OPERATIONS OF BYNG'S THIRD ARMY
From the Battle of the Hindenburg Line (September
29) to the Battle of the Selle (October 17)
Fighting at L'Escaut Canal--Dash of the New Zealanders--The guards in
a hot corner--Crossing of the Canal--Back on the old ground--Great
work by all four Corps of the Third Army.
Having for the sake of continuous narrative carried the Fourth Army
to the end of its labours, we shall now return to the Third Army,
which we last saw on September 18 and following days, when it made
good its way through the outposts of the enemy and closed with the
Hindenburg Line. We shall begin with the Fifth Corps on the right of
the line, which was acting in close liaison with the Third Corps on
the left of the Fourth Army.
[Sidenote: Sept. 27-30.]
On September 27 there was no particular action on the front of the
Fifth Corps, save that the Twenty-first Division, that hard-bitten
old scrapper, had a prolonged fight in front of African Trench, which
it alternately took and lost, until on September 28 it got its iron
claws fairly fastened in it. On this day it also pushed patrols to
the east of Gouzeaucourt.
On September 29, the day of general battle {208} along the line, the
Thirty-third Division (Pinney) and the Twenty-first (Campbell)
attacked at half-past three in the morning, advancing upon the
Hindenburg Line on the front Honnecourt-Bantouzelle, while the Welsh
Division operated to the north of that point. There was some
progress at first and Villers-Guislain was occupied, but the enemy
was strong and aggressive, so that the advance was first held and
then forced back to its starting-point. It was not a successful day,
and there seemed no choice but to settle down and subject these
powerful lines to a renewed bombardment. On the morning of September
30 it was found, however, that the enemy had withdrawn his immediate
front on account of the success in the south, and the Corps was able
to push forward to the western bank of the Canal de l'Escaut. The
Germans were still standing on guard on the eastern side. All
bridges were destroyed, and for three days General Shute prepared for
the difficult task of forcing this broad waterway--a formidable
obstacle, it is true, but not one which was likely to stop the men
who had carried the line of the Ancre. We shall now pass to the
Fourth Corps on the left and bring them to the same point.
On September 27 Harper's Fourth Corps had been given the task to
capture Beauchamp Ridge and Highland Ridge, and clear the front
system of the Hindenburg Line as far as the Couillet valley. The
assault was launched at 5.20 in the morning. The Fifth Division on
the right was from the outset sadly hampered by the fire from African
Trench, which struck upon its flank and inflicted heavy losses. The
division showed its usual gallantry, but the {209} position was an
impossible one until the Fifth Corps got farther forward. The left
of the division, however, and the Forty-second Division made good
progress, though the fighting was very severe about Beauchamp, which
was taken but could not be held, as a fresh German division,
advancing about 7 o'clock in the evening, drove the defenders back to
the west of it. The success of the Sixth Corps in the north,
however, at Flesquières, had an encouraging effect upon the whole
line, and about 2.30 P.M. of September 28 both the Fifth and
Forty-second Divisions came on once more, the latter being
particularly successful in getting prisoners and guns. The Fifth
Division got Beauchamp and Highland Ridge, but was still held up on
the right. By evening the line was well forward on the western
slopes of Welsh Ridge, and some 1700 prisoners had come in. It was
clear that the German line was sagging, so in order to press the
advantage General Harper ordered up Russell's New Zealanders to carry
the battle on through the night. There could be no more stringent
test of the quality and discipline of troops, for the advance had to
be made over unknown country covered with trenches and wire
entanglements, with only a fitful, sinking moon to guide them. At 3
A.M. of a dark, cold night the splendid Colonials passed through the
ranks of the Forty-second Division and, driving forward, thrust the
enemy off Welsh Ridge and Bonavis Ridge beyond it, captured 1600
prisoners, and made good the line of the Canal de l'Escaut. North
and South Island brigades kept line in the advance. More than thirty
guns were among the trophies of this magnificent achievement. The
Fifth Division on their right swept forward at the same time near La
{210} Vacquerie, but as Gonnelieu upon their flank had not yet been
captured by the Fifth Corps, their attack was limited on that side.
This was remedied shortly after dawn, when the Fifth Division, weary
as it was, cleared their own right flank, captured Gonnelieu, and
finally took Banteux with 250 prisoners. The indefatigable New
Zealanders had also gone forward after dawn as blithely as though it
was their first attack, clearing the whole of the west bank of the
Canal, and penetrating at one time into Crevecœur, where, however,
they were unable to remain. They did great work here, however, by
holding and partly saving the bridge, all others having been
destroyed, and establishing some sort of bridgehead.
The total result of these attacks since September 27 on the front of
the Fourth Corps had been the capture of the whole front system of
the Hindenburg Line from Havrincourt Wood to the Canal, and the
capture of 40 guns with 4000 prisoners. Beyond the Canal, however,
lay formidable dangers. Only the Crevecœur bridge remained
British. Beyond was a strongly-wired line of trenches known as the
Beaurevoir-Masnières line, which ran roughly southwards from
Crevecœur. On October 1 the New Zealanders had got a footing,
however, in Crevecœur, and had begun to push troops over the
bridge, but it was desperate work, and the attacking brigade suffered
heavy losses. It was, however, work of the first importance, as it
turned the whole of the Beaurevoir line. There we may leave them,
level with the Fifth Corps on their right, while we turn to follow
the progress of the Sixth Corps to the north, which completes our
survey of the Third Army.
{211}
The old Third Division--the "Iron" Division, as its admirers had
begun to call it--attacked on the right, and the Guards on the left.
Deverell's men went forward in splendid form, the 8th and 9th
Brigades overrunning the first objectives, and the 76th passing
through them to the further positions. They captured Flesquières,
the village which had held us up in the Cambrai battle, and by the
afternoon they were east of Ribecourt, with 1000 prisoners trailing
back to the rear. The Guards meanwhile, with the 2nd Brigade in
front, had some very tough work at the onset, but fought their way
forward, and were succeeded by the 1st Brigade who had reached by the
afternoon the old British front line. Continuing from here they
captured Orival Wood, and reached Premy Chapel, though this farthest
point could not be maintained, as the party which had won it had lost
touch with the main body. The whole advance represented a notable
gain of ground. The losses were heavy, and were partly due to the
fact that the flank of the Guards passed Graincourt before the
Fifty-seventh Division in the Seventeenth Corps had captured that
place, so that they were exposed to heavy fire. Even the Guards have
seldom been in a hotter corner or shown more conspicuous examples of
personal courage than during this long and trying day, which brought
three Victoria Crosses to the battalions engaged. Lord Gort, who
commanded the 1st Grenadiers, the leading unit of the 3rd Brigade,
was wounded as the troops formed up, but took no notice of his
injury, led on in the advance upon the Canal, was wounded again, lay
for a time half unconscious upon a stretcher, struggled once more to
his feet, and continued to lead his victorious {212} Guardsmen
through a hellish fire with the final result of large captures of the
men and guns who were opposing them. The crossing of the Canal was
signalised also by a remarkable exploit by Captain Frisby and
Corporal Jackson, who, with two other Coldstream Guardsmen, climbed
down one side and up the other of the dry Canal in order to capture a
machine-gun with a crew of nine who were lying amid the broken end of
a bridge on the farther bank. Jackson unhappily did not survive to
receive the Cross which he had won.
In the meantime the Sixty-second Division, now under General Whigham,
passed through the Third Division, and continued their victorious
career. Two companies of the 8th West Yorkshires got forward as far
as the north-west outskirts of Marcoing and Nine Wood, but were
exposed to a raking fire from the high ground on the south side of
the Ribecourt valley, so had finally to fall back. That night the
Sixty-second continued to hold its advanced line while the Second
Division took the place of the Guards, and all was ready for the
further advance next morning.
On September 28 the Sixty-second dashed forward as soon as it was
light, and were soon in possession of Marcoing. There was no severe
resistance. The Second Division on the left kept well in line with
the Yorkshiremen, and were soon the masters of Nine Wood. By 10
o'clock the steady flow of the British infantry had enveloped
Marcoing Copse, and the 186th Brigade had reached the Canal, where
several bridges were found to be still intact. Noyelles had fallen
to the Second Division, who were now fighting over the ground which
{213} they had held in the old Bourlon days, only nine months ago in
time, and yet seeming so far off on account of the great succession
of events which had elapsed. Some attempts were made to get across
the Canal, but the Germans were there in strength, and nothing could
be done without deliberate preparation. In the evening the
Sixty-second extended its boundaries, and consolidated what it held.
A small party of the Second Division got across the Canal during the
night, but were unable to establish any permanent bridge-head. In
the morning of September 29, however, one brigade of this division
made a lodgment upon the farther side, and remained there, though
with wire and machine-guns before them. Pontoons were brought up
during the day and many bridges thrown across. The Sixty-second
meanwhile had cleared Les Rues Vertes and Masnières and was well to
the east of those villages.
No progress was made on September 30, and the day was mainly spent in
strenuous preparations by General Harper for his renewed advance.
The Sixty-second Division cleared some more ground, and the Second
Division failed in a village attack, but neither movement was
important. During the evening the Third Division was brought forward
on the right and took the place of the Sixty-second, so that they
might advance next morning in conjunction with the New Zealanders on
their right. This was duly carried out, the 5th Brigade leading on
the left, and the 76th on the right. It was a day of heavy fighting
and of stout resistance. The immediate object was the capture of
Rumilly, which was entered, but could not be entirely cleared by the
76th Brigade. The 5th Brigade found Mont sur l'Œuvre, which {214}
faced them, a particularly tough proposition, and could make no
headway. Altogether the losses on this day were greater than the
gains, but the troops were undismayed and eager to get forward again
on the morrow.
In the morning of October 1 they came back to their work, the 5th
Brigade still carrying on, while the 8th Brigade took the place of
the 76th. By 10 o'clock Rumilly had fallen, which gave the British a
most important point as regards the passages over the river and
canal. It took a great deal of clearing, for it was honeycombed with
cellars and dug-outs, and there were continual outflames of
unexpected fire. Before evening it was solidly British. No action
of importance took place during the next few days, and the 4th of
October found the Sixth Corps in the same position as the rest of
Byng's Army, solidly established upon the western bank of the Escaut
Canal and River, and with some bridge-heads on the farther side.
On September 27 Fergusson's Seventeenth Corps, which had done such
splendid work in breaking a section of the main Hindenburg Line on
September 2, was called into vigorous action once more. Its rôle was
to advance in the general attack which was made on that date by the
First and Third Armies in order to drive the enemy over the Canal de
l'Escaut. The Fifty-second Lowland Scottish Territorial Division was
on the right of the Seventeenth Corps, and the Sixty-third Naval
Division on the left, while the Fifty-seventh Lancashire Territorials
had been assigned the duty of following up the initial advance, and
passing through the Sixty-third Division to reach the final
objective. On the immediate right of the Corps were {215} the Guards
Division of the Sixth Corps, while on the left were the Fourth
Canadians. The first line of objectives was the Hindenburg support
line, the second included the villages of Anneux and Graincourt,
while the third, if it could indeed be attained, would include
Fontaine, Cantaing, and the west edge of La Folie Wood.
A very desperate day of fighting lay ahead of the Seventeenth Corps
before this ambitious programme could be carried through, and yet the
fire and ardour of the troops carried them eventually to the farthest
limit. The 156th Brigade crossed the Canal du Nord on the right of
the Sixty-third Division, in spite of clouds of gas and very heavy
shelling upon their places of assembly. The 4th Royal Scots led the
advance, and were soon in the first objective. Here they were
heavily attacked, however, and there was no further forward movement
until the 7th Scottish Rifles came up to thicken the line. Meanwhile
the 157th Brigade was dealing with that portion of the Hindenburg
Line which was west of the Canal, their operations being on the
extreme right flank of the Corps in close liaison with the Guards.
This heavy work fell upon the 6th Highland Light Infantry aided by
three tanks, and they got well forward, but the 7th Highland Light
Infantry on their left were badly held up by thick wire and
impossible conditions. The 7th Scottish Rifles in the north had more
success, however, and they now worked south, which gave invaluable
help to their comrades in that quarter. Before midday all the ground
east of the Canal attacked by the 156th Brigade, between the
Mœuvres-Graincourt Road and the Bapaume-Cambrai Road, was in the
possession of the Scottish infantry.
{216}
On the left of the Fifty-second Division the Sixty-third had got off
in excellent style, with the 190th Brigade leading, and the 188th
immediately behind it. They were encouraged by constant good news
from the north, where the Fourth Canadians were in Bourlon Wood. In
front of the Sixty-third Division lay an important point called the
Factory, an old bone of contention in the days of the Cambrai battle
of 1917. This point was reached by the Anson Battalion, but they
were driven out of it again, and the Germans put in a heavy garrison.
It was then methodically bombarded, and shortly after 4 o'clock it
was again attacked by the 188th Brigade with complete success, 11
guns and many prisoners being taken. Shortly afterwards both
Graincourt and Anneux were overrun by the advancing waves of the
Sixty-third Division. About 5 o'clock the Fifty-seventh Division was
ordered up to take the place of the Sixty-third, moving round their
north flank with the intention of attacking Cantaing. The German
resistance had very much stiffened, however, and there was a menace
of counter-attack, so that this final movement did not fully develop.
The night fell with the 171st and 172nd Brigades in the advanced line
which represented the farthest east of the Sixty-third Division. A
thousand prisoners were taken during the day. Of the eleven tanks
employed no less than nine were knocked out by the German fire--a
proportion which shows how great the risks are which are taken by the
brave men who form the crews. Each had done splendid work before it
met its fate, and ever more and more the infantry learned, when at
the last extremity before impassable wire and death-dealing trenches,
to look behind them {217} in the hope of catching sight of one of
these lumbering ironclad monsters who had so often been their
Salvation.
On the morning of September 28 the two brigades of the Fifty-seventh
Division were ordered to continue their advance and to force the
passage of the Canal de l'Escaut, while the Sixty-third were to
follow up and exploit any success which was gained. The immediate
task of the 171st Brigade was to clear the ground between Anneux and
Fontaine, and to establish touch with the Canadians on their left.
This they had done while the day was still young. From about midday,
however, the attack slowed up in this section of the line. The
Marcoing position was very strong, and it held the 171st Brigade. By
2 o'clock a small force from the Fifty-seventh Division had got
across the Canal, and at about the same hour the Drake Battalion of
the 189th Brigade advanced upon Cantaing. The orders were to push on
and cross the Canal, thrusting forward as far as was possible, while
the cavalry were held in leash at the south end of La Folie Wood. It
was soon clear, however, that the line of the canal and river could
not be easily rushed, for all the possible crossings were swept by a
deadly fire. The 171st Brigade was held under fire upon the spur
east of Fontaine, and the Canadians on the left had not yet made good
the Marcoing line. Two battalions of the 189th Brigade, the Drake
and Hood, were in Folie Wood, endeavouring to force a crossing, but
the night fell before it could be accomplished. Before morning two
companies of Drakes had established posts upon the farther side,
others getting across the river as well, over a broken bridge.
Farther to the right the Sixth Corps had {218} three companies of the
Second Division also across the Canal. A thousand more prisoners had
been taken during the day.
On September 29 all three brigades of the Sixty-third Division were
across the Canal. Before mid-day the Fifty-seventh Division had
managed to clear the Marcoing line from the Bapaume-Cambrai Road to
the Canal. The men were getting terribly worn, but it was reckoned
that the Germans were even more so and that, at all costs, the
long-drawn fight should continue. Therefore on September 30 both the
Fifty-seventh and Sixty-third Divisions made some advance east of the
Canal de l'Escaut. On October 1 the Fifty-seventh Division pushed
out to the north and north-east of Proville, but the advance was not
successful. Later in the day there was a renewed advance, but again
it was not pushed, and did not get very far. The nearest enemy post,
the Faubourg de Paris, was strongly held, and there were several
small counter-attacks, one of which overwhelmed a British trench
containing 40 men and 2 machine-guns. There followed a considerable
pause while fresh dispositions and reorganisations were made along
the whole line of the Army. These changes included very radical
alterations in the Seventeenth Corps, which lost the Fifty-second
Division, while it was strengthened by the addition of the Nineteenth
(Jeffreys), the Twenty-fourth (Daly), and the Sixty-first (Duncan).
With this strong reinforcement General Fergusson turned with
confidence to his next task.
[Sidenote: Oct. 4, Oct. 8.]
We shall now return to the operations of the rest of Byng's Third
Army from the time that they fairly {219} settled down to the
crossing of the Escaut Canal, and the final occupation of the whole
of the Hindenburg Line. We shall begin as before with Shute's Fifth
Corps on the right. The attack of this Corps on October 4 was
largely dependent upon the success of the Second American Corps, and
as this was only partial some modifications had to be made. The
immediate result of the American operations was that Morland's
Thirteenth Corps, which was on their left and on the right of the
Fifth Corps, had to undertake an advance against Le Catelet and Gouy
on October 3. During this movement the Fiftieth Division on the left
of Morland's Corps was to take possession of the high ground 1500
yards north of Le Catelet, and were then to be relieved by the Welsh
Division of the Fifth Corps. This was duly carried out by the
evening of October 4. The rôle of the Welsh Division was afterwards
to attack northwards across the front of the Fifth Corps so as to
clear the Hindenburg Line as far north as Rancourt Farm. It was
found, however, on October 5 that as a result of the operations of
the Fourth Army the enemy had withdrawn and crossings were effected
by the Twenty-first and Thirty-third Divisions along the whole Corps
front, while the Welshmen east of Vandhuile found that the line to
the north of them had been abandoned. They pushed on, therefore, and
took possession of the Nauroy-Le Catelet line, finishing up to the
east of the village of Aubencheul, while the 64th Brigade of the
Twenty-first Division moved forward and occupied the same line on
their left. So far all had gone splendidly, but it was soon found
that the enemy's retreat was not unlimited, for the
Masnières-Beaurevoir line was strongly held, and the {220} Welsh
Division on October 6 was unable to penetrate it, though the
Twenty-first gained a limited footing at one point, which gave good
hopes for the future. After a day of reorganisation the attack was
vigorously resumed on October 8, the objectives being Malincourt on
the right and Walincourt on the left. The troops were now in green
and virgin country unscarred by any previous battles, and a most
pleasant contrast to that terrible wilderness in which they had
marched and fought so long. The attack of October 8 was made by
night, the zero hour being 1 o'clock in the morning. All three
brigades of the Welsh Division were concerned in the advance on the
right, and all had heavy fighting and some setbacks, but persevered
with fine valour, and succeeded before evening in piercing the
Beaurevoir line, driving in the strong German rearguards and
establishing their final position to the east of Malincourt. The
Twenty-first Division on the left also came away with great dash and
made rapid progress in their moonlight advance. By dawn most of the
high ground in front of them, including Angles Château and Hurtebise
Farm, had been taken and the 62nd Reserve Brigade moved forward to
continue the operation, which resulted in the capture of the whole
Beaurevoir line on that front. Before evening, after several
temporary checks, the Twenty-first Division had reached a line 500
yards west of Walincourt, though the left of their advance had not
passed the Sargrenon River. Nearly 1000 Germans were taken during
this long day of battle. That night the Seventeenth Division took
over from the Twenty-first, while the Thirty-third moved through the
ranks of the Thirty-eighth, so as to be all {221} ready for a
continuation of the pressure in the morning.
[Sidenote: Oct. 8.]
On this October 8, when the enemy was reported to be withdrawing from
the front of the Fifth and Fourth Corps, and it was probable that the
movement would spread across the face of the Sixth and Seventeenth
Corps, it was very necessary, if possible, to catch them in the very
act. An attack was therefore ordered in which the Third Division to
the south should move, supported by the Guards, upon Wambaix, while
the Seventeenth Corps should take Niergnies as its general objective.
The Sixty-third Division made the actual attack on a front of about a
mile, with seven tanks in the van. The 188th Brigade on the right
had Niergnies in front of it, approaching it from the north-east,
while one battalion of the 189th Brigade attacked from the south, the
rest forming a protective flank. The Fifty-seventh Division was at
the same time to make a subsidiary attack. The advance started at
4.30, but by 6.30 the Fifty-seventh Division had made little
progress, its tank being ditched and its 170th Brigade held up by an
obstinate trench. By 8 o'clock the line had got forward, and all the
first objectives were gained, but the Germans were still firing from
the edge of the Faubourg de Paris. A little later a very spirited
counter-attack was launched by the enemy from the direction of
Awoingt, which was supported by seven British-made tanks, captured in
the March operations. For a time the 188th Brigade and the Second
Division on the right were thrown back, but by 10 o'clock they were
going forward once again, and at that hour, or shortly afterwards, a
very welcome pigeon message arrived from the Hoods of the 189th
Brigade to say that they were {222} through Niergnies. By the late
afternoon every objective had been captured, but the evening saw
another strong German advance which struck upon the right of the
Seventeenth Corps and upon the front of the Second Division. The
Naval men stood fast, however, and not only cleared their own front,
but by their enfilade fire were of great assistance to their
neighbours in the south. Nearly a thousand prisoners had been
captured during the day, and the little flags had moved eastwards
once more upon the war maps.
[Sidenote: Oct 9, Oct. 10-11.]
On October 9 the troops were going forward shortly after dawn. It
was soon found that the Germans had retreated, leaving only a few
devoted machine-guns to impede the pursuit. Gard Wood and Clary were
occupied by the Thirty-third Division, who came on so rapidly that
they picked up a battery of field-guns near the village and captured
the officers drinking in an estaminet, quite unconscious that their
enemy was upon them. Bertry was occupied by the 19th Brigade, and
before evening Troisvilles had also been captured. On the left
without any opposition at all, the 51st Brigade of the Seventeenth
Division passed through Malincourt, Selvigny, and Caullery. The
German machine-guns made some show at Montigny, but the place was
soon occupied, as was Tronquoy. There was no barrage this day in
front of the Fifth Corps, and the advance was one long cross-country
chase of six or seven miles, with an occasional skirmish. Early on
the morning of October 10, the Thirty-third Division crossed the
Inchy-Le Cateau Road, and with the mention of the latter name that
huge circle seemed at last to be nearing completion, the line of
which had begun to {223} describe its strange curve in August 1914.
The soldiers knew that the graves of their comrades were at last
within their reach. The Seventeenth Division on this day flowed
through Audencourt and Inchy, and the 7th East Yorkshires actually
got up to Neuvilly in a fine attack, but had to be withdrawn. The
Selle River in its shallow valley lay right across the Corps front,
and this, as was clear from the increasing artillery fire, marked the
new German front. Here we may leave the Fifth Corps while we hark
back to bring up their comrades of the Third Army. On the evening of
October 11, the situation was that the Thirty-third Division on the
right had established one strong post upon the farther river bank,
the Seventeenth on the left were lining the western bank of the
Selle, while the enemy were reported to be holding the line of the Le
Cateau-Solesmes railway in strength, and especially the village of
Neuvilly to the east of the river.
[Sidenote: Oct. 5-10.]
Turning now to Harper's Fourth Corps on the left, and harking back to
October 5, it became evident on that morning that the enemy was
withdrawing from that point, as a result of the success of
Rawlinson's Army to the south, and even more so to the possession of
Crevecœur by Russell's New Zealanders. The retreat was closely
followed by the Thirty-seventh and the New Zealand Divisions, and
Vaucelles, with a portion of the Masnières line south of
Crevecœur, was occupied without resistance. The Masnières line
was still strongly held, though the glow of great fires in the east
at night seemed to proclaim a coming retreat. October 6 and 7 were
spent in preparing for a great attack upon the 8th, in which it was
hoped that the Masnières line would be forced. {224} This assault
made by the Thirty-seventh and New Zealanders was completely
successful, in spite of belts of wire which were often thirty yards
wide and had to be crossed in the dim light of dawn. There was hard
fighting round Briseaux Wood, but everywhere the attack prevailed and
the Germans were beaten out of their positions. Lesdin fell to the
New Zealanders and Rifle Brigade. Once the enemy tanks advanced, and
there was a short check, but the forward movement was soon resumed.
Over 2100 prisoners were taken in this successful day.
On the 9th and 10th the advance was as swift and successful as in the
case of the Fifth Corps already described. The Thirty-seventh
occupied Caudry, Bethencourt, and Viesly, while the New Zealanders,
men of Otago and Canterbury, took Esnes, and finally crossed the
Cambrai-Le Cateau Road. Up to now this district of France might have
been a land without inhabitants, a mere stage for the drama of war;
but now considerable numbers of the French civilians were liberated,
no less than 2500 at Caudry, all with the same tales of German
bullying and violence. In the early morning, the Thirty-seventh and
their comrades of New Zealand were opposite the Selle River and had
passed some elements across on each side of Biastre. We may leave
them here on the eve of the battle of the Selle River and extend our
view so as to take in the work of the Sixth Corps to the north of
them.
In the case of Haldane's Sixth Corps there was a general German
withdrawal on October 5, which did not prevent a very firm front
being shown upon the general line which was held on October 8. The
attack upon that day was made by the 9th Brigade {225} of the Third
Division on the right, and by the 99th Brigade of the Second Division
on the left. The village of Seranvillers was the immediate objective
of the 9th Brigade, which was strengthened by the 2nd Suffolk
Battalion. Both the 9th and 99th Brigades got well forward at the
start, but had very hard fighting, and at one time were driven back
by a German counter-attack supported by tanks. The village had been
taken, but the cellars were still full of Germans. La Targatte, the
other village on the front, repulsed two attacks and was vigorously
defended, the 2nd Suffolk having heavy losses in front of it. Later
in the day, however, it was taken by a fine advance of the 8th Royal
Lancasters and the 1st Gordons of the 76th Brigade. On the left
flank both the 99th Brigade and the Sixty-third Division upon their
left had encountered strong opposition from the village of Forenville
and had suffered from the counter-attack already mentioned, but three
of the German tanks were destroyed, and the advance was resumed with
the result that before evening Forenville had been taken, and the
whole line of the original objective secured. It was only attained,
however, after a day of very desperate battle and heavy losses.
During the evening the Guards came up, with their 1st and 2nd
Brigades in the line, and early in the morning, supported by the fire
of nine brigades of field artillery, they reached the line of railway
along the whole Corps front, and took the village of Wambaix. News
from the north now showed that the enemy was retreating upon a broad
front and in no half-hearted manner. Patrols of the Seventeenth
Corps were reported to have passed through Cambrai, while north of
that the {226} troops of the First Army had crossed the canal at
Ramillies with little opposition. Previous experience had shown that
such a retreat would certainly be conducted in an orderly fashion,
and would be covered by rearguards composed mainly of machine-gun
units. The main thing, however, was to sustain the pressure and keep
as close to the retiring masses as possible. Led by that veteran
body, the Oxfordshire Hussars, acting as advanced scouts, the
infantry of the Sixth Corps hurried forward in pursuit with much the
same general experience as the two Corps on their right. Estourmel,
Igniel, and Boistrancourt marked the main line of the advance, and
were occupied by the Guards, who were in touch with the New
Zealanders of the Fourth Corps on their right and with the
Twenty-fourth Division of the Seventeenth Corps on their left. On
October 10 the Guards were through St. Hilaire, and up to St. Vaast,
which latter village was cleared after a stiff local skirmish on
October 11. The Germans still seemed inclined to fight in this
quarter to the west of the Selle River, especially at St. Aubert and
Solesmes. They were brushed aside, however, and on October 13 the
Guards gained that portion of St. Python which is west of the Selle,
a stream about thirty feet across and of some depth. It was evident
that an organised full-scale attack would have to be made at this
point, so the Sixth Corps waited for the general signal.
[Sidenote: Oct. 9.]
Returning to the Seventeenth Corps: On the morning of October 9 the
attack was renewed by Daly's Twenty-fourth Division, a unit which has
always been in the heart of the fighting in the past, and now was in
the line once more. It was a great day, {227} for early in the
morning, as is recorded elsewhere, the Canadians and the
Fifty-seventh Division had entered Cambrai. The situation seemed
fluid, and the enemy disorganised, so the 6th Dragoon Guards were
ordered forward to work towards Cagnoncles, while the 72nd Brigade,
having taken Awoingt, gave way to the 73rd Brigade, who advanced
towards Cauroir and west of Romilly. The Germans, however, were in a
strong line of rifle-pits behind triple wire, so that the cavalry
could gain no ground. The infantry were also unable to get forward
very far on that day, but evening saw them in close touch with the
German covering rearguards, the Twenty-fourth Division touching the
Guards on the right, the Canadians on the left. In the morning of
October 10 the screen had dissolved and the leading lines of the
Seventeenth Corps, consisting of the 17th Brigade, were soon to the
east of Cagnoncles, which fell to the 7th Northamptons, while the
Dragoon Guards were pushing ahead once more. Rieux and Avesnes were
both taken by the Twenty-fourth Division during the day, and before
evening the line was well to the east of Cambrai, General Daly
pushing the advance with great vigour.
[Sidenote: Oct. 11.]
On October 11 it was found that the Germans were in strength and
apparently meant to make a serious stand. At about ten o'clock they
counter-attacked with tanks, and pushed back both the Canadians on
the left and the Twenty-fourth Division on the right. The former had
taken Iwuy in the morning. No further advance was made during the
day, but general orders were issued that the way should be cleared up
to the Selle River, and that the high ground over the river should be
secured in order {228} to safeguard the crossings. On October 12 the
Canadian Corps on the left was drawn out of the line, and the
Seventeenth Corps found themselves with the Forty-eighth Division of
the Twenty-second Corps as their northern neighbours. On this day
the Germans again began to retreat, and the Corps front was advanced
down to the Selle River, between Haussy and Saulzoir. There was
hardly any opposition. All day the Twenty-fourth Division was
advancing with the Forty-ninth on their left and the Guards on their
right. That evening the 17th Brigade of the Twenty-fourth Division
made progress over the river, entering Montrecourt and securing the
undamaged bridge. The posts on the farther side were swept by
machine-gun fire and driven back next morning, that portion of the
bank being commanded by rising ground on the east.
We have thus traced all four Corps of the Third Army from the date
August 21, when it started from the line of Albert, until October 13,
when it found itself after seven weeks of immense and continuous
exertion and of uninterrupted victory upon the western bank of the
Selle. In the compressed narrative of this chronicle it might seem
no more complex than the forward movement of pieces upon a board, but
no detailed account could ever make real the problems, the anxiety,
the organisation, the unwearied heroic efforts which such an advance
must entail when the great German army, now composed of veterans
deeply skilled in every wile of modern warfare, were beaten out of
position after position, and could find no safe refuge anywhere from
the nation whose military weakness had for so long been its standing
jest.
{229}