Meanwhile, west of the canal de l'Escaut patrols of the 6th Division
during the afternoon entered Noyelles-sur-l'Escaut, where they were
reinforced by cavalry, and other cavalry units pushed out toward
Cantaing. West of Flesquières, the 62d Division, operating northward
from Havrincourt, made important progress. Having carried the Hindenburg
reserve line north of that village, it rapidly continued its attack and
captured Graincourt, where two anti-tank guns were destroyed by the
tanks accompanying our infantry. Before nightfall infantry and cavalry
had entered Anneux, though the enemy's resistance in this village does
not appear to have been entirely overcome until the following morning.
This attack of the 62d (West Riding) Division constitutes a brilliant
achievement, in which the troops concerned completed an advance of four
and a half miles from their original front, overrunning two German
systems of defense and gaining possession of three villages.
On the left flank of our attack Ulster battalions pushed northward along
the Hindenburg line and its forward defenses, maintaining touch with the
West Riding troops, and carried the whole of the German trench systems
west of the Canal du Nord as far north as the Bapaume-Cambrai road.
At the end of the first day of the attack, therefore, three German
systems of defense had been broken through to a depth of some four and a
half miles on a wide front, and over 5,000 prisoners had already been
brought in. But for the wrecking of the bridge at Masnières and the
check at Flesquières still greater results might have been attained.
Throughout these operations the value of the services rendered by the
tanks was very great, and the utmost gallantry, enterprise, and
resolution were displayed by both officers and crews. In combination
with the other arms, they helped to make possible a remarkable success.
Without their aid in opening a way through the German wire, success
could only have been attained by methods which would have given the
enemy ample warning of our attack and have allowed him time to mass
troops to oppose it. As has been pointed out above, to enable me to
undertake such an operation with the troops at my disposal secrecy to
the last moment was essential. The tanks alone made it possible to
dispense with artillery preparation, and so to conceal our intentions
from the enemy up to the actual moment of attack.
Great credit is due also to the Royal Flying Corps for very gallant and
most valuable work carried out under conditions of the greatest
difficulty from low clouds and driving mist.
In the subsidiary attack at Bullecourt battalions of the 3d Division and
the 16th (Irish) Division successfully completed the work begun by our
operations in this area in May and June, 1917, capturing the remainder
of the Hindenburg support trench on their front, with some 700
prisoners. A number of counterattacks against our new positions at
Bullecourt on this and the following day were repulsed, with great loss
to the enemy.