5. On the evening of the second day of the attack, therefore, our troops
held a line which ran approximately as follows:
From our old front line east of Gonnelieu the right flank of our new
positions lay along the eastern slopes of the Bonavis Ridge, passing
east of Lateau Wood and striking the Masnières-Beaurevoir line north of
the Canal de l'Escaut at a point about half way between Crèvecoeur and
Masnières. From this point our line ran roughly northwest, past and
including Masnières, Noyelles, and Cantaing, to Fontaine, also
inclusive. Thence it bent back to the south for a short distance, making
a sharp salient round the latter village, and ran in a general westerly
direction along the southern edge of Bourlon Wood and across the
southern face of the spur to the west of the wood, to the Canal du Nord,
southeast of the village of Moeuvres. From Moeuvres the line linked up
once more with our old front at a point about midway between Bourcies
and Pronville.
The forty-eight hours after which it had been calculated that the
enemy's reserves would begin to arrive had in effect expired, and the
high ground at Bourlon Village and Wood, as well as certain important
tactical features to the east and west of the wood, still remained in
the enemy's possession. It now became necessary to decide whether to
continue the operation offensively or to take up a defensive attitude
and rest content with what had been attained.