.

08.09.1914: In Britain, there is a huge uptick in the number of cases of Soldiers’ Sickness.

08.24.1914: In Britain, there is a further increase in the number of cases of Soldiers’ Sickness.

September 1914:

09.14.1914: General der Infantrie Erich von Falkenhayn replaces Helmuth von Moltke the Younger as Chief of the German General Staff.

October 1914:

10.07.1914: In Britain, there is a further increase in the number of cases of Soldiers’ Sickness.

10.22.1914-10.23.1914: In Mexico, at the Battle of Ciudad Herrero, Lt. Col. Allister Hurley earns the Certificate of Merit Medal for Gallantry.

December 1914:

12.14.1914: In the United States, Lt. Col. Allister Hurley is awarded the Certificate of Merit Medal for Gallantry for his actions at the battle of Ciudad Herrero in October.

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Timeline of the Third Mexican-American War, 1915

1915: In Germany, the Fokker Eindecker fighter plane makes its first flight. In the United States, the Curtiss JN "Jenny" enters series production.

February 1915: In Germany, the last Etrich Taube observation and bomber aircraft are withdrawn from frontline service and converted into trainers.

March 1915:

03.21.1915: In Britain, half the population has died of the Soldiers’ Sickness. Entire villages cease to exist. Sir Nigel begins.

April 1915:

04.01.1915: In France, the Morane Saulnier Bullet makes its combat debut. It is the first fighter plane to be equipped with a forward-firing machine gun, which avoids shooting off the propeller by use of deflector wedge. Frenchman Roland Garros achieves the first ever shooting down of an aircraft by a fighter firing through a tractor propeller, on 1 April 1915, and he achieves two more victories over German aircraft on 15 and 18 April 1915.

04.18.1915: In France, after achieving his third air-to-air victory, Roland Garros is brought down in his Morane Saulnier Bullet by a clogged fuel line. He is captured along with the deflector wedges, which are presented to Dutch-German aircraft designer Anthony Fokker.

June 1915:

06.27.1915: En route to El Paso by train, Pascual Orozco is arrested in Newman, Texas, and charged with conspiracy to violate the U.S. neutrality laws. He is placed under house arrest at his family’s home at 1315 Wyoming Avenue in El Paso.

July 1915: i. In the United States, the 1st Aero Squadron of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, receives eight Curtiss JN-2 Jenny biplanes at San Diego. ii. In France, “the Fokker scourge” begins as the Fokker Eindecker appears. It is the first fighter plane with a gun firing through the propeller via synchronizer gear. It is far superior to the Morane-Saulnier Bullet and will rule the skies over Europe until January 1916.

07.02.1915: In Spain, ex-President of Mexico Porfirio Diaz dies, age 84.

August 1915: In the United States, the 1st Aero Squadron of the Aviation Section, Signal Corps, is transferred to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to work with the Field Artillery School, during which one Jenny crashes, resulting in a fatality. The pilots of the squadron meet with its commander, Captain Benjamin Foulois, to advise that the JN-2 is unsafe because of low power, shoddy construction, instability, and an overly sensitive rudder. Foulois and his executive officer, Captain Thomas D. Milling disagree, and flights continue.

08.16.1915: In Mexico, the Battle of Santiago de Queretaro begins with Marines besieged at their artillery base.

08.30.1915: In the United States, General Pascual Orozco is killed by Texas law enforcement while trying to escape back to Mexico.

September 1915: In the United States, a second Curtiss JN-2 Jenny from the 1st Aero Squadron of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps crashes early in the month, resulting in the grounding of the six remaining JN-2s until mid-October.

October 1915: In the United States, two new Curtiss JN-3 Jenny biplanes are delivered to the 1st Aero Squadron at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. At mid-month, the grounded JN-2 aircraft are upgraded to the new design.

10.30.1915: Day of the Dead Offensive launched prematurely: Federales and CommuMex guerillas attack 100+ cities in Northern Mexico.

10.31.1915: CommuMex guerillas attack U.S. embassy in Monterrey.

November 1915:

11.05.1915: In the United States, off Pensacola, Florida, a Curtiss Model F flying boat becomes the first aircraft to be launched by catapult from a warship while underway when it takes off from the USS North Carolina with Captain Henry C. Mustin at the controls.

11.24.1915: Battle of Mexico City ends; city retaken by U.S. and ARNM troops.

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Timeline of the Third Mexican-American War, 1916

January 1916:

01.10.1916: In Mexico, U.S. forces at Santiago de Queretaro begin destroying the fortifications there in preparation for withdrawing from the base, which has been determined to be overly vulnerable.

01.30.1916: In Mexico, U.S. forces withdraw from the base at Santiago de Queretaro, marking the end of the siege.

March 1916: In Mexico, the eight Curtiss JN-3 Jenny biplanes of the 1st Aero Squadron are redeployed from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for aerial observation.

June 1916:

06.07.1916 to 06.10.1916: In the United States, the Republican Party holds its national convention in Chicago at the (third) Chicago Coliseum (built 1899). Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes wins the presidential nomination on the third ballot, and former Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks is nominated as his running mate.

06.14.1916 to 06.16.1916: In the United States, the Democratic Party holds its national convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Although debate rages over his continued fitness for office, Woodrow Wilson manages to be re-nominated.

06.24.1916: In Mexico, the Day of the Dead Offensive ends.

July 1916: In France, the British Royal Flying Corps retires the Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus fighter plane. In Denmark, the Danes will continue to operate the Gunbus until 1924.

August 1916: In Britain, the Royal Navy takes delivery of the first motor-torpedo boats in the world, the Thornycroft 40-foot Coastal Motor Boats.

November 1916:

11.07.1916: In the United States, Republican Charles Evans Hughes defeats incumbent Woodrow Wilson in the Presidential Election. Through his daughter, Wilson immediately appoints Hughes as Secretary of State (replacing Robert Lansing), then he and Vice President Thomas Marshall resign, allowing Hughes to become president immediately rather than waiting until March 1917.

11.08.1916: In the United States, Wallis Warfield marries U.S. Naval Aviator Earl Winfield Spencer, Jr. They separate before 1920.

December 1916: In the United States, the National War Council advises incoming president Charles Evans Hughes that the time has come for “Mexicanization” – to begin withdrawing American ground forces from Mexico and to allow the ARNM to take over the defense of the Republic of Northern Mexico.

12.31.1916: In the United States, President Hughes orders a halt to the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign in Mexico. The U.S. military is contemplating the replacement of its R.31 airships with Handley Page O/100 bombers.