CONTINUATION OF THE OPERATIONS OF RAWLINSON'S
FOURTH ARMY
From August 22 to the Battle of the Hindenburg
Line, September 29
Further advance of the Australians--Of the Third Corps--Capture of
Albert--Advance across the old Somme battlefield--Capture of Mont St.
Quentin--Splendid Australian exploit--Fall of Peronne--Debut of the
Yeomanry (Seventy-fourth) Division--Attack on the outliers of the
Hindenburg Line--Appearance of the Ninth Corps--Eve of the Judgment.
We have now reached the date when Byng's Third Army joined in the
fray, and it is necessary to find some means of co-ordinating the
narrative and carrying it on in definite stages. The next
well-marked crisis which affects each of the armies engaged is the
great general attack on September 29, which broke the Hindenburg
Line. Therefore, in separate chapters the operations of each army
will be brought up to that date, and then further chapters will cover
the doings of each up to the date of the Armistice. Since we have
dealt with the Fourth Army, we may as well continue with it now until
we are in close touch with the Hindenburg Line, premising only that
instead of an inert neighbour upon the left we have a very active
advancing British Army. We shall then go on to the {44} Third and to
the First Armies, and bring each of them in turn up to the same point.
[Sidenote: August 22.]
On August 22 and the following days, the Fourth Army, with only two
Corps--the Third and the Australians--in front, renewed its attack,
greatly strengthened by the movement of the Third Army on its left,
which ensured that at least five British corps were all moving
forward together, distributing the advance over so wide an area that
the Germans were less able to concentrate reserves of men or of guns
at any one point--a result which was much aided by the fine work of
General Mangin's Army on the right.
The main part of the fighting on the front of the Fourth Army on
August 22 was north of the Somme, where the Third Australian Division
covered the right flank of the Third Corps. On the south of the
river the Australian Corps advanced on a front of 4½ miles, and took
all their limited objectives, which represented a depth of 1½ miles.
This was effected by the Fifth Australian Division on the right and
the Fourth on the left, supported and finally supplanted by the First
Australian and Lambert's Thirty-Second British Divisions, the latter
on the right. The advance, which began at dawn, was no easy one, as
the country was much cut about with many obstacles, seamed with
trenches, and dotted with scattered woods. The determined infantry
would take no denial, however, and Herleville, Chuignies, and several
other small village sites were captured. The heaviest fighting was
in the woods, but a skilful system of encircling points of danger had
been carefully worked out, and the losses were less than might have
been anticipated. {45} Sixteen guns, 80 officers, and 2463 men were
the trophies of the day. Early in the morning of August 24 the Third
Australian Division moved suddenly forward north of the river,
captured the town of Bray, and formed a permanent line upon the
further side. On August 25 this same unit advanced 3000 yards on a
4000-yard front with very little resistance, always covering the
right of the Third Corps.
Let us now follow the work of this Corps from August 22 onwards.
It covered the ground from Albert in the north, where it was working
in close liaison with the Welsh Division on the right of the Fifth
Corps, down to a point near the Somme where it was in touch with the
Australians. The immediate object of the operations was to eject the
enemy from the positions in and around Albert which he had held for
four months, and also from his whole defensive system opposite to the
Amiens defence line, which latter had been regained in the previous
fighting. On the day of battle the Forty-seventh London Division was
on the right of the Corps line, the Twelfth Division in the centre,
and the Eighteenth Division on the left. To this last was confided
the difficult and important operation of clearing Albert, and of
establishing light bridges over the Ancre so as to cross that stream
and attack the high ground east of the town on the Becourt Road.
There was to be no preliminary bombardment, but machine-gun and
artillery barrages were to cover the infantry.
The zero hour was 4.45, and at the signal the Forty-seventh and
Twelfth Divisions advanced behind a creeping barrage, moving at the
rate of 100 yards in four minutes, and as thick as 250 field-guns
could {46} make it. With such a van of destruction in front the
infantry came forward without undue losses, though a particular
strong point named the Pear Tree just on the interdivisional boundary
held fast and was destined to give trouble for several days to come.
As an observer remarked, "Anything British, from a helmet to a tank,
which showed over the crest was met by the sweeping fire of many
machine-guns, while shells from trench mortars fell in the ranks of
men following up. It was only when the general attack was continued
that this hornet's nest could be cleared." Save for this point the
general objectives marked out for these divisions, which meant an
advance of between two and three miles, were successfully made good,
but an attempt to follow up with cavalry and whippet tanks could not
be persevered in, so stiff was the opposition. It was soon found
that the enemy in the Forty-seventh Division sector was not only
capable of defence, but of aggression, for about 4 in the afternoon
his infantry advanced in a strong attack with a powerful artillery
backing, and drove with such violence into the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th
Londons, forming the 142nd Brigade, that they were temporarily thrown
back. Their right held firm, however, as did the Third Australian
Division to the south, so that no gap was formed. Being reinforced
by the 175th Brigade from the Fifty-eighth Division in reserve, the
Londoners soon reformed their ranks, greatly thinned both by their
advance in the morning and by the German onslaught in the afternoon.
The enemy's front was so menacing that the rest of the day and part
of August 23 were spent in reorganisation and consolidation.
Meanwhile on the left, Lee's Eighteenth Division, {47} a famous
all-English unit of the type which, however brilliant its comrades,
has always formed the solid core of the magnificent tireless Imperial
Army, was carrying out its difficult task at Albert. It had two
brigades in the line, the 54th to the south and the 55th to the north
of the town. The Germans in front held the line of the Ancre, with
Albert as a bridgehead, the ruins and cellars of the town being sown
with snipers and machine-guns. To clear the town, to occupy the high
ground to the east, and by these operations to cover the flanks of
two armies was the function of this Division, and also to secure
crossings at Albert by which the Welsh on their left could get across.
The stream in this part was 6 feet deep and 14 wide, with swampy
banks strongly held by the enemy. There were unguarded bits,
however, and patrols got across on the 21st, which simplified the
task, though it deranged at the last moment all the preparations for
barrage. Part of the 6th Northamptons and the 11th Royal Fusiliers
crossed early on the 22nd and formed up along the edge of the
Albert-Meaulte Road, while the rest of the 6th Northamptons fought
hard for elbow-room on the right flank, working in close liaison with
the 36th Brigade on the left of the Twelfth Division who were
attacking Meaulte. About 6 the whole front line advanced in this
quarter, flooding over the scattered German posts, and capturing
eighty machine-guns with their crews. At the same time the 8th East
Surreys on the left had rushed Albert, and after some fine confused
fighting had cleared the ruins and taken the whole town, with the
river crossings. The 7th Buffs at once pushed out on the
Albert-Pozières {48} road, but were held up by very heavy fire. The
11th Royal Fusiliers further south had also been held up by the guns
on the summit of Shamrock Hill, east of the town, but a company of
the 2nd Bedfords, led by Captain Doake, captured this strong point
and the line went forward. Altogether it was a good day's work, and
save on the extreme left most of the objects were attained at the
cost of reasonable casualties, which included General Sadleir-Jackson
of the 54th Brigade, who was badly wounded in the leg. The 53rd
Brigade continued their advance up to 10 P.M., so as to gain the high
ground on the Becourt Road, and thus prepare for the next day's
operations.
The 113th Brigade of the Welsh Division on the left had been passed
over by the Albert bridges, and the 53rd had also passed in the
night. The plan of August 23 was that these two brigades should
attack Usna and Tara Hills respectively, on the high ground to the
west of Becourt Wood. The Usna attack is described under the
operations of the Fifth Corps. The Tara attack was completely
successful, and four tanks rendered conspicuous service. The work
was carried out by the 10th Essex, 7th West Kents, and the 7th
Queen's from the 55th Brigade. It was a fine military feat, far more
important than 350 prisoners would imply, for it broke the girdle
round Albert and cleared the road for the advance. No progress was
made at the other portions of the corps front on this date, save for
some advance on the left of the Twelfth Division near Meaulte.
[Sidenote: August 24.]
It had been determined to keep up incessant pressure, and to test
Hindenburg's incautious maxim that the side with the best nerves
would wear down the other. At 1 A.M. on August 24 the whole line
{49} burst into flame once more, and under a clear moon the Army
rolled forward. On the right the Forty-seventh Division had ample
revenge for its temporary check, as its 140th, together with the
175th Brigade of the Fifty-eighth Division, Londoners all, swept
across the debated land of the Happy Valley and secured it. The
Eighteenth Division also made good its objectives, the chief
impediment being the historical mine craters of 1916 at La Boiselle;
250 prisoners were taken out of these by the 8th Royal Berks, a party
of whom under Captain Nicholson, covered by Captain Sutherst's 53rd
Trench Mortar Battery, cleared up this difficult point. In the
morning the Eighteenth Division was well to the east of Becourt. The
only check was in the centre, where the general advance of the
Twelfth Division was still held up by that Pear Tree strong point
which had already caused so much trouble. Before evening, however,
it was clear that the enemy was effecting a general retreat, and the
37th Brigade was able to take possession of this very well defended
portion of the ridge.
[Sidenote: August 25.]
It was clear now that the German front was crumbling, and the whole
British line was pushing ahead. The chief obstacle on the morning of
August 25 came from an all-pervading mist. There was no check,
however, anywhere in the advance up to 2 P.M., when the general line
of the front was up to Mametz. The hardest fighting of the day was
done at Billon Wood by the 173rd Brigade, all three battalions, the
2/2nd, 3rd, and 2/4th London, having real hard work, and standing to
it like men. The place was strongly held with powerful artillery
support, but it had been cleared before nightfall. By the same hour
the Twelfth Division was east of Mametz, and the 8th {50} East
Surreys were on the far side of Mametz Wood. As these familiar
places came once more into their possession the troops felt that the
tide had indeed turned. On August 26 the Eighteenth Division had
cleared the ruins of Montauban, and the Twelfth, Carnoy, while the
Fifty-eighth pushed on from Billon Wood, and wound up within a few
hundred yards of Maricourt. This village was passed the next day,
and altogether, on August 27 and 28, another three miles were added
to the advance of the Twelfth and Fifty-eighth Divisions, the
progress never ceasing, but being continually accompanied by fighting
and maintained always against severe artillery fire. The Germans had
thrown in three fresh divisions upon this front and the resistance
was still very stiff.
[Sidenote: August 26-28.]
This was especially evident at Trones Wood, which was carried for the
second time in this way by the Eighteenth Division on August 27.
This fine assault was made by the 8th Berks and 7th West Kents, who
carried it out with both flanks open to the enemy since the Welsh had
been held in front of Delville. So heavy were the losses that the
Berkshires were in danger of not being strong enough to hold what
they had gained, so the 10th Essex were pushed into the fight. At 8
A.M. on August 27 a German Guards battalion drove through Trones Wood
and pushed out the British stormers, but they held on by their teeth
to the eastern edge of Bernafoy Wood. Here General Barker of the
53rd Brigade reorganised his very weary ranks, which had been greatly
mixed in the advance and retreat. Just as evening was falling the
remains of the gallant brigade darted forward once more and came to
grips with the Francis Joseph Prussian Guards, who lay with many a
machine-gun {51} among the brushwood. Led by Colonel Banks of the
8th Berkshires, the English infantry rushed into the wood and poured
over the German position, taking forty machine-guns and completely
overcoming the resistance. It was a fine exploit, and when the 53rd
Brigade gave place to the 54th on the morning of August 28 they
handed over to them the whole of this terrible grove, which has been
so drenched by the bravest blood of two great nations. There was no
further action in this quarter on August 28, but on the 29th the 54th
Brigade, now under Colonel Perceval, was heavily engaged. Guillemont
was passed, though no trace of this large village could be
distinguished, and all day the 2nd Bedfords on the left and the 6th
Northants on the right were working forward across the grim old
battlefield. On August 28 the Twelfth Division took Hardecourt, and
General Higginson, who may well have been disturbed by the constant
flow of youngsters into his ranks to take the place of his disabled
veterans, must have had his fears removed and his heart gladdened by
the splendid conduct that day of 250 men of the 9th Royal Fusiliers
under Colonel Van Someren, none of whom had been in France more than
three weeks. On August 30 a great centre of German resistance was
Priez Farm, which held up the 11th Royal Fusiliers, and also the
Forty-seventh Division which had taken the place of the Twelfth in
the centre of the corps. The enemy was clinging hard to Morval, also
in the Welsh area, and this made any advance on the front of the
Eighteenth Division impossible. It was clear that a regular battle
with artillery preparation was needed, and this was arranged for
September 1. The right wing of the corps had in the meantime got to
{52} the line of Maurepas, and on August 31 the Forty-seventh
Division in the centre made a good advance up to Long Wood with a
number of prisoners to show for it. The Fifty-eighth Division closed
in upon Marrières Wood, which they took after some heavy fighting,
avenging the brave South Africans who had died so gallantly there
five months before. It was clear that the enemy were now standing in
a strong line, and were by no means beaten, which was shown also by
the bearing of the prisoners, whose morale was high, and who spoke
with as much pride and assurance as ever of the ultimate military
success of their country. Yet during the last week they had been
steadily driven back some 3000 yards every day by the remorseless
barrage of the British guns followed by the disciplined rush of the
British infantry.
[Sidenote: August 26-31.]
We shall now leave the Third Corps for a time at this line of fixed
resistance and return to consider the advance of the Australians to
the south. This had been victorious and unbroken, though no very
serious resistance had to be overcome. Smoke by day and fire by
night, with explosions at all hours, heralded the German retreat. On
August 26 Cappy was occupied. On the 27th Vaux Wood was occupied
north of the river, while Foucaucourt and Vermandovillers were
submerged to the south, villages no longer, but at least marks of
progress upon the map. On the 28th the Germans were still retreating
with the toes of the Australians upon their very heels, but the
heavier shelling warned General Monash that there was a fixed line
ahead, as might well be expected, since his men were now nearing the
point where the bend of the Somme brought the river right across
their front. Dompierre, Fay, Estrées, and other old centres of {53}
contention were taken that day. On the 29th the 3rd Australians got
Hem, while on the south the rest of the corps advanced 2000 yards to
the bank of the river, taking the whole line of villages from Biaches
to Villers-Carbonnel. The task of capturing such places was much
complicated by the difficulty of knowing where they were after you
had got them. The present writer was in Carbonnel, which was a
considerable place, some weeks later, and was unable to find any
trace of habitation save a signboard upon which was printed the
words: "Here was the village of Villers-Carbonnel."
At the end of August the resistance had stiffened, and it was clear
that the Germans meant to take advantage of the unique situation of
Peronne in order to make it a strong centre of resistance. To the
civilian observer it would have seemed that such a place was
impregnable against assault, for it is girt in with reedy marshes on
the west, and with a moat on the north, while the south is defended
by the broad river, even as in the days when Quentin Durward formed
part of the garrison. Yet the Australians took it in their stride by
a mixture of cleverness and valour which must have greatly rejoiced
General Rawlinson, who saw so formidable an obstacle removed from his
path. As a preliminary operation the Third Australian Division had
taken Clery in the north, which they held against a vigorous
counter-attack on September 30. Halles was afterwards captured. The
question now was how to approach the town. Immediately to the north
of it there lies a formidable hill, well marked, though of no great
height. This place, which is called Mont St. Quentin, commanded all
approaches to the town as well as {54} the town itself. The Germans
had recognised the importance of the position and had garrisoned it
with picked troops with many machine-guns. Standing upon its pitted
crest, where one is often ankle-deep in empty cartridges, one cannot
imagine as one looks west how a rabbit could get across unscathed.
This was the formidable obstacle which now faced the Australians.
[Sidenote: August 31.]
They went at it without a pause and with characteristic earnestness
and directness, controlled by very skilful leadership. Two brigades,
the 5th and 6th of Rosenthal's Second Australian Division, had been
assembled on the north of the Somme bend, the men passing in single
file over hastily constructed foot-bridges. By this means they had
turned the impassable water defences which lie on the westward side
of Peronne, but they were faced by a terrible bit of country, seamed
with trenches, jagged with wire, and rising to the village of St.
Quentin, which is a little place on the flank of the hill. The hill
itself is crowned by a ragged wood some acres in extent. Mont St.
Quentin lies about equidistant, a mile or so, from Peronne in the
south, and from the hamlet of Feuillaucourt in the north. On this
front of two miles the action was fought.
Early in the morning of August 31 the 5th Brigade, under General
Martin, advanced upon the German position. The 17th Battalion was in
the centre opposite to Mont St. Quentin. The 19th was on the right
covering the ground between that stronghold and Peronne, the 20th on
the left, extending up to Feuillaucourt, with that village as one of
its objectives. The 18th was in close support. A very heavy and
efficient artillery bombardment had prepared the {55} way for the
infantry assault, but the defending troops were as good as any which
Germany possessed, and had endured the heavy fire with unshaken
fortitude, knowing that their turn would come.
From the moment that the infantry began to close in on the German
positions the battle became very bitter and the losses very serious.
The 19th Battalion on the right were scourged with fire from the old
fortified walls of Peronne, from St. Denis, a hamlet north of the
town, and from scattered woods which faced them. Every kind of
missile, including pineapple-bombs and rifle-grenades, poured down
upon them. The long thin line carried on bravely, halted, carried on
once more, and finally sank down under such poor cover as could be
found, sending back a message that further artillery bombardment was
a necessity. On the left of the attack the 20th Battalion seems to
have had a less formidable line before it, and advancing with great
speed and resolution, it seized the village of Feuillaucourt. In the
centre, however, a concentration of fire beat upon the 17th
Battalion, which was right under the guns of Mont St. Quentin.
Working on in little groups of men, waiting, watching, darting
forward, crouching down, crawling, so the scattered line gradually
closed with its enemy, presenting a supreme object lesson of that
individual intelligence and character which have made the Australian
soldier what he is. A little after 7 o'clock in the morning the
survivors of two companies drew together for the final rush, and
darted into the village of Mont St. Quentin, throwing out a line of
riflemen upon the far side of it. On that far side lay the
culminating slope of the hill crowned with the dark ragged trees,
their trunks linked up with abattis, {56} laced with wire, and
covering machine-guns. The place was still full of Germans and they
had strong reserves on the further side of the hill.
The 17th had reached their goal, but their situation was very
desperate. Their right was bent back and was in precarious contact
with the 19th Battalion. Their left flank had lost all touch. They
were a mere thin fringe of men with nothing immediately behind them.
Two companies of the supporting battalion had already been sent up to
stiffen the line of the 19th Battalion, and the remaining two
companies were now ordered forward to fill the gap between the 17th
and 20th. Not a rifle was left in reserve, and the whole strength of
the Brigade was in the firing-line. It was no time for hedging, for
everything was at stake.
But the pressure was too severe to last. The Australian line could
not be broken, but there comes a point when it must bend or perish.
The German pressure from the wood was ever heavier upon the thin
ranks in front of it. A rush of grey infantry came down the hill,
with showers of bombs in front of them. One of the companies in the
village had lost every officer. The fire was murderous. Guns firing
over open sights had been brought up on the north of the village, and
were sending their shells through the ruined houses. Slowly the
Australians loosened their clutch upon their prize and fell back to
the west of the village, dropping down in the broken ground on the
other side of the main Peronne Road, and beating back five bombing
attacks which had followed them up. Still the fire was murderous,
and the pressure very heavy, so that once more, by twos and threes,
the survivors fell back 250 yards west of the road, where again they
lay down, counting {57} their dwindling cartridges, and dwelling upon
their aim, as the grey crouching figures came stealthily forward.
The attack was at an end. It had done splendidly, and it had failed.
But the scattered survivors of the 5th Brigade still held on with
grim tenacity, certain that their comrades behind would never let
them down.
[Sidenote: September 1.]
All night there was spasmodic fighting, the Germans pushing their
counter-attack until the two lines were interlocked and the leading
groups of the 5th Brigade were entirely cut off. In some places the
more forward Germans finding a blank space--and there were many--had
pushed on until they were 500 yards west of the general line of the
5th Brigade. Thus when Robertson's 6th Brigade attacked at an early
hour of September 1, they came on German infantry posts before they
connected up with the main line of their own comrades. Their advance
had been preceded by a crashing bombardment from everything which
would throw a projectile, so that the crest of the hill was fairly
swept with bullets and shells. Then forward went the line, the 23rd
Battalion on the right, the 24th on the left, 21st and 22nd in
support. From the start the fire was heavy, but all opposition was
trampled down, until the two leading battalions were abreast of the
hill. Then once more that terrible fire brought them to a halt. The
23rd on the right was held by the same crossfire which had beaten
upon the 19th the day before. Its losses were heavy. The 24th got
forward to Feuillaucourt and then, having occupied it, turned to the
right and endeavoured to work down to Mont St. Quentin from the
north. But the fire was too murderous and the advance was stopped.
Other {58} elements were coming into action, however, which would
prevent the whole German effort being concentrated upon the defence
of the one position. In the north the 10th Brigade of the Third
Australian Division, with the 229th British Yeomanry Brigade upon
their left, were swinging round and threatening to cut in on the
German flank and rear. In the south the 14th Australian Brigade of
the Fifth Division was advancing straight upon the town of Peronne,
attacking from the south and east simultaneously. But even now the
nut was too hard for the crackers. The British and the 10th
Australian Brigades were fighting their way round in the north and
constant progress was being made in that indirect pressure. But the
6th Brigade after its splendid advance was held up, and old Peronne,
spitting fire from its ancient walls, was still keeping the 14th
Brigade at a distance. At 8 o'clock the attack had again failed.
Orders were then given for the reorganisation of the troops and for a
renewed effort at half-past one. The artillery had been brought up
and reinforced, so that it now fairly scalped the hill. At the hour
named the direct advance of the 6th Brigade was resumed, the fresh
21st Battalion being pushed into the centre, between the 23rd and
24th which had both suffered severely in the morning. This time
General Rosenthal was justified of his perseverance. At the signal
the troops poured forward and under a hail of bullets seized the
ruins of the village once more, streaming out at the further side and
falling into a long skirmish line on the western edge of the wood.
The brave German defenders were still unabashed and the losses were
so heavy that the wood could not instantly be carried, but the
position was consolidated and held, with the {59} absolute certainty
that such close grips in front with the threatening movements upon
his flank must drive him from the hill. So it proved, for when on
the morning of September 2 the 7th Brigade passed over the fatal
plain, which was sown with the bodies of their comrades, they went
through the village and on past the wood with little opposition,
forming up at last in a defensive line facing south-east, while the
Fifth Division on the south drove home its attack upon Peronne, where
the defence was already hopelessly compromised by the various
movements to the north.
Thus fell Mont St. Quentin, and as a consequence Peronne. Sir Henry
Rawlinson in his official dispatch remarked that he was "filled with
admiration for the surpassing daring" of the troops who had taken a
position of the greatest "natural strength and eminent tactical
value." Men of the Second Guards Division and of four other German
Divisions were found among the prisoners. The Australian exploit may
be said to have been of a peculiarly national character, as there was
not one of the Australian communities--Victoria, New South Wales,
Queensland, West Australia, Tasmania--which did not play some
honourable part in the battle.
Passing northward from the victorious Australians, September 1 saw
the attack carried all along the line, the 3rd Corps advancing upon
Rancourt, Priez Farm, and the line to Bouchavesnes. On the left the
hard-worked 54th and 55th Brigades did splendidly, especially the 8th
East Surrey under Colonel Irwin. Surrey men and Germans lay thick
round Priez Farm, but this key-position remained in the hands of the
English, after a very bitter struggle. The 7th Queen's {60} took
Fregicourt, while the 7th West Kents helped the Welshmen at
Sailly-Sallisel. The trench mortar batteries, pushing right up
regardless of all risk and smothering the German strong points by
their concentrated fire, did great work in these operations,
especially the 142nd T.M. Battery near Priez Farm. All these various
advances were as remarkable for their tactical skill as for the
valour shown by all ranks. The latter had been a constant asset, but
the former grew with time.
[Sidenote: Sept. 1, 2.]
Meanwhile the Forty-seventh and Fifty-eighth Divisions had each done
splendidly and secured their objectives, including Rancourt and
Bouchavesnes. The main road from Bapaume to Peronne had been passed
and the whole of the old Somme battlefield been cleared in this
direction. Prisoners were taken from four different divisions in the
course of the fight. It had taken four months' fighting in 1916 to
conquer the ground which had been now cleared by the Fifth and Third
Corps inside of ten days.
The advance was continued on September 2, as it was argued that
however exhausted the victors might be the vanquished would surely be
even more so. A new actor made a first appearance in the greatest of
all dramas about this time, for the Seventy-fourth Division, which
had done good service in Palestine under General Girdwood, made its
first attack in a European line of battle. This unit was originally
composed entirely of Yeomanry, and it had still retained a large
proportion of this splendid material in the ranks, with a broken spur
as their witty and picturesque divisional emblem. The tale of the
British Yeomanry in the East is one which will be among the most
romantic in the war; and the {61} way in which farmers' sons from
Dorset or Fife charged with cold steel and rode down the Eastern
cavalry or broke the ranks of the Turkish infantry is as fantastic an
incident as the mind of a prophetic novelist could have furnished.
Indeed it may be said generally that none of the many imaginary
forecasts of the coming war equalled the reality in the broad sweep
of its incidents and the grotesque combinations which ensued.
The Seventy-fourth had now taken over from the Fifty-eighth Division.
They were pushed at once into heavy fighting, advancing rapidly down
the western slope of the Tortille valley, through Moislains, and over
the canal. In their eager zeal they had not mopped up sufficiently,
and they soon found themselves under a fire from front and rear which
no troops could endure. They were driven back to near the point from
which they started and their losses were considerable. The
Australians formed a defensive flank on the south, and the
Forty-seventh on the north, and a line of resistance was built up
between them from Haut Allaines on the right to the western bank of
the Tortille. The Yeomanry had before evening endured a very
terrible welcome to the Western front.
The Eighteenth Division on the left had also had some severe fighting
which fell chiefly upon the depleted 53rd Brigade. It secured the
high ground in the north of St. Pierre Vaast Wood, the whole of which
was cleared by the 8th Berkshires. On September 3 and 4 the division
continued to advance across the canal and the Tortille upon the line
of Nurlu. On the evening of September 4 its long term of hard and
glorious service was ended and the {62} Twelfth Division took its
place. Its losses had been 2700, while it had captured during the
battle some 1800 prisoners and many guns.
[Sidenote: Sept. 2-10.]
From this date until September 10, which saw them in front of the
outposts of the Hindenburg Line, the record of the Third Corps was
one of steady and uninterrupted progress. The German machine-guns
were now, as always, a cause of constant worry, loss, and delay, but
the remorseless drive of the British infantry was for ever beating in
the obstinate rearguards. September 6 marked an advance of nearly
three miles along the whole Corps front, the Twelfth, Forty-seventh,
and Seventy-fourth moving in line and flooding over the village sites
of Nurlu, Templeux, Driencourt, and Longavesnes. The work of Owen's
35th Brigade at Nurlu was particularly trying, for it was held up by
wire and machine-guns, the 7th Sussex, 7th Norfolks, and 9th Essex
all losing heavily in some very desperate fighting which gave little
result. Finally, on September 6, the 1st Cambridge and 5th
Berkshires reinforced the troops already mentioned and, under a
renewed barrage, they broke the line and carried the position. On
this date the Forty-seventh Londoners, who had done such solid work,
were ordered off to join another corps, the Fifty-eighth moving up
once more to take their place.
On September 7 the weather, which had been excellent since August 22,
broke badly, but the Corps improved its position in spite of wind and
rain, closing up to what was known to be the German fixed position.
On the 8th both Epéhy and Peizières were touched, but the Germans
were fairly at bay now, and instant counter-attacks showed that their
resistance would be serious. The final position was about 1000 yards
{63} west of these villages. The Fifty-eighth Division on September
10 endeavoured to gain more ground in this quarter, but neither they
nor the Seventy-fourth upon their right could make any impression
upon the strong German line. There was a definite pause, therefore,
while tanks, guns, and all other appliances for a serious assault
upon a fortified position were hurried to the front. On this date,
September 12, General Butler was able to resume his command of the
Third Corps, while General Godley, after his term of brilliant
service, returned to his own unit, the Twenty-second Corps.
We must now return to the Australian Corps on the right, whom we left
in the flush of victory after their fine conquest of Peronne. Up to
the end of August, Monash and his men had accounted for 14,500
prisoners and 170 guns since the beginning of the advance. On
September 1, as already mentioned. Peronne had been penetrated by
the Fifth Australian Division, but after the fall of Mont St.
Quentin, and the failure of their efforts at recovery, the Germans
must have seen that it was hopeless to hold the place, so that the
stormers were eventually only faced by a rearguard of stalwarts.
Anvil Wood to the north-east was taken on the same day. The order of
the Divisions upon the Australian front at this time was that the
Third was on the extreme left, acting with the Third Corps, the
Second was just north of Peronne, the Fifth was opposite to Peronne,
and the Thirty-second British Division was on the extreme right, near
Brie and St. Christ, in touch with the French.
Early in the morning of September 2 Rosenthal's indefatigable Second
Division continued to advance {64} from Mont St. Quentin, attacking
to the north-east so as to get possession of the high ground
south-west of Aizecourt. They attained their objectives and formed a
flank along the spur from Mont St. Quentin to Aizecourt in order to
protect the Third Corps in the difficult operations already
described. By this movement to the north the Second Australian got
in front of the Third Australian Division, which was crowded out of
the line, all but two battalions. The Fifth Australians spent the
day in clearing up Peronne. Altogether some 500 additional prisoners
fell into their hands during the day.
[Sidenote: Sept. 5-12.]
There was some readjustment and reorganisation necessary after this
strenuous work, but by September 5 the advance was going forward
again and Flamicourt was taken. It is an open rolling country of
large horizons, and the Germans were slowly retreating with strong
rearguards. Doingt, Le Mesnil, and the river crossings of Brie and
St. Christ were all occupied, though the latter cost a severe fight,
with 150 prisoners as trophies. On the 6th and 7th the Corps were
sweeping on with their own 13th Australian Light Horse doing the
cavalry work in front of them, fit representatives of those splendid
horsemen who have left an enduring reputation in Egypt and Palestine.
Late in the afternoon of September 7 the Corps front crossed the
railway between Vermand and Vendelles, and began to approach the
historic point which had marked the British line before March 21. On
September 10 Strickland's First British Division arrived in this
area, and with the Thirty-second Division and some other units began
to form the nucleus of another Corps, the Ninth, which should operate
under General Braithwaite to the right of the {65} Australians. On
the 12th the Australians took Jeancourt, and were in touch with the
outlying defences of the great Hindenburg Line, which they at once
proceeded to attack. On September 13 there was a sharp fight round
Le Verguier, and an advance all along the line in which the
objectives were taken and the tanks did some particularly fine work.
Tanks and barrages that day combined to keep the Australian losses at
a very low figure, and yet some 40 guns and 4500 prisoners had been
taken before next morning. The First Australian Division on the left
secured all the front defences which guarded the main Hindenburg
position, while the Fourth on the right worked its way well forward,
though hardly level with its neighbours. The Ninth Corps on the
right had also come on, though it was also rather behind the
Australians. The average advance of the latter amounted to three
miles in depth on a four-mile front.
Nothing could be more in-and-out than the German fighting during all
this stage of the war. Sometimes their conduct was heroic in the
extreme, sometimes it was exceedingly cowardly and slack. The
observer could not but recall the famous description which an
American General of old gave of his militia when he said with native
raciness that "they either fought like the devil or ran like hell."
The machine-gunners were usually, however, in the former category,
and they, with the heavy guns, represented the real resistance, while
the infantry only needed to be reached--in some cases not even
that--to throw up their hands and come over as joyful captives.
There were already two Germans in British hands for every Briton in
Germany, in spite of the heavy losses in March and April.
{66}
[Sidenote: Sept. 18.]
Returning to the Third Corps, which we left in front of the
Hindenburg system in the second week of September in the Epéhy
district. The obstacle in front of the British was very formidable,
for it consisted of their own old trench lines of March, with the
Hindenburg system behind them. They had now reached the former
British reserve line which had Ronssoy, Lempire, Epéhy, and Peizières
as _points d'appui_. It was a front so strong that in March it is
doubtful if the Germans could have carried it had the line not given
way elsewhere. It was particularly necessary that the enemy should
hold on to this stretch, because it covered the point where the great
Canal du Nord ran under a tunnel for six miles between Bellicourt and
Vandhuile--the only place where tanks could be used for an advance.
The Germans had therefore massed strong forces here, including their
famous Alpine Corps.
The first task of the Third Corps was to get possession of the old
British line in front of it, whence observation could be got of the
Hindenburg position. This attack would form part of a general
movement by the two southern Corps of the Third Army, the three Corps
of the Fourth Army, and the northern portion of the First French
Army. On that great day of battle, September 18, there was a
universal advance along the line, which was carried out in the case
of the Third Corps by the Seventy-fourth Division (Girdwood) on the
right, the Eighteenth (Lee) right centre, the Twelfth (Higginson)
left centre, and the Fifty-eighth Division left. Many of the
characteristics of old trench warfare had come back into the battle,
which was no longer open fighting, but is to be conceived as an
attack upon innumerable scattered {67} trenches and posts very
strongly held by the Germans, and their ultimate reduction by
independent platoons and companies acting under their own regimental
officers.
The advance was at 5.20 in the morning, with a thick mist and driving
rain to cover, and also to confuse, the movement. The Yeomen of the
Seventy-fourth upon the right came away in excellent style, keeping
in close touch with the Australian left, and were soon in possession
of the Templeux quarries, a very formidable position. At the other
end of the line a brigade of the Fifty-eighth Londoners did
excellently well, and by 10 o'clock had a good grip upon the village
of Peizières. In the centre, however, the resistance was very stiff
and the losses heavy. None the less the Eighteenth Division, which
has always been a particularly difficult unit to stop, made their way
through Ronssoy and Lempire. The Eighteenth Division did wonderful
work that day, and though nominally only the 54th and 55th Brigades
were engaged, they were each strengthened by a battalion from the
spare brigade. There were particular difficulties in the path of the
55th Brigade, but General Wood personally accompanied the leading
battalion and so kept in touch with the situation, varying his
activities by throwing bricks and old boots down a German dug-out,
and so bringing out 20 prisoners as his own personal take. He was
wounded in the course of the day. Ronssoy, which fell to the 55th
Brigade, was held by the Alexander Regiment of Prussian Guards,
several hundred samples being taken for the British cages. The
taking of Lempire, carried out mainly by the 11th Royal Fusiliers,
was also a very gallant affair, though it was a day or two before it
{68} was completely in British possession. The Twelfth, which is
also an all-English division with a splendid fighting record, was
held for a time before Epéhy, but would take no denial, and after
heavy losses and severe g fighting was east of that village by 11
o'clock. Thus by midday the whole line of villages was in the hands
of General Butler's Corps. The left was out of touch with the Fifth
Corps, but all else was in perfect order. These positions were full
of wire and concrete, and were defended by the hardy German Alpine
Corps who fought to the death, so that the achievement was a great
one.
All four divisions endeavoured to improve their positions in the
afternoon, but they had no great success. The Seventy-fourth
Division did the best, as on the right it was able to secure
Benjamin's Post, but on the left it was held up by the general
stagnation of the line. The centre divisions met a German
counter-attack delivered by the Hundred and twenty-first Division,
who had been rushed up in buses from Maretz, and this they entirely
dispersed, but neither they nor the Fifty-eighth on the left were
able to make any notable advance.
[Sidenote: Sept. 21.]
The troops were now faced by a perfect warren of trenches and posts
which were held with great gallantry by the Alpine Corps. There was
no rest for the British, and the night of the 18/19th was spent by
the same men who had been fighting all day in bombing up the trenches
and endeavouring to enlarge their gains. The same sort of fighting,
carried on by small groups of determined men led by subalterns or
non-commissioned officers, and faced by other small groups equally
determined, went on along the whole line during September 19 and 20.
{69} In those two days the advance went steadily on, in spite of many
a local rebuff and many a temporary check. On September 21 the
battle was renewed still in the same fashion with heavy losses upon
both sides. At one time the steady flow of the British tide turned
for a time to an ebb, as a very strong German counter-attack came
rolling into it, and swept it back along the whole front from the
positions which it had overflowed in the morning. The Seventy-fourth
was forced out of Quinnemont Farm, the Eighteenth out of Doleful
Post, the Twelfth were checked at Bird Trench, while the
Fifty-eighth, intermingled with men from the right wing of the Fifth
Corps, could not get past Kildare Avenue. These fanciful names,
unseen on any save a large-scale trench map, bulked large in this
bloody battle, for they were master points which controlled the
ground around. The sun set with the Germans in the ascendant, and
the British clawing desperately at a series of posts and farms which
they could just hold against very heavy pressure. One of the most
severe engagements was that of the 10th Essex of the 53rd Brigade
when they attempted the Knoll, a position from which the whole
Hindenburg Line would have been exposed. It was said by experienced
soldiers that more severe machine-gun fire had seldom been seen than
on this occasion, and the tanks engaged were unable to use their own
guns, so thick were the driving storms of bullets which beat upon
their iron sides and searched every aperture. The Essex men lost
heavily, and the Knoll was not taken. This and the other posts
mentioned above were the cause of much trouble to the Americans on
September 27.
[Sidenote: Sept. 22.]
It was a disappointing day, but the British soldiers, {70} dog-weary
as they were, were in no mood to leave matters undecided. The
operations must be carried to a successful end. "Hard pounding,
gentlemen," as the great Duke said, "but we shall see who can pound
longest!" Just after midnight the tired ranks were stumbling forward
once more, determined to have those posts back if human resolution
could win them. They had their reward, and it was a conspicuous
illustration of the maxim that, however weary you may be, the enemy
may be even more so. Before the full light of morning half the line
of posts was in the hands of the persevering British. The capture of
Bracton Post by Colonel Dawson's 6th West Kents was a particularly
brilliant bit of work. The success stretched along the whole Corps
front, and though the afternoon of September 22 saw a whole series of
counter-attacks, especially upon the Seventy-fourth and Eighteenth
Divisions, there was no weakening of the new line. One German
battalion engaged in these counter-attacks was literally annihilated
as a barrage fell behind them through which they could not retire.
It is on record that in spite of the very arduous service the spirits
and morale of the men were never higher. Twice after a German
repulse the men of the 6th Northants and 11th Royal Fusiliers could
not be held back from jumping out of the trenches and tearing after
them, while a stretcher-bearer was observed to run up and down the
parados of the trench throwing cartridges down to the defenders and
shouting, "Shoot, boys, shoot!"
By September 23 the Third Corps had gained most of those posts which
had been its objectives on September 18, and if the battle took
longer than had been anticipated it was all the greater drain upon
{71} the worn resources of the Germans. They were still intent upon
making machines do the work of men, and it was no unusual thing to
take about as many machine-guns as prisoners in some of their posts,
The situation was still not quite clear on the left, where the right
flank of the Fifth Corps was engaged in severe local fighting in the
neighbourhood of Kildare and Limerick Post. The Egg Post on the
front of the Eighteenth Division had also been able to maintain
itself in the German line. These various isolated strong points were
the same which had held out with such unavailing gallantry on March
21, when, instead of forming the German rear, they were the extreme
outliers of Gough's Army.
Whilst the Third Corps on the left of the Fourth Army had been
gradually fighting its way forward from September 18 onwards, beating
down one after the other the outposts and obstacles which, like the
moraine before a glacier, formed a rugged line in front of the great
main Hindenburg system, Sir John Monash and his men were keeping pace
with them, step by step, on their right, the First Australian
Division being in close liaison on September 18 with the
Seventy-fourth Yeomanry. Many a separate volume will be written upon
the exploits of our Australian brothers, and General Monash has
himself written a record of their last glorious hundred days, so that
the chronicler has the less compunction if he is not always able to
give the amount of detail which he would desire.
[Sidenote: Sept. 18.]
At 5.20 on September 18 the Australians went forward with a rapidity
which seems to have completely taken aback the German defenders, who
in many cases ran from their guns, or threw up their {72} hands in
detachments, when they saw the active figures of the infantrymen
springing eagerly forward behind the line of tanks. The weather was
bad, the ground slippery with rain, and the attack expected, but none
of these factors interfered with the result. The First Australians,
as stated, were in the line on the left, the 1st and 3rd Brigades in
the van, while on the right were the 4th and 12th Brigades of the
Fourth Australian Division in close touch with the British First
Division on their right. By midday everything had gone down before
them, and the measure of their success was the 146 officers and 3900
men with 77 guns which formed their trophies before evening. On one
side they had reached Le Verguier, and on the other they were past
Templeux. A minefield containing thirty-five mines was found in
front of the Fourth Australian Division, another instance of the fact
that the tanks had brought a nautical element into warfare. The
Australian casualties were surprisingly light considering their
splendid results, for they did not amount to more than a thousand men.
Some description must now be given of the work of the Ninth Corps,
which had assembled under General Braithwaite on the extreme right of
the British Army and which first came into action on September 18 in
this hard fight for the Hindenburg Outpost Line. The Corps consisted
at this time of three divisions, the First, Sixth, and Thirty-second,
under Strickland, Marden, and Lambert. On September 18 the Corps
attacked with the Sixth Division in touch with the French on the
right, and the First Division with the Fourth Australians on the
left. The order of brigades {73} from the right was 71, 16, 1, and
2. It was known that two German divisions, the Seventy-ninth and
Twenty-fifth, with two others in reserve, were lying opposite behind
strong defences, so that a hard battle might well be expected.
The Thirty-fourth French Division on the immediate right brought off
a very useful and successful coup on September 17 by capturing Round
Hill and part of Savy Wood, which reassured General Marden as to the
safety of his right flank. This division appeared to have the more
difficult task as Badger Copse, the village of Fresnoy, and part of
the very strong system known as the Quadrilateral came within their
area.
The attack went forward under pelting rain at 5.20 in the morning of
September 18. Following the operations from the north we have to
deal first with the 2nd Brigade on the flank. The left-hand
battalion, the 2nd Sussex, kept up with the Australians, who had
advanced without a check and carried every obstacle. The 2nd King's
Royal Rifles, on the other hand, had lost direction and, wandering
too far south across the face of their neighbours, found themselves
mixed up with the Sixth Division in its fruitless attempt upon the
powerfully defended village of Fresnoy. The 1st Brigade, to the
south, was led by the 1st Camerons and the 1st Loyal North
Lancashires. The former stormed on, breaking through all opposition
and throwing out defensive flanks as their valour carried them ahead
of the line. Meanwhile the failure of the Sixth Division to take
Fresnoy made it impossible to pass along the valley which is
overlooked by that village, so that the right of the First Division
was entirely hung up. On the {74} other hand, the 2nd King's Royal
Rifles recovered their bearings as the day went on, and fought their
way up the right side of the Omignon valley in splendid style until
they were in touch with the 2nd Sussex on the northern slope. In the
south, however, the task of the Sixth Division continued to be a very
hard one, and the Seventy-ninth German Division resisted with great
determination. The Quadrilateral consisted of a system of trenches
sited on the highest part of the plateau between Holnon and Fayet,
its northern face at this time forming part of the German front line.
This proved to be an exceedingly difficult work to silence, as
reinforcements could be dribbled up through cleverly concealed
communication trenches. In spite of everything, however, the 71st
Brigade and their French neighbours captured Holnon village and the
western edge of the Quadrilateral by 8 A.M. The main body of the
work was not yet taken, however, so the East Anglians of the 71st
Brigade had to form a defensive line facing towards it and the
village of Selency, to meet any counter-attack which might sweep up
against the flank of the Corps. The left of the line then got
forward in safety, and the 2nd Brigade was able to report at noon
that both they and the Fourth Australians were on their extreme
objective. Indeed the latter, having completely crumpled up the One
hundred and nineteenth German Division, were now considerably ahead
of the allotted line.
Berthaucourt had been captured by the First Division, but progress in
the Fresnoy direction was still very slow. About 3.30 P.M. hostile
counter-attacks were launched south of Berthaucourt and opposite
Fresnoy. These were repulsed by steady {75} rifle-fire, but the
general situation was still obscure. All the afternoon there was
very heavy fighting on the front of the Sixth Division, especially
east of Holnon village, and on the west side of the Quadrilateral.
The French had been held up on the right. So matters remained until
evening. It had been a day of hard work and varying success on this
portion of the line, but the capture of 18 officers and 541 men with
8 field-guns showed that some advance had been made. It was short,
however, of what had been hoped.
[Sidenote: Sept. 19.]
The next morning saw the battle renewed. The neighbourhood of
Fresnoy and of the Quadrilateral was now more strongly held than
ever, the Germans being encouraged, no doubt, by their successful
defence of the day before. The fighting during this day was
desultory, and no particular advance was made by either division. In
the south the French failed to capture Manchester Hill, which was an
ugly menace to the right flank of the Ninth Corps.
The Forty-sixth Division (Boyd) had been added to the strength of the
Ninth Corps, and when this welcome addition had been put in upon the
left wing it enabled the others to contract their front and thicken
their array. At 7 P.M. on September 22 the Germans attacked the
Forty-sixth Division in its new position, just east of Berthaucourt,
but they were driven back after a slight initial success.
There was a fresh attack on September 24 in which the Ninth Corps
co-operated with the Thirty-sixth Corps on its right, in order to try
and overcome the German strongholds on the right of their front which
were holding them off from the Hindenburg Line. The order of the
British line was that {76} the Sixth Division was on the right, the
First in the centre, and the Forty-sixth on the left.
[Sidenote: Sept. 24.]
Although this attack, which was launched at 5 A.M., was expected by
the enemy, good progress was made along the whole front. The
Quadrilateral again proved, however, that it was a very formidable
obstacle, and there was stout resistance from Pontruet village, just
east of Berthaucourt. The Sixth Division had closed in on the
Quadrilateral from north, west, and south, and were at close grips
with it at all three quarters. There was continuous bomb-fighting
all day in this neighbourhood, but the situation was still obscure,
and until it cleared no progress could be made towards Selency. The
First Division in the centre had made splendid progress, but the
Forty-sixth Division had been unable to take Pontruet, and the guns
from this village struck full against the left flank of the 2nd
Brigade in its advance, causing very heavy losses to the 1st
Northamptons. So murderous were the casualties in this portion of
the field that the position of the forward troops was untenable, and
the remains of the Northamptons had to throw back a protective flank
to the north to cover the approaches from Pontruet. The 2nd Sussex
on their right managed to retain their advanced position, and one
company, though very weak and short of cartridges, baffled a
counter-attack by a sudden bayonet charge in which they took 50
prisoners.
The attack upon Fresnoy village was made by the 3rd Brigade, the 1st
Gloucesters being immediately opposite to it. Advancing under a
strong barrage the West Country men went straight for their
objective, taking both the village and the strongly organised {77}
cemetery to the south of it. On the left of the village the British
were held up by strong wire and several vicious machine-guns, but the
Germans made the gallant mistake of running out in front of the wire
with bombs in their hands, upon which they were charged and many of
them were taken by the Gloucesters. The German gunners in the rear
then turned their pieces upon both captors and captives, so the
company concerned was held down in shell holes all day and withdrew
as best they could after dark. The 3rd Brigade then extended,
getting into touch with the 2nd Brigade near Cornovillers Wood.
On the left of the 3rd Brigade the strong position of Fresnoy
Cemetery had been carried, and the tireless infantry swarmed on into
Marronnières Wood, which was full of lurking machine-guns and needed
careful handling. It was finally surrounded by the 3rd Brigade, who
mopped it up at their leisure, taking out of it a large number of
prisoners. The 2nd King's Royal Rifles of the 2nd Brigade kept
parallel with their advance, and also cleared a considerable stretch
of woodland, while the 3rd Brigade, seeing signs of weakening on the
German front, pushed forward and seized Gricourt, a most important
point, the 2nd Welsh gaining the village and driving back a
subsequent counter-attack. Finally, the complete victory in this
portion of the field was rounded off when, after dark, the 2nd King's
Royal Rifles secured a dangerous sunken road across the front which
had been a storm-centre all day.
Meanwhile the Forty-sixth Division had fought its way to the north of
Pontruet, but as this unit was relied upon for the great pending
operations on the Hindenburg Main Line, it was thought impolitic {78}
to involve it too deeply in local fighting. The line was drawn,
therefore, to the west of the village. The total captures of the day
had been 30 officers and 1300 men. The trench to the south had also
had a good day, capturing all their objectives except Manchester Hill.
The Sixth Division had not yet cleared the Quadrilateral, and the
whole of September 25 was devoted to that desperate but necessary
work. It was a case of bomb and bayonet, with slow laborious
progress. Finally, about 6 P.M. General Harden was able to announce
that the whole wide entanglement had been occupied, though not yet
mopped up. The village of Selency had also fallen, while on the
right the French had attacked and captured Manchester Hill. Strong
resistance was encountered by the First Division near Gricourt. The
German soldiers were again and again seen to hold up their hands, and
then to be driven into the fight once more by their officers with
their revolvers. Late on the 26th, after a short hurricane
bombardment, the 3rd Brigade rushed forward again. The enemy had
disappeared into their dug-outs under the stress of the shells, so
that the British infantry were able to get on to them before they
could emerge and to make many prisoners. Colonel Tweedie of the
Gloucesters was in local command of this well-managed affair.
Altogether it was a good day for the First Division, which had gained
a line of positions, repelled heavy counters, and secured 800
prisoners, 600 falling to the 3rd Brigade, who had done the heavy end
of the work.
All was now ready for the great move which should break the spine of
the whole German resistance. There was still some preliminary
struggling for positions {79} of departure and final readjustments of
the line, but they were all part of the great decisive operation of
September 29 and may best be included in that account. The
chronicler can never forget how, late upon the eve of the battle, he
drove in a darkened motor along pitch-black roads across the rear of
the Army, and saw the whole eastern heaven flickering with war light
as far as the eyes could see, as the aurora rises and falls in the
northern sky. So terrific was the spectacle that the image of the
Day of Judgment rose involuntarily to his mind. It was indeed the
day of Judgment for Germany--the day when all those boastful words
and wicked thoughts and arrogant actions were to meet their fit
reward, and the wrong-doers to be humbled in the dust. On that day
Germany's last faint hope was shattered, and every day after was but
a nearer approach to that pit which had been dug for her by her
diplomatists, her journalists, her professors, her junkers, and all
the vile, noisy crew who had brought this supreme cataclysm upon the
world.
The reader will note then that we leave the Fourth Army, consisting
from the right of the Ninth Corps, the Australians, and the Third
Corps, in front of the terrific barrier of the main Hindenburg Line.
We shall now hark back and follow the advance of Byng's Third Army
from its attack on August 21st until, five weeks later, it found
itself in front of the same position, carrying on the line of its
comrades in the south.
[Illustration: Position of British Corps, end of September 1918.]
{80}