Great War events that took place on 17 October.
1914 (Saturday)
| Western Front | ▶ Herlies captured by the Allies – End of the Allies offensive. | ▶ Heavy German counter-attacks impose a strenuous defensive for a period extending to 17 November. |
| Eastern Front | Poland: Crisis of Battle of Warsaw: Russian reinforcements reach the city and save it from capture. | |
| Naval and Overseas Operations | HMS Undaunted with accompanying destroyers sink four German destroyers off Dutch coast. |
Sources: Various material contemporary with the war have been used to compile The Great War On This Day and its associated Compendium.
Compendium entries form the central hub of (a) An index-like collection of places, people, ships, battles, political events, etc., and (b) Words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. The majority of these have been transcribed from Chronology of the War (1918-1920) and Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases (1925) respectively, the later which is reflected in the language used and some may seem derogatory by today's standards.
Images come from scans or photographs of original sources, Wikimedia Commons, and the Imperial War Museum's online collections under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence. Attribution is given separately to the latter and does not come under the general licence of this site. Please be aware that some images, although very few, may depict distressing scenes.
Advisory note: The information in these sources may not accurately represent updated histories, present-day spellings, or geographical borders. It is also written from a British perspective, and words such as "enemy" are used extensively. For further details and a full list of sources, click here.