10. Between the hours of 7 and 8 A. M. on the last day of November the
enemy attacked, after a short but intense artillery preparation, on the
greater part of a front of some ten miles from Vendhuille to Masnières
inclusive. From Masnières to Banteux, both inclusive, four German
divisions would seem to have been employed against the three British
divisions holding this area. Between Banteux exclusive and Vendhuille
one German division and portions of two others were employed against the
northern half of the British division holding that front.
On the Masnières front the 29th Division, composed of English, Scottish,
Welsh, Irish, Guernsey, and Newfoundland battalions, although seriously
threatened as the day wore on by the progress made by the enemy further
south, where their battery positions had been taken in reverse, most
gallantly beat off a succession of powerful assaults and maintained
their line intact.
At the northern end of the Bonavis Ridge and in the Gonnelieu sector the
swiftness with which the advance of the enemy's infantry followed the
opening of his bombardment appears to have overwhelmed our troops, both
in line and in immediate support, almost before they had realized that
the attack had begun.
The nature of the bombardment, which seems to have been heavy enough to
keep our men under cover without at first seriously alarming them,
contributed to the success of the enemy's plans. No steadily advancing
barrage gave warning of the approach of the German assault columns,
whose secret assembly was assisted by the many deep folds and hollows
typical of a chalk formation, and shielded from observation from the air
by an early morning mist. Only when the attack was upon them great
numbers of low-flying German airplanes rained machine-gun fire upon our
infantry, while an extensive use of smoke shell and bombs made it
extremely difficult for our troops to see what was happening on other
parts of the battlefield, or to follow the movements of the enemy. In
short, there is little doubt that, although an attack was expected
generally, yet in these areas of the battle at the moment of delivery
the assault effected a local surprise.