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THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR
History of the European War from Official Sources
Complete Historical Records of Events to Date,
Illustrated with Drawings, Maps, and Photographs
Prefaced by
What the War Means to America
Major General Leonard Wood, U.S.A.
Naval Lessons of the War
Rear Admiral Austin M. Knight, U.S.N.
The World's War
Frederick Palmer
Theatres of the War's Campaigns
Frank H. Simonds
The War Correspondent
Arthur Ruhl
Edited by
Francis J. Reynolds
Former Reference Librarian of Congress
Allen L. Churchill
Associate Editor, The New International Encyclopedia
Francis Trevelyan Miller
Editor in Chieft, Photographic History of the Civil War
P. F. Collier & Son Company
New York
[Illustration: _Major General John J. Pershing, appointed to organize
and command the American forces in France, is shown landing in France
on June 12, 1917. French officers and officials of high rank are there
to welcome him. His arrival is recognized as an epoch-making date in
the war, for it foreshadows the creation of a great American Army in
France._]
THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR
SOMME . RUSSIAN DRIVE
FALL OF GORITZ . RUMANIA
GERMAN RETREAT . VIMY
REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA
UNITED STATES AT WAR
VOLUME VI
P . F . Collier & Son . New York
Copyright 1916
By P. F. Collier & Son
CONTENTS
PART I.--WESTERN FRONT--SOMME AND VERDUN
CHAPTER Page
I. French and British Advances 9
II. Further Successes--French Capture Maurepas 13
III. German Counterattacks 16
IV. Operations at Verdun--British Victories in the Somme 19
V. The "Tanks"--British Capture Martinpuich 21
VI. Capture of Combles--Air Raids 25
VII. British Capture Eaucourt L'Abbaye-Regina Trench 28
VIII. Continued Allied Advance 31
IX. French Retake Douaumont 34
X. Germans Lose Fort Vaux--French Take Saillisel 37
XI. British Successes in the Ancre 41
XII. Operations on the French Front--Further Fighting in
the Ancre 47
XIII. Weather Conditions--Movements Around Loos 51
XIV. French Win at Verdun 53
XV. Canadians at Arras--Nivelle in Command 55
XVI. German Attacks at Verdun--Result of Six Months' Fighting 58
XVII. German Attack on Hill 304--British Surprise Attack 61
PART II.--EASTERN FRONT
XVIII. The New Drive Against Lemberg 70
XIX. The Battle on the Stokhod River 76
XX. Renewed Drive Against Lemberg 81
XXI. The Fighting from Riga to Lutsk 86
XXII. Fighting in the Carpathians 90
XXIII. Winter at the Eastern Front 93
PART III.--THE BALKANS
XXIV. Rumania's Military Strength 95
XXV. Hostilities Begin 96
XXVI. Bulgaria Attacks 98
XXVII. The Germans Arrive 103
XXVIII. The Rumanian Raid Across the Danube 106
XXIX. Mackensen Pressed Back 111
XXX. The Rumanians Pressed Back 113
XXXI. The Battle of the River Argechu 117
XXXII. Bucharest Falls 119
XXXIII. Sarrail's Offensive 124
XXXIV. Unrest in Greece 126
XXXV. A Greek Army Surrenders to Germany 129
XXXVI. The Serbians Advance 132
XXXVII. The Greeks on the Firing Line 134
XXXVIII. Seizure of the Greek Fleet 136
XXXIX. The Bulgarians Driven Back 138
XL. Monastir Falls 140
XLI. Greek Fights Greek 143
XLII. Fighting in the Streets of Athens 145
XLIII. The Serbians Checked 148
PART IV.--AUSTRO-ITALIAN FRONT
XLIV. The Fall of Goritz 149
XLV. Fall and Winter on the Austro-Italian Front 153
XLVI. Fighting on Mountain Peaks 159
PART V.--WAR IN THE AIR AND ON THE SEA
XLVII. Aeroplane Warfare 168
XLVIII. Zeppelin Raids 176
XLIX. Submarine Warfare 182
PART VI.--THE UNITED STATES AND THE BELLIGERENTS
L. The Old Menace 189
LI. The U-53's Exploits 194
LII. Gathering Clouds 200
LIII. Rupture With Germany 205
LIV. Nothing Settled 212
PART VII.--WESTERN FRONT
LV. The German Retreat on the Ancre 217
LVI. The German Retreat Continues--French Recover 120 Towns 227
LVII. The British Troops Capture Vimy Ridge and Monchy--French
Victories on the Aisne 239
LVIII. French Victories in Champagne--The British Capture
Bullecourt 252
LIX. The Battle of Messines Ridge--British Smash the
German Salient South of Ypres 263
LX. The Germans Defeat British on Belgian Coast--Intense
Fighting in the Champagne and at Verdun 276
PART VIII.--THE UNITED STATES AND GERMANY
LXI. The Interim 291
LXII. Berlin's Tactics 297
LXIII. Armed Neutrality 304
LXIV. Germany's Bid to Mexico 312
LXV. A State of War 317
LXVI. Building the War Machine 328
LXVII. Men and Money in Millions 344
LXVIII. Envoys from America's Allies 351
LXIX. In It at Last 356
PART IX.--THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
LXX. Foreshadowing Revolution 363
LXXI. The Rise of Nihilism 365
LXXII. Revolutionary Doctrines 367
LXXIII. Russian War Spirit Aroused 372
LXXIV. Rasputin, the Evil Spirit of Russia 374
LXXV. Treachery of the Autocracy 378
LXXVI. Party Intrigues 380
LXXVII. The Work of Traitors 383
LXXVIII. Threatening of the Storm 386
LXXIX. Revolution 389
LXXX. The Culmination 392
LXXXI. The New Government 395
LXXXII. The Czar Abdicates 400
LXXXIII. First Acts of the New Regime 404
LXXXIV. Socialism Supreme 406
LXXXV. Policies Proclaimed 409
LXXXVI. Kerensky Saves Russia from Herself 412
LXXXVII. The American Commissions 416
PART X.--EASTERN FRONT
LXXXVIII. The End of Winter at the Eastern Front 421
LXXXIX. Effects of the Russian Revolution 424
XC. The Beginning of Russian Rehabilitation 428
XCI. The Russian July Offensive 433
XCII. The Capture of Halicz and Kalusz 436
XCIII. The Collapse of the Russian Offensive 440
XCIV. The Russian Rout in Galicia and the Bukowina 445
PART XI.--AUSTRO-ITALIAN FRONT
XCV. Stalemate on the Italian Fronts 452
XCVI. Spring on the Austro-Italian Front 457
XCVII. The Italian Drive Against Trieste 462
XCVIII. The Height of the Italian Offensive 468
PART XII.--WAR ON THE SEA
XCIX. Submarine Warfare 475
C. Naval Operations 480
PART XIII.--WAR IN THE AIR
CI. Aerial Warfare 485
CII. Air Raids 492
INDEX 495
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
General Pershing Landing at Boulogne, France _Frontispiece_
Opposite Page
Sir Douglas Haig and Marshal Joffre 30
Notice Posted in French Munitions Works 62
General von Mackensen in Rumania 110
British Armored Motor Car, or "Tank" 222
Curtain or Barrage Fire 286
Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States 302
American Naval Gunners Fighting Submarines 350
A. F. Kerensky Addressing Russian Troops 430
LIST OF MAPS
Page
Battle Lines on All Fronts, August 1, 1917
(_Colored Map_) _Front Insert_
Verdun Front, February 1, 1917 38
Allies' Gain at the Somme, up to February, 1917 66
Attack in the Riga Sector 87
Teutonic Invasion of Rumania 104
New German Submarine War Zone of February 1, 1917 207
The Entire Western Front, August 1, 1917 220
The German Retreat on the Western Front, March 18, 1917 233
Taking of Vimy Ridge by the Canadians, April 9 and 10, 1917 240
The French Offensive on the Craonne Plateau, Champagne 257
The Taking of Messines Ridge, June 7, 1917 266
The Somme Battle Front, August 1, 1917 283
The Russian Offensive and Retreat in Galicia 446
The Entire Eastern Battle Front, August 1, 1917 450
PART I--WESTERN FRONT--SOMME AND VERDUN
CHAPTER I
FRENCH AND BRITISH ADVANCES
The first month of the Allied offensive on the Somme front closed
quietly. The British and French forces had every reason to feel
encouraged over their successes. In the two thrusts since July 1,
1916, they had won from the Germans nearly twenty-four square miles of
territory. Considering the extent to which every fraction of a mile
was fortified and defended, and the thoroughness of the German
preparations to make the district impregnable, the Allied gains were
important. As a British officer said at the time, it was like digging
badgers out of holes--with the proviso that every badger had machine
guns and rifles at the hole's mouth, while the approach to each was
swept by the fire from a dozen neighboring earthworks.
It was estimated that in the first month of the Allied offensive on
the Somme the German casualties amounted to about 200,000 men, while
the Anglo-French forces lost less than a fourth of that number. The
Allies claimed to have captured about 13,000 prisoners and between
sixty and seventy field guns, exclusive of machine guns and the
smaller artillery.
With the capture of Pozieres it might be said that the second phase of
the Battle of the Somme was concluded. The Allied forces were well
established on the line to which the second main "push" which began
July 14, 1916, was directed.
During the first three days of August, 1916, comparative quiet
prevailed along the Somme front, and no important offensive was
attempted by either side. Minor fighting continued, however, every
day, and during the nights the English positions were heavily
bombarded by the German guns.
On the night of August 4, 1916, the British assumed the offensive,
advancing from Pozieres on a front of 2,000 yards. The attack, which
seems to have taken the Germans by surprise, was entirely successful,
as the British troops gained 1,000 yards of the German second line and
captured over 400 prisoners. This second line consisted of two
strongly fortified trenches running parallel, which were backed by a
network of supporting and intermediate trenches, all strongly
constructed, with deep dugouts and cunningly devised machinery of
defense. When the Australians made the thrust forward from Pozieres
while the British cooperated on the left over the ground to the east
of the village, they found when going over the enemy trenches that in
many places the British guns had wrecked and almost obliterated the
German second lines. After the British advance the Germans launched
two spirited counterattacks, which were easily repulsed by the British
artillery. The British casualties were unimportant, but the troops
suffered intensely from the heat of the evening and from the gas masks
that they were forced to wear, as previous to the attack the Germans
had bombarded with gas shells.
Minor fighting and artillery duels continued intermittently until the
morning of August 6, 1916, when the Germans delivered two fierce
attacks on the ground gained by the British east of Pozieres. The
Germans, employing liquid fire in one attack, forced the British back
from one of the trenches they had captured on August 4, 1916, but part
of this was later regained. The following day the Germans continued
their attacks north and northeast of Pozieres on the new British
lines. After heavy bombardment of the British positions, the Germans
penetrated their trenches, but were forced out again, having suffered
some casualties and leaving a number of prisoners in British hands. In
front of Souchez the Germans exploded a mine, and here some of their
troops succeeded in entering the English trenches over the crater,
but were quickly bombed out again.
On the same date late in the afternoon the French forces to the north
of the Somme carried out a well-planned attack which resulted in the
capture of a line of German trenches between the Hem Wood and the
river. The French took 120 prisoners and a number of machine guns.
On August 8, 1916, the British positions north and east of Pozieres
were heavily bombarded by German artillery. In the evening of the same
date British troops pushing forward engaged the enemy near the station
of Guillemont. A bomb attack made by the Germans on the eastern
portion of the Leipzig salient south of Thiepval was driven back with
some casualties. Two British raiding parties about the same time
succeeded in entering the German lines north of Roclincourt and blew
up some dugouts. On this date a squadron of ten German aeroplanes
endeavored to cross the British lines on a bombing expedition, but
were driven off by four British offensive patrols. Two of the German
aeroplanes were forced to descend behind their own lines, while the
others were scattered and did not return to attack. In the evening of
the same day the Germans made four attacks on the British lines to the
northwest of Pozieres, and in one were successful in occupying a
portion of a British trench.
During this day the French north of the Somme, while the British were
fighting at Guillemont, advanced east of Hill 139, north of
Hardecourt, and took forty prisoners. The Germans, making two attempts
to recapture the trenches won from them by the French on the previous
day, were beaten back, leaving a great number of dead on the field. In
the evening French troops captured a small wood and a heavily
fortified trench to the north of the Hem Wood, making their gains for
the two days, an entire line of German trenches on a front of three
and three-quarter miles and a depth of from 330 to 350 yards.
In the battered and shell-pitted region to the northwest of Pozieres
fighting between the British and German troops continued unceasingly.
The slight gains made by the British troops were won only by the
greatest risk and daring, for the whole plateau between Thiepval and
Pozieres (about 3,000 yards) lay open to the German fire from the
former place. A great part of it could be reached by machine guns,
while German batteries at Courcelette and Grandcourt commanded the
ground at close range. A network of German trenches, well planned,
stretched in almost every direction. Flares and shell fire made the
region as bright as day during the night, and it was only by rushing a
trench from saps made within a few feet of the objectives or by
breaking into a trench and bombing along it that the British were able
to achieve any small gains. And gains were made on this terrible
terrain daily, though only a few yards might be won, and a dozen or
more prisoners captured.
The British attack on the Germans around Guillemont, which took place
as previously noted on August 8, 1916, was at first successful. A
section of the troops carried some trenches, and then pushing on
gained a useful piece of ground south of Guillemont with few
casualties. Another (the left) section of British troops were unable
to proceed farther on account of the darkness. Another section, owing
to miscalculation, swept through the German trenches straight into the
village of Guillemont, where they lost their direction amid the ruins
and confusion. Working their way through the shattered streets they
proceeded to dig themselves in when they had reached the far northeast
corner of the place. With enemies all around them, and the breadth of
the ruined village between them and their friends, the adventure could
have but one conclusion. A few of the men succeeded in getting back to
the British lines, but the remainder fell into the hands of the
enemy.
CHAPTER II
FURTHER SUCCESSES--FRENCH CAPTURE MAUREPAS
In the morning of August 11, 1916, after the usual preparatory
bombardment, French troops carried the whole of the third German
position north of the Somme from the river northeast of
Hardecourt--that is to say, on a front of about four miles and to an
average depth of about a mile. This third German position consisted of
three, and in some places of four, lines of trenches strongly defended
and with the usual trench blockhouses. The French attacked in force
along the whole front, and in eighty minutes, according to the
description given in French newspapers, carried the German position at
a small cost in casualties compared with results. The Germans fought
bravely and stubbornly, but the French artillery did such effective
work before the advance attack that in the hand-to-hand conflicts that
followed the French troops readily overcame the enemy. A Bavarian
battalion which garrisoned a blockhouse on Hill 109 offered such a
determined resistance that when the victorious French finally entered
the work they found only 200 of the garrison alive.
In the afternoon of the same day, August 11, 1916, French forces north
of the Somme took several German trenches by assault and established
their new line on the saddle to the north of Maurepas and along the
road leading from the village to Hem. A strongly fortified quarry to
the north of Hem Wood and two small woods were also occupied by the
French troops. During the course of the action in this district they
took 150 unwounded prisoners and ten machine guns.
British air squadrons numbering sixty-eight machines on August 12,
1916, bombed airship sheds at Brussels and Namur, and railway sidings
and stations at Mons, Namur, Busigny, and Courtrai. Of the British
machines engaged in these attacks, all but two returned safely. In
the evening of the same day the British forces attacked the third
German position which extended from the east of Hardecourt to the
Somme east of Buscourt. On this front of about four miles the British
infantry carried the trench and works of the Germans to a depth of
from 660 to 1,100 yards. To the northwest of Pozieres the British
gained 300 to 400 yards on a front of a mile, and also captured
trenches on the plateau northwest of Bazentin-le-Petit.
The French continued to make appreciable gains south of the Somme,
carrying portions of trenches and taking some prisoners. The new
British front to the west of Pozieres was repeatedly attacked and
bombarded by the Germans, and on August 15, 1916, they succeeded in
recapturing trenches they had lost two days before. But they were
unable to hold their gains for more than a day, when the British drove
them out and consolidated the position.
During the afternoon and evening of August 16, 1916, German and French
to the north and south of the Somme engaged in heavy bombardments. At
Verdun the German lines were forced back close to Fleury, the French
taking enemy trenches and smashing a counterattack with their
artillery.
On the afternoon of August 17, 1916, there was hard fighting along the
whole Somme front from Pozieres to the river. The British gained
ground toward Ginchy and Guillemont and took over 200 prisoners,
including some officers. During the night the Germans delivered
repeated attacks against the positions the British had captured, but
only in one instance did they succeed in winning back a little ground.
On August 18, 1916, the British continued to add to their gains,
advancing on a front of more than two miles for a distance of between
200 and 600 yards. As a result of these operations carried out along
the British front from Thiepval to their right, south of Guillemont, a
distance of eleven miles, was the gain of the ridge southeast of
Thiepval commanding the village and northern slopes of the high ground
north of Pozieres. The British also held the edge of High Wood and
half a mile of captured German trenches to the west of the wood.
Advances were also made to the outskirts of the village of
Guillemont, where the British occupied the railroad station and
quarry, both of some considerable military importance. As a result of
these operations the British captured sixteen officers and 780 of
other ranks.
German guns continued to shell the British positions throughout the
day and evening of August 18, 1916, but no infantry attacks were
attempted. On the following day after a heavy bombardment the Germans
made three vigorous bombing attacks on the British positions at High
Wood, all of which were repulsed, though the Germans succeeded in some
instances in gaining a foothold for a time in the British trenches. In
the aggregate the British successes in this region had in a week
resulted in the capture of trenches which, if put end to end, would
reach for a number of miles.
On August 24, 1916, the French completed the capture of Maurepas, for
which they had been battling for nearly two weeks, after seizing the
trenches to the south of the village. Maurepas was of great military
importance, for, with Guillemont on the British front, it formed
advanced works of the stronghold of Combles. The attack was launched
at five in the evening on a front of a mile and a quarter from north
of Hardecourt to southeast of Maurepas. The French troops captured the
German portion of Maurepas at the first dash, and a little later the
strong intrenchments made by the Germans to cover the Maurepas-Combles
road were in their possession. The victory was won over some of
Germany's best troops, the Fifth Bavarian Reserve Division and the
First Division of the Prussian Guard under Prince Eitel Frederick.
On the same day, August 24, 1916, the British troops on the north of
the Somme attacked the German positions in the Maurepas region and
carried with a rush that part of the village still held by the Germans
and the adjoining trenches, taking 600 prisoners and eighteen guns.
South of the village the Germans made a violent attack on the British
position at Hill 121, but owing to the concentrated fire of artillery
which mowed them down they were unable to reach the British lines at
any point.
CHAPTER III
GERMAN COUNTERATTACKS
Throughout the week the Germans attempted repeatedly to retake the
positions that had been won from them by the French and British
troops. One of the most desperate attacks made was against the British
positions between the quarry and Guillemont. After a heavy preparatory
bombardment the Germans launched an attack that took them to the edge
of the British trenches, where a desperate hand-to-hand struggle was
made in which the Germans fought with stubbornness and determination,
but were finally repulsed with heavy losses.
The new French positions gained at Maurepas were violently attacked on
August 26, 1916, but the French artillery wrought terrible havoc among
the German troops, and they withdrew in disorder. In two days the
French took over 350 prisoners in this sector.
On the evening of August 26, 1916, the British captured several
hundred yards of German trenches north of Bazentin-le-Petit and pushed
forward some distance north of Ginchy.
After gaining a trench of 470 yards south of Thiepval and taking over
200 prisoners, the British on August 24, 1916, joined up with the
French forces on the right, where important progress was made around
Maurepas. Continued hard fighting on the eastern and northern edges of
the Delville Wood advanced the British lines several hundred yards on
each side of the Longueville-Flers road. These operations resulted in
the British capturing eight officers and about 200 of other ranks.
West of Ginchy two German companies attacked the British trenches and
were driven off by machine-gun fire. Bombardment of British positions
continued during the night. Two aeroplane raids carried out by the
British airmen damaged trains on the German line of communications.
Important military points were also bombed with some success, but in
encounters with German aircraft the British lost one machine.
The importance of the Thiepval sector to the Germans was demonstrated
in their constant efforts to regain the positions there that had been
captured by the British. A great number of guns were concentrated by
the Germans in this sector. The bombardment which preceded the attack
was of unusual violence, but owing to the intrepid spirit of the men
from Wiltshire and Worcestershire, who defended the positions, the
Germans were unable to reach the trenches and withdrew in disorder.
According to an eyewitness of this attack, the first wave of German
soldiers advancing to attack was thrown in disorder by the intense
gunfire from the British positions. A second wave of men
started--swept a little farther over the shell-torn terrain than the
others had done, then faltered, broke apart, and fell back, having
failed to get through the British artillery fire or even to approach
their trenches.
In the area around Mouquet Farm and in the trenches south of Thiepval
the British captured during the day one German officer and sixty-six
of other ranks. British aircraft displayed great activity in this
sector, dropping five tons of bombs on points of military importance
behind the enemy lines. One hostile machine was brought down, while
two British machines failed to return. South of the Ancre the British
made slight advances, capturing four German officers and fifty-five of
other ranks.
A great battle developed north of the Somme on September 2, 1916, in
which the British and French forces took thousands of prisoners and
captured important territory. After intense artillery preparation the
French infantry cooperating with British troops attacked the German
positions on a front of about three and three-quarter miles between
the region north of Maurepas and the river. The strong German forces
engaged were unable to resist the onslaught of the Allied troops. The
villages of Forest, east of Maurepas, and Clery-sur-Somme were
captured, as well as all the German trenches along the route from
Forest to Combles as far as the outskirts of the last place. The
Germans launched with heavy forces a counterattack against the
conquered positions, but were driven back by the heavy fire of the
French batteries. The French official reports gave the number of
unwounded prisoners captured in this battle as exceeding 2,000, and
the booty taken included twelve guns and fifty machine guns. German
aircraft which engaged British flyers during the progress of the
battle were driven off with a loss of three machines destroyed and
four badly injured. The British lost three.
Fighting on the Somme and Ancre was continued with increased severity
on September 3, 1916. The Germans stubbornly contested the British
advance, but were unable to gain any material advantage except at
Ginchy, occupied by the British, who were driven out of all but a
small portion of the place. As an offset to this loss the British
troops captured the strongly fortified village of Guillemont and the
German defenses on a front of one and two-third miles to an average
depth of about 800 yards. The British took during this battle over 800
prisoners.
The new French positions to the north of Combles were violently
attacked on this same date, but the German effort was broken by the
machine-gun and artillery barrage. The French captured over 500
prisoners and ten machine guns.
South of the Somme, on a front of about twelve miles, the French
troops attacked enemy organizations from Barleux to the region south
of Chaulnes and were entirely successful in gaining their objectives.
Southwest of Barleux the French infantry in a single push carried
three successive German lines and advanced over a mile, which brought
them to the outskirts of Berny and Deniecourt. To the south, by a
well-planned enveloping movement, the village of Soyecourt was
carried, and here a whole Prussian battalion was cut off and
surrendered after a short resistance. South of Vermandovillers, where
the Germans occupied a portion of the village, the French launched an
attack on the German front in the afternoon, but it was night before
they could break through north of Chilly. The French pushed on through
the breach, forcing the Germans to retire to their second line,
leaving 1,200 prisoners, guns and machine guns in French hands.
Desperate attempts were made by the German General von Hein to recover
the lost ground. Before the French had time to consolidate their
positions he launched six counterattacks, all of which failed under
the French barrage of fire. On September 4, 1916, the French made
2,700 prisoners between Barleux and Chilly.
CHAPTER IV
OPERATIONS AT VERDUN--BRITISH VICTORIES IN THE SOMME
The intense activity of the Allied forces in the Somme region in
August and during the first week in September, 1916, exceeded in
interest the happenings around Verdun. While only one building in the
town remained uninjured by the shells which the Germans poured into it
daily, the French, to whom the initiative had passed, continued to
harry the enemy daily along the Thiaumont-Vaux front. Their "nibbling"
process went on unceasingly, seizing some hundred yards of trenches,
or taking batches of 200 or 300 prisoners with such frequency as to
produce a decidedly depressing effect on the German commanders and on
their troops, who in this sector represented the pick of the German
army.
On September 6, 1916, a signal success was won by the French at Verdun
when they carried the German line on the Vaux-Chapitre Wood-Le Chenois
front to a length of 1,000 yards, taking 250 prisoners and ten guns.
In the second week of September, 1916, the French and British forces
made important gains in the Somme region. On September 9, 1916,
British forces advancing on a front of 6,000 yards occupied Falfemont
Farm, Leuze Wood, Guillemont, and Ginchy, the area gained being more
than four square miles. The bravery displayed by the Irish troops from
Connaught, Leinster, and Munster in connection with the capture of
Guillemont was especially commended by headquarters. The same troops
fought with distinction in the capture of Ginchy, a village only in
name, for shell fire had reduced it to mere heaps of rubble and dust.
In an assault on the French front September 9, 1916, between
Belloy-en-Santerre and Barleux the Germans by using jets of flame
obtained a temporary footing in the French trenches, but were driven
out by a vigorous counterattack with the loss of four machine guns. On
the night of September 11, 1916, French forces north of the Somme took
the offensive and drove a broad wedge right in between the powerfully
defended German positions of Combles on the north and Peronne to the
south. Continuing their advance on the following day, in less than
half an hour they carried the German first line and, taking Hill 145
by the way, pressed on to the Bapaume road south of Rancourt, and held
it as far south as Bouchavesnes village which was captured by a
brilliant dash early in the evening. On September 13, 1916, the French
again advanced, carrying several positions and occupying in this
region the German third line. They also captured a trench system south
of Combles. In the two days' fighting 2,300 German prisoners were
captured.
On the night of Thursday, September 13, 1916, the British forces won
German trenches to the southeast of Thiepval and a heavily fortified
place known as Wunderwerk. This was the prelude to a series of
brilliant victories won by the British troops which had not been
surpassed during the entire fighting in the Somme area. At 6 a. m. on
September 15, 1916, the British attacked on a front of about six
miles, extending from Bouleaux Wood east of Guillemont to the north of
the Albert-Bapaume road. A tremendous bombardment of the enemy
positions continued for twenty minutes before the infantry advanced to
attack. The Germans were believed to have 1,000 guns concentrated in
this sector which had been shelling the British positions for several
days, but during this battle for some reason, perhaps lack of
ammunition, they played an unimportant part, and were far outclassed
by the British artillery.
CHAPTER V
THE "TANKS"--BRITISH CAPTURE MARTINPUICH
It was in this battle that the British for the first time introduced a
new type of armored cars which proved veritable fortresses on wheels,
and came to be popularly known as "tanks." These destructive engines
of warfare were from twenty to forty feet long and were painted a dull
drab, or some unassuming color calculated to blend with the tones of
the landscape. In a dim light they suggested the giant slugs of a
prehistoric age. Sliding along the ground on caterpillar wheels, with
armored cheeks on each side of the head, above which guns stuck out
like the stalked eyes of land crabs, their first appearance in this
sector may well have created consternation among the German troops who
saw them for the first time. There was something uncanny about these
steel-scaled monsters that slid over the ground as it were on their
stomachs, balanced by a flimsy tail supported on two wheels. Weighing
many tons, when the "tank" came to an obstacle, such as a house or
wall, it rammed the obstruction with its full weight, and then
climbing over the debris lumbered on its way. Through vast craters and
muddy shell holes and over trenches the monsters waddled along,
scattering death and destruction as they advanced. The German
soldiers, after the first consternation caused by the appearance of
these war engines in the field, bravely attacked them; swarming over
the sides of the "tanks" and seeking to batter in the steel scales and
armored plates and to silence the guns that spouted fire from the
head, but the daring efforts were useless and caused many casualties.
Machine-gun fire was also ineffectual. They could only be disabled by
a direct hit from a large gun. It is said that the Germans voiced
their disgust for this kind of warfare, and protested that the British
were not fighting fair!
At first the Germans thought they could rush a "tank" as they would a
fort, and lost heavily in such futile attacks; they could make no
impression on the steel "hide" of the monsters. Once astride a trench,
the guns of the tank could rake right and left, mowing down the
defenders whose volleys pattered harmlessly on the steel plates of the
war engine.
A young Australian who served in one of these new war machines
described "tanksickness" as being as bad as seasickness until you
became accustomed to the constant plunges and lurchings as the "tank"
encountered obstacles on its way. The Australian noted down his
impressions while cruising around the German lines in a "tank." A few
quotations from his diary may be of interest:
"Peppering begun at once. Thought old thing was going to be drowned in
a shower of bullets. Germans dashed up from all sides. We fired at
them point-blank. The survivors had another try. More of them went
down.... A rain of bullets resumed. It was like as if hundreds of
rivets were being hammered into the hide of the 'tank.' We rushed
through.... Got right across a trench. Made the sparks fly. Went along
parapet, routing out Germans everywhere. Tried to run, but couldn't
keep it up under our fire. Threw up the sponge and surrendered in
batches."
"One can hardly imagine any spectacle more terrifying," said an
eyewitness, "than these monsters must have presented to German eyes
when, after a hurricane bombardment, through the smoke and dust of
bursting shells, the great shapes came lumbering forward in the gray
light of dawn. The enemy evidently had no hint of what they were. They
emptied their rifles at them, and the things came rolling on. They
turned on their machine guns, and the bullets only struck sparks from
the great beasts' awful sides. In several places they sat themselves
complacently astride of the trench, and swept it in both directions
and all the ground beyond with their machine guns. Against strong
points they were invaluable, because they could thrust themselves,
secure in the toughness of their hide, in close quarters where
unprotected infantry could never get. In woods they trampled their way
through the undergrowth and climbed over or broke down barricades,
contemptuous of the machine guns and rifle fire which made the
approach of unarmored men impossible."
During this advance the British penetrated the third German line,
which was shattered at all points. Three new villages--Flers,
Martinpuich, and Courcelette--fell into British hands and more than
twenty miles of German trenches were taken. Over 100 officers and
4,000 other ranks were captured by the British.
Martinpuich, which was known to be strongly fortified by the Germans,
was the first trench to be carried by the British troops almost
without a check. Beyond this was a series of other trenches and
fortified positions in shell holes and the like. And here the "tanks"
did effective service, their appearance creating consternation among
the German troops, whose gunfire was powerless to injure or to impede
the triumphal progress of these ungainly forts on wheels. In one
instance a German battalion commander surrendered to a "tank" and was
taken on board as a passenger. Up to the outskirts of Martinpuich
there was stiff fighting and the village itself bristled with machine
guns. The Germans stubbornly and bravely contested the British advance
through the ruins. The British troops, however, continued to push
forward almost yard by yard until the whole place was in their hands,
and they had dug themselves in in a line on the farthest eastern and
northern sides of the village.
Before the hour set for the advance the British troops who took
Courcelette were strongly attacked by the Germans on the front just
north of the Bapaume road. The British front-line trench was broken by
the attack, and hard fighting was in progress when the hour set for
the British advance arrived. Then from support lines and other
positions to the rear of the trench the Germans had entered the
British troops swept forward. The Germans were overwhelmed as the
waves of khaki-clad, cheering men rushed forward and over them and out
beyond the objective points as originally planned. In front of
Courcelette there were formidable German positions; two trenches in
particular which had been strongly fortified and against which the
British troops for a time hurled themselves in vain. Twice the
British troops were driven back, but the third assault was entirely
successful, the British troops sweeping over the two trenches and into
the outskirts of Courcelette. By 8.10 o'clock the British forces had
worked clear through the village ruins and had carried two especially
strong positions on the farther side, a quarry on the north and a
cemetery on the northeast of the village.
In the High Wood area, to the right of the two attacks described, the
Germans had converted a large mine crater into a fortress of
formidable strength, for from this position they could sweep the
entire wood with machine guns so placed that the British were
powerless to reach them. The "tanks" were of great efficiency in
reducing this strong point on the eastern angle of the wood. The
British troops fighting every yard of the way, slowly encircled the
wood, which was still full of cunningly hidden machine guns, and then
went steadily through it. This wood, which was described as a horrible
place, with its heaps of dead and shattered defenses, was effectually
cleaned out by the British and occupied by them, and a line was
established due north of the farthest extremity for about 1,000 yards.
Flers was captured by the British by successive pushes in which the
"tanks" again demonstrated their value. Leading the way, these
monsters waddled through the village, shattering barricades, crushing
their way through masonry and creating general alarm among the German
troops, who saw these formidable war engines for the first time.
In the capture of Courcelette, Flers, and Martinpuich the British air
service successfully cooperated with the movements of the artillery
and infantry. During the day, September 15, 1916, thirteen German
aeroplanes and kite balloons were destroyed, and nine others were
driven down in a damaged condition. The British reported that four of
their machines were lost.
On the following day, September 16, 1916, the Germans attacked the
British positions around Flers and along the Les Boeufs road, and were
beaten off. The British line which had been held and lived in for a
day was now little more than a series of shell holes linked by a
shallow trench. Though "the air was stiff with bullets" as an officer
described it, the British troops climbed out of their shattered
position and pushing on took possession of a more satisfactory trench
ahead, where they consolidated and sat down. This last small advance
cost the British more casualties than all the other operations during
the two days' fighting.
CHAPTER VI
CAPTURE OF COMBLES--AIR RAIDS
Meanwhile the Allied troops--the French on the south, the British on
the north--made steady progress in hemming in Combles. The French
increased their gains by storming Le Priez Farm and against severe
attacks held their gains north and south of Bouchavesnes. In another
dashing attack they took by assault a group of German trenches south
of Rancourt, some of their troops pushing forward to the edge of the
village. South of the Somme they advanced east of Deniecourt and
northeast of Berny, taking several hundred prisoners and ten machine
guns. The closing-in process around Combles went steadily forward.
In the evening of September 17, 1916, the British forces in the
vicinity of Courcelette extended their gains on a front of 1,000
yards, captured a strong fortification known as the Danube Trench on a
mile front, and also the strongly defended work at Mouquet Farm which
had been fought over for several weeks. On the same date the French
made a spirited attack south of the Somme, wresting from the Germans
what portions they still held of the villages of Vermandovillers and
Berny, the ground between the two, and also between Berny and
Deniecourt, breaking up all counterattacks and taking 700 prisoners.
On September 18, 1916, the British on the Somme front continued to add
to their gains of the previous days. Northwest of Combles they
captured a strongly fortified German work and, beating off numerous
counterattacks north of Flers, took six howitzers, two field guns and
lighter pieces, as well as some prisoners. South of this the British
took another section of German trenches, and by a counterattack won
back trenches to the east beyond Mouquet Farm which they had lost on
previous days.
On the same date the French took the village of Deniecourt, making the
third village captured by them in two days. During these operations
over 1,600 prisoners were taken, including twenty-five officers.
Owing to the weather conditions, little progress was made by the
Allied forces on September 19, 1916. Raids were successful, however,
on enemy trenches northeast of Bethune, and the French made some
advance and took prisoners east of Berny. The Germans made five
spirited attacks against the French front in Champagne where the
Russian detachments were posted, all of which were repulsed with heavy
losses by the guns and machine guns. From 9 in the morning until
nightfall of the following day the Germans continued their assaults on
the French lines, but only here and there did they make even temporary
progress.
On Thursday, September 21, 1916, the British line in the west was
again advanced. A section of the German front about a mile long was
attacked between Martinpuich and Flers. Two lines of German trenches
were captured in this push. Meanwhile the French continued to develop
their hemming in of Combles, nibbling their way forward, taking
prisoners and guns, a slow but determined advance that the Germans
could not restrain.
British guns displayed great activity on Friday, September 22, 1916,
when they destroyed ten hostile gun pits, damaged severely fourteen
others, and blew up five ammunition pits. About the same time fifty
aeroplanes raided an important railroad junction, destroyed several
ammunition trains, and caused violent explosions and conflagrations.
September 25, 1916, was a notable day in the history of the Allied
advance in the west, when French and British forces again assumed the
offensive. The German positions were stormed on a front of about six
miles between Combles and Martinpuich to a depth of more than a mile.
The strongly fortified villages of Les Boeufs and Morval with several
lines of trenches were captured. Morval, standing on a height north of
Combles, with its subterranean quarries and maze of wire
entanglements, constituted a formidable citadel of defense. By the
capture of these villages German communication with Combles was cut
off. The British took a large number of prisoners and immense
quantities of war material.
About noon of the same date the French attacked the German positions
between Combles and Rancourt and the defenses from the latter village
to the Somme. Rancourt was taken after a sharp struggle, and the
French lines were advanced to the northeast of Combles as far as the
southern outskirts of Fregicourt. East of the Bethune road the French
positions were extended for half a mile, while farther south several
systems of German trenches were captured in the vicinity of the Cabal
du Nord.
On the second day of the Allied offensive the French and British
continued their successful advance. Combles, which the Allied troops
had been closing in on for some days, was captured. Here an enormous
quantity of booty, munitions, and supplies which the Germans had
stored away in the subterranean regions of the place fell to the
victors.
The subsequent capture of Gueudecourt by the French and British forces
completed the notable advance of the Allies on September 25, 1916.
They were now in possession of the ridge that dominates the valley of
Bapaume, having cleared a stretch of ground on the far side of the
crest to a distance of half a mile. In the night of September 26,
1916, the British troops captured Thiepval and the strongly fortified
ridge east of it, which included an important stronghold, the Zollern
Redoubt. The British reported the capture of over 1,500 prisoners
during the two days' fighting.
CHAPTER VII
BRITISH CAPTURE EAUCOURT L'ABBAYE-REGINA TRENCH
September 30, 1916, marked the close of the third month of Allied
fighting in the Somme region. Since September 15, 1916, seven new
German divisions were brought against the British and five against the
French. According to reports from British headquarters in France, the
British troops had engaged thirty-eight German divisions, of which
twenty-nine had been forced to withdraw in a broken and exhausted
state. During the three months' campaign the Allied forces captured
over 60,000 German prisoners, of which number the British claimed to
have taken 26,735. Besides other war material the Allies recovered
from the Somme battle fields 29 heavy guns and howitzers, 92 field
guns and howitzers, 103 trench artillery pieces, and 397 machine guns.
In the afternoon of October 1, 1916, the British troops assaulted the
double-trench system of the main German third line over a front of
about 3,000 yards from beyond Le Sars to a point 1,000 yards or so
east of Eaucourt l'Abbaye. The British troops in the center, directly
in front of Eaucourt l'Abbaye, were held up by the complicated
defenses there, but the troops on the right, carrying everything
before them, swept over the main lines of trench east of the place
until well beyond it they occupied positions on the north, which they
held against all German assaults. The center was meanwhile reenforced
by the arrival of "tanks," which accomplished useful work in clearing
the trenches; these were then occupied by the British troops. On
October 2, 1916, German forces succeeded in pressing through a gap in
the British line, and again occupied trenches before the village,
while the British continued to hold their positions on the farther
side, some of which were a thousand yards to the rear of the enemy.
The following day the British heavily bombarded Eaucourt l'Abbaye and
drew the cordon tighter around it. October 4, 1916, they assumed the
offensive, and driving the Germans out of their trenches, filled up
the gap and entered the town. Eaucourt l'Abbaye, with its old monastic
buildings furnished with immense cellars, crypts and vaults, offered
admirable conditions for prolonged defense. More important than the
occupation of this place was the capture by the British of the
positions around it with over 3,000 yards of the long-prepared German
third line. These gains were won by the British troops at considerable
cost in casualties, while the Germans also lost heavily.
The important part played by the "tanks" in this successful operation
is worthy of record. One of these machines becoming disabled,
continued for some time to operate as a stationary fortress. Later the
"tank" became untenable and the crew were forced to abandon it. While
this was being done the commanding officer of the "tank" was somewhat
severely wounded so that he could not proceed. Two unwounded members
of the crew refused to leave the wounded officer, and for more than
two days they stayed with him in a shell hole between the lines. While
hiding in this dangerous position the wounded officer was again struck
by a bullet, but it was found impossible to get him away until the
British captured the positions around the town.
There was intermittent shelling of the British front south of the
Ancre during the night of October 4, 1916. A successful raid was
carried out by a London territorial battalion in the Vimy area on the
following day, and an assault on the British trenches east of St. Eloi
was repulsed. October 6, 1916, was unmarked by any important offensive
on the part of the belligerents. The Germans continued to shell
heavily the British front south of the Ancre. Three British raiding
parties succeeded in penetrating German trenches in the Loos area and
south of Arras.
An important success was won by the British on the following day,
October 7, 1916, when Le Sars--their twenty-second village--was
captured. The Germans evidently anticipated the attack, for they had
massed a large number of troops on a short front. The town itself was
held by the Fourth Ersatz Division, and the ground behind Eaucourt
l'Abbaye by a Bavarian division. The place, though strongly
fortified, did not offer the resistance that the British troops
expected. Their first forward sweep carried them to a sunken road that
ran across the village at about its middle, and a second rush after
the barrage had lifted brought them through the rest of the place and
about 500 yards beyond on the Bapaume road. In Le Sars itself six
officers and between 300 and 400 other ranks were made prisoners by
the British. The Bavarians between Le Sars and Eaucourt fought with
stubborn valor and gave the British troops plenty of hard work. Owing
to the complication of fortified positions, trenches, and sunken
roads, the ground in this section of the fighting area presented many
difficulties. To the northeast of Eaucourt the determined pressure of
the British troops caused the Bavarian resistance to crumble and the
victors swept on and out along the road to Le Barque. At other points
the British pierced the German lines and occupied positions midway
between Eaucourt and the Butte de Warlencourt. To the left, a mile or
so back, in what was known as the Mouquin Farm region, the British
troops pushed forward in the direction of Pys and Miraumont, and all
that part of Regina Trench over which there had been much stiff
fighting was held by them. German troops had recovered a small portion
of the front-line trenches they had lost to the north of Les Boeufs.
In this sector on the night of October 7, 1916, the British guns
shattered two attempted counterattacks and gathered in three officers,
170 men, and three machine guns. To the north of the Somme the French
infantry cooperating with the British army attacked from the front of
Morval-Bouchavesnes and carried their line over 1,300 yards northeast
of Morval. During this advance over 400 prisoners, including ten
officers, were captured, and also fifteen machine guns. Large
gatherings of German troops reported north of Saillisel were caught by
the concentrated fire from the French batteries.
In the region of Gueudecourt the British advanced their lines and
beat off a furious attack made on the Schwaben Redoubt north of
Thiepval on October 8, 1916. This repulse of the Germans was
followed by the British troops winning some ground north of the
Courcelette-Warlencourt road. In two days they took prisoner
thirteen officers and 866 of other ranks.
[Illustration: General Sir Douglas Haig (left), commanding the
British armies in France and Belgium, and General Joffre, supreme
commander of the French armies. In December, 1916, Joffre was made a
Marshal of France.]
The British continued their daily policy of making raids on the German
trenches. Several were carried out on October 10, 1916, in the
Neuville-St. Vaast and Loos regions, where trenches were invaded,
three machine-gun emplacements destroyed, and a large number of
prisoners taken. On the same date there was intense artillery activity
on the Somme between the French and Germans. The French fought six air
fights and bombed the St. Vaast Wood. To the south of the river the
French troops took the offensive and attacked on a front of over three
miles between Berny-en-Santerre and Chaulnes. Here the French infantry
by vigorous fighting captured the enemy position and certain points
beyond it. They also captured the town of Bovent, and occupied the
northern and western outskirts of Ablaincourt and most of the woods of
Chaulnes. During this offensive more than 1,250 Germans were taken.
CHAPTER VIII
CONTINUED ALLIED ADVANCE
Unceasing activity on the part of the Germans on October 11, 1916,
showed that the recent successes of the Allies had by no means
dampened their ardor or impaired their morale. All day long they
shelled the British front south of the Ancre, especially north of
Courcelette. Here the Germans attempted an attack, but were caught on
their own parapets and stopped by the British barrage. Two German
battery positions were destroyed here by bombing from aeroplanes. Two
British aircraft engaged seven hostile machines, one of which was
destroyed and two others were severely damaged. Behind the German
front British aeroplanes bombed railway stations, trains, and billets,
losing during these air fights four machines.
In the afternoon of this date, October 11, 1916, the British troops by
a determined push gained 1,000 yards between Les Boeufs and Le
Transloy, having gained all the territory they set out to win. The
advance, which was won at a comparatively small cost, brought the
British lines within 500 yards of one of the few conspicuous landmarks
in this desolate region--a cemetery about half a mile from Le
Transloy.
The English continued to make night raids on the German trenches. Five
such raids undertaken October 11-12, 1916, in the Messines, Bois
Grenier, and Haisnes areas were all successful; heavy casualties were
inflicted on the Germans and a number of prisoners were taken. During
the day of October 12, 1916, the British attacked the low heights
between their front trenches and the Bapaume-Peronne road, where they
gained ground and made captures. On this date the French infantry
north of the Somme made progress to the west of Sailly-Saillisel.
South of the Somme French forces took the offensive on October 14,
1916, delivering an attack west of Belloy-en-Santerre, by which they
gained possession of the first German line on a front of about a mile
and a quarter. By another attack they captured the village of
Genermont and the sugar refinery to the northeast of Ablaincourt. In
these two attacks nearly 1,000 prisoners were taken, including
seventeen officers.
On the same date British forces in the neighborhood of the Stuff
Redoubt and Schwaben Redoubt cleared two lines of German communication
trenches for a distance of nearly 200 yards. During these operations,
which were carried out by a single company, the British took two
officers and 303 of other ranks. In the evening the British advanced
their lines northeast of Gueudecourt and made further captures of men
and material.
On Sunday, October 15, 1916, south of the Somme, the Germans made
desperate attempts to regain the trenches they had lost to the French
southeast of Belloy-en-Santerre, but the attacks were shattered by the
French artillery.
French assaults by the German troops were repulsed on the following
day when the French carried a wood between Genermont and Ablaincourt,
taking prisoner four officers and 110 of other ranks, as well as a
number of machine guns. The German aircraft were especially active on
this day and the French fought seven engagements. In the Lassigny
sector a German machine hit by French guns fell in flames behind its
own lines.
The clear weather which prevailed during the day of October 16, 1916,
tempted British airmen to renewed activity. They bombed successfully
railway lines, stations, and factories. During the numerous fights in
the air three German machines were destroyed and one was driven to
earth, while two kite balloons were forced down in flames. For these
successful exploits the British paid somewhat heavily. One of their
machines was brought down by German gunfire and six were missing at
the end of the day.
Heavy bombardments on both sides, trench raids, and counterattacks,
which resulted in some successes for the Allied troops, marked the
following days. On October 21, 1916, the Germans lost heavily in an
attempt to recover Sailly-Saillisel from the French. Three regiments
of the Second Bavarian Division recently arrived in this sector were
shattered one after the other by French curtain and machine-gun fire.
South of the Somme a brilliant little success was achieved by the
French north of Chaulnes. Early in the afternoon the French infantry
after a heavy bombardment of the enemy lines pushed forward and gained
a foothold in the Bois Etoile which was held by troops of Saxony.
The Chaulnes garrison attempted to come to the support of the Saxons,
but were driven back by the destructive fire from French batteries.
Generals Marchand and Ste. Clair Deville, who were wounded in fighting
in the Somme region, continued to hold their commands and to direct
the action of the French troops under them.
Early in the morning of October 21, 1916, German troops in
considerable force attacked the Schwaben Redoubt north of Thiepval
occupied by the British, and at several points succeeded in entering
the trenches. But in a short time the British troops by a vigorous
attack drove them out, capturing five officers and seventy-nine of
other ranks. A subsequent attack by the British, delivered on a front
of some 5,000 yards between Schwaben Redoubt and Le Sars, advanced the
British line from 300 to 500 yards. Sixteen officers and over 1,000
German prisoners were taken during this operation, while the British
losses were said to be slight. On this same date British aircraft
showed great activity, bombing German communications, an important
railroad junction, and an ammunition depot, while there were several
air duels in which the British destroyed three machines and drove
others behind their lines. Two British aeroplanes were not heard from
again.
In the afternoon of the following day, October 22, 1916, the British
right wing advanced east of Gueudecourt and Les Boeufs and captured
1,000 yards of German trenches. On the same day British airmen bombed
two railway stations behind the enemy's lines, hitting a train and
working great damage to buildings and rolling stock. The British
airmen in a series of engagements brought down seven German machines,
damaging others and forcing them to descend. At the close of the day
eight British machines were missing.
CHAPTER IX
FRENCH RETAKE DOUAUMONT
On October 24, 1916, on the Verdun front a great victory was won by
the French in the capture of Fort Douaumont. This stronghold, which
had been termed by the Germans "the main pillar of the Verdun
defenses," had been captured by the Brandenburgers in the last week of
February, 1916. The French lost the fort, but they clung desperately
to the approaches, which for weeks were the scenes of bloody
struggles. The fort was retaken by the Allied troops on May 22, 1916,
but after two days of furious bombardment and the attacks of fresh
German troops they were driven from the place. From that time until
the French recaptured it on October 24, 1916, it had remained in
German possession. Shortly before noon of the last date the French
launched their attack on the right bank of the Meuse after an intense
artillery preparation. The German line, attacked on a front of about
four and a half miles, was broken through everywhere to a depth which
attained at the middle a distance of two miles.
General Nivelle had intrusted the plans for the recapture of Fort
Douaumont to General Mangin. Artillery preparation began on October
21, 1916, when the air was clear and favored observation by captive
balloons and aeroplanes. For two days the fort and its approaches were
subjected to an almost continuous bombardment of French guns. On
October 23, 1916, the explosion of a bomb started a fire in Fort
Douaumont. The shelters covering the quarries of Haudromont were
destroyed and also the battery at Damloup, while the ravines were
blown to pieces. Owing to the wide extent of the French attacks the
Germans seemed to have been in doubt as to the point from which the
main assault would be launched. Gradually the French "felt out" the
positions of the 130 German batteries, a great number of which they
destroyed.
The troops selected by the French for their attack belonged to
divisions that had been fighting for some time in this sector.
According to the French official account of the storming of the fort,
from left to right was the division of General Guyot de Salins,
reenforced on the left by the Eleventh Infantry. This division was
made up of Zouaves and Colonial sharpshooters, among them the Moroccan
regiment which had previously been honored for heroic conduct at
Dixmude and Fleury, and to whom fell the honor of attacking Fort
Douaumont. Then came the division commanded by General du Passage,
consisting of troops from all parts of France. A division commanded by
General Bardmelle, composed of troops of the line and light infantry,
came next, and a battalion of Singhalese also took an equal part in
the attack.
At 11.40 a. m. the attack was launched in a heavy fog. It had been
planned that the first stroke should take in the quarries of
Haudromont, the height to the north of the ravine of La Dame, the
intrenchment north of the farm of Thiaumont, the battery of La
Fausse-Cote, and the ravine of Bazite. In the second phase, after an
hour's stop to consolidate the first gains, the French troops were to
press on to the crest of the heights to the north of the ravine of
Couleuvre, the village of Douaumont, the fort of Douaumont, the dam
and pond of Vaux, and on to the battery of Damloup.
The French attack succeeded in carrying out the first phase of the
plan with insignificant losses, and proceeded almost immediately to
advance to the second objective. "At 2.30 p. m.," said a French
eyewitness of the attack, "the fog lifted and the observers could see
a magic spectacle. It was our soldiers, filing like so many shadows
along the crest of Douaumont, approaching the fort from all sides.
Arriving at the fort, they quickly established themselves within, and
through field glasses could be seen the long column of prisoners as
they filed out.
"The French Fourth Regiment, charged with taking the quarries of
Haudromont, went beyond their objective, which was the trench of
Balfourier. The division under General Guyot de Salins had taken
Thiaumont and Douaumont, while that of General du Passage had seized
the wood of Caillette and advanced to the heights of La Fausse-Cote.
"Steadily foot by foot the French infantry pushed on, driving the
enemy before them and taking 3,500 prisoners on the way, till at last
after a severe struggle around Fort Douaumont they shot all of its
defenders who refused to surrender and won it back to France."
In the space of four hours the French had recaptured territory which
had taken the Germans eight months to conquer at a cost of several
hundred thousand of their best troops. The Germans explained their
defeat on the ground that the fog hampered their observation and
barrage, while the French artillery had set fire to a store of benzine
in the fort, which forced the garrison to evacuate.
In addition to the fort and village adjoining, the French forces
captured the Haudromont quarries which had been in possession of the
Germans since April 18, 1916.
CHAPTER X
GERMANS LOSE FORT VAUX--FRENCH TAKE SAILLISEL
On the Somme front the operations of the Allied troops were impeded by
heavy rains, but artillery duels continued daily; the British airmen
made many raids on enemy positions and were successful in bombing
depots and railways. October 27, 1916, an aerial combat took place in
which many machines were engaged. Five aeroplanes fell during the
fight, two of which were British.
On Saturday morning, October 28, 1916, the British troops carried out
a successful operation northeast of Les Boeufs, which resulted in the
capture of enemy trenches. The Germans driven from their position were
caught by the British rifle fire and lost two officers and 138 of
other ranks. On the following day the British won another trench from
the Germans to the northeast of Les Boeufs.
In summing up the gains of the Allies during the month of October,
1916, it will be noted that they had made steady progress. The British
forces had won the high ground in the vicinity of the Butte de
Warlencourt, which brought them nearer to the important military
position of Bapaume. The French had by ceaseless activity pushed
forward their lines toward Le Transloy. During four months from July 1
to November 1, 1916, the Franco-British troops in the course of the
fighting on the Somme had captured 71,532 German soldiers and 1,449
officers. The material taken by the Allies during this period included
173 field guns, 130 heavy guns, 215 trench mortars, and 981 machine
guns.
[Illustration: Verdun Front, February 1, 1917.]
After the French victory on October 24, 1916, when Fort Douaumont was
captured from the Germans, it was inevitable that Fort Vaux on the
same front must also fall, and this took place on November 2, 1916.
For some days Fort Vaux had been subjected to intense artillery fire
by the French, and the German commander ordered the evacuation of the
fortress during the night. It was in defending this stronghold against
overwhelming odds that the French Major Raynal and his garrison won
the praise of even their enemies. The German direct attack on the fort
began March 9, 1916, and for ninety days Major Raynal held it against
the ceaseless attacks of Germany's finest troops backed not by
batteries, but by parks of artillery. Only when the fort was in ruins
and the garrison could fight no longer were the German troops able to
occupy the work. The French Government marked its appreciation of
Major Raynal's heroic defense by publishing his name and by conferring
on him the grade of Commander of the Legion of Honor, a distinction
usually reserved only for divisional generals. The German Crown Prince
appreciating Major Raynal's heroic qualities permitted him on his
surrender to retain his sword.
North of the Somme, despite the persistent bad weather, the French
troops on November 1 and 2, 1916, captured German trenches northeast
of Les Boeufs and a strongly organized system of trenches on the
eastern outskirts of St. Pierre Vaast Wood. By these operations the
French took 736 prisoners, of whom twenty were officers, and also
twelve machine guns.
The British forces on the Somme on the night of November 2, 1916, by a
surprise attack captured a German trench east of Gueudecourt and
carried out a successful raid on German trenches near Arras. British
aircraft, which had been actively engaged in bombing German batteries,
in the course of several combats in the air destroyed two hostile
machines. On November 4, 1916, the Germans attempted by a
counterattack to regain the trenches won by the British near
Gueudecourt, but were driven off with heavy losses, considering the
number of troops engaged. The Germans left on the field more than a
hundred dead, and the British captured thirty prisoners and four
machine guns. British aircraft, which continued to operate despite the
heavy weather that prevailed, suffered heavily on November 4, 1916.
One of their machines which had attacked and destroyed a German
aeroplane was so badly damaged that it fell within German lines and
four other British aircraft did not return.
German attempts to wrest from the French the trenches they had won on
November 1, 1916, on the western edge of St. Pierre Vaast Wood were
unsuccessful, though at some points the German troops succeeded in
penetrating the lines. But their foothold in the French trenches was
only temporary, and they were driven out with considerable losses.
On Sunday, November 5, 1916, the French took the offensive south of
the village of Saillisel, attacking simultaneously on three sides the
St. Pierre Vaast Wood, which had been strongly organized by the German
troops. As a result of this spirited attack the French captured in
succession three trenches defending the northern horn of the wood, and
the entire line of hostile positions on the southwestern outskirts of
the wood. At this point the fighting was of the most desperate
description. The Germans fought with great bravery, making violent
counterattacks, which the French repulsed with bomb and bayonet, and
capturing during the operations on this front 522 prisoners, including
fifteen officers.
The British troops, which had won 1,000 yards of a position on the
high ground in the neighborhood of the Butte de Warlencourt on
November 5, 1916, were forced to relinquish a great part of their
gains when the Germans made a violent attack on the following day.
North of the Somme the French made important advances between Les
Boeufs and Sailly-Saillisel. To the south on November 6, 1916, in the
midst of a heavy rain they launched a dashing attack on a front of two
and a half miles. German positions extending from the Chaulnes Wood to
the southeast of the Ablaincourt sugar refinery were carried, and the
whole of the villages of Ablaincourt and Pressoir were occupied by the
French infantry. Pushing forward their lines they also captured the
cemetery to the east of Ablaincourt, which had been made into a
stronghold by the Germans. The French positions were farther carried
to the south of the sugar refinery as far as the outskirts of
Gomiecourt. In these successful operations the French captured over
500 prisoners, including a number of officers.
CHAPTER XI
BRITISH SUCCESSES IN THE ANCRE
In the Ancre region the British won some notable victories on November
12, 1916, when Beaumont-Hamel was taken, which the Germans considered
an even more impregnable stronghold than Thiepval. The British also
swept all before them on the south side of the Ancre, capturing the
lesser village of St. Pierre Divion. The defeats which the British had
suffered in this region during July of 1916 were amply atoned for by
these victories. Beaumont-Hamel lies in the fold of a ridge and was
honeycombed with dugouts and the defenses so cunningly prepared that
it was extremely difficult for the British artillery to destroy them.
Under Beaumont-Hamel there is an elaborate system of caves or cellars
dating from ancient days, and it was the emergence of the German
troops from the dugouts and these lairs that made the attack of the
Ulster troops in July unavailing. Attacking simultaneously northward,
down the nearer slope, and eastward directly against the face of the
main German line before Beaumont-Hamel, the British troops captured
the whole position at once.
The entire front on which the British attacked was over 8,000 yards.
On the right, or east, the advance began from the western end of
Regina Trench from the British position about 700 yards to the north
of Stuff Redoubt. From this point a German trench known as the Hansa
line ran northwestward to the Ancre, directly opposite the village of
Beaucourt. On the extreme right, north of Stuff Redoubt, to reach that
trench meant an advance of only a score or so of yards. To the
westward, above Schwaben Redoubt half a mile, the advance was nearly
1,000 yards. By St. Pierre Divion, along the valley of the Ancre
itself, the advance was over 1,500 yards. Everywhere in this sector
the British troops were successful. They gained in this offensive a
stretch of 3,000 yards north of the Ancre to an average depth of about
a mile. The victory of the British troops was especially notable,
because they had struck frontally at the main German first line with
tier upon tier of trenches which the Germans had strongly fortified
and wired for two years past. One English county battalion alone to
the south of Beaumont-Hamel took 300 prisoners, and in the village
itself 700 were captured, mostly soldiers from Silesia and East
Prussia. At the close of the day over 2,000 German prisoners had been
taken, and the ground won by the British amounted to about four square
miles. During the night of November 12, 1916, and during the day
following in the clean-up of the labyrinthian defenses which the
Germans had skillfully constructed 2,000 more prisoners were added to
the number already captured in this sector. The British advance had
brought them to the outskirts of Beaucourt-sur-Ancre, which was taken
on November 14, 1916. Pushing on through the village to the left of
it, the British troops advanced over the high ground to the northeast
of Beaumont-Hamel, on to the road from Serre to Beaucourt, having
gathered in another thousand prisoners on the way.
During the two days' fighting in this region no British troops won
greater distinction than the Scots and the Royal Naval Division. In
all the German lines in France there was no more formidable position
than the angle immediately above the Ancre, where Beaumont-Hamel lay
in a hollow of the hill. On the morning of November 13, 1916, the
Royal Naval Division attacked the stretch from just below the "Y"
ravine on the south of Beaumont-Hamel to the north side of the Ancre.
After a preliminary bombardment, which played havoc with the German
barbed-wire entanglements protecting their front line, the British
naval troops swept over the line with a rush as if the barriers had
been made of straw. The British right rested on the Ancre as they
swept across the valley bottom. Northwest, where there was a rise of
ground, the center of the line had to attack diagonally along the
slope of the hill. At the top of the slope there was a German redoubt
hidden in a curve, and invisible in front, composed of a triangle of
three deep pits with concrete emplacements for machine guns which
could sweep the slope in all directions. This formidable redoubt was
situated immediately behind the German front trench, reaching back to,
and resting on, the second. At all points the British naval troops
carried the front trench by storm. On the right they rushed along the
valley bottom and the lower part of the slope, carrying line after
line of trench on to the dip where a sunken road ran along their front
going up from the Ancre to Beaumont-Hamel on the left.
Here for a short space of time the British troops rested while others,
also of the Naval Division, came up and swept through them on and up
the slope until they had won a line beyond. After this the first line
caught up with them again, and they all swept on together in a
splendid charge that covered a good 1,500 yards and which brought them
to the very edge of Beaucourt. It was during this operation that a
British battalion commander was wounded, but continued to lead and
animate his men during the entire advance.
Meanwhile the British right center was held up by the redoubt. The
German machine guns, while checking the troops in front of them, also
swept the ground along the face of the slope to the left.
Here the troops of the Royal Naval Division suffered badly, but they
continued to advance under the withering fire, winning the first and
second line trenches, and then, as supports came up on the right,
braving the machine-gun fire, they pushed on across the dip and sunken
road up the slope toward Beaucourt. Here all the troops made a
junction, forming a line on the Beaucourt-Beaumont-Hamel road. Back of
this line the Germans still held the central parts of the trenches,
over the two ends of which the British troops had swept. The redoubt
still remained intact and other important positions were in German
hands.
On the night of the 13th the British battalion commander who had been
wounded during the advance gathered together 600 men, all that could
be spared, from established positions, and with these troops he
purposed to attempt a farther advance. It was while he was gathering
these men together that the officer received a second wound, but still
refused to retire from the field.
At early dawn of November 14, 1916, this officer led his 600 men
against the village of Beaucourt. In less than a quarter of an hour's
hand-to-hand fighting the British troops had won the village. When the
sun shone on the scene of the struggle the British troops were digging
themselves in on the farther side of Beaucourt. It was only then that
the brave battalion commander who had successfully led the attack with
four wounds in his body had to be taken to the rear.
It was on November 14, 1916, in the fighting on the Ancre that the
Scots won special distinction. Their line in the fighting was just
above that taken by the Naval Division, and included Beaumont-Hamel
itself and the famous "Y" ravine. This ravine was such a formidable
place that it merits a somewhat detailed description. Imagine a great
gash in the earth some 7,000 or 8,000 yards in total length. In form
like a great "Y" lying on its side, the prongs at the top projected
down to the German front line while the stem ran back connecting with
the road through the dip which goes from Beaumont-Hamel on the north
to the Ancre. At the forked or western end, projecting down to the
front, there is a chasm more than thirty feet deep, with walls so
precipitous that in some parts they overhang. The Germans had burrowed
into the sides of the earth and established lairs far below the thirty
feet level of the ravine, where they were practically out of reach of
shell fire coming from whatever direction. In some instances they had
hollowed out great caves large enough to contain fully a battalion and
a half of men. In addition, the thoroughgoing Germans had made a
tunnel from the forward end of the ravine to their own fourth line in
the rear. Altogether the position was admirably adapted to sustain a
long defense and it was owing to the darkness when the British
attacked, and which took the Germans by surprise, that the stronghold
was captured. The violent artillery bombardment by the British before
the attack had battered all the ordinary trenches and positions to
pieces without effecting any serious damage to the underground
shelters. Following the bombardment, the Scotch troops broke over the
German defenses, meeting their only check in the onward rush at the
ends of the "Y" ravine. On the south of this narrow point, keeping
step with the Naval Division on their right, they swept across the
first and second lines to the third. Here there was stiff fighting for
a time, and when the Scots had struggled forward they left behind a
trench full of German dead. On the north side every foot of ground was
contested before the third line was reached, and then from both sides
the ravine was attacked with bombs. At a point just behind the fork of
the "Y" the first breach was made, and down the sheer sides of the
ravine the British troops dropped with bayonet in hand. Then followed
a stubborn struggle, for the Germans filled both sides of the chasm.
Bombing, bayoneting, and grappling hand to hand continued for some
time, the Germans despite their bravery being slowly forced back. At
this stage of the fighting the British delivered a new frontal attack
against the narrow bit of the front line still unbroken at the forward
end of the "Y." As the Germans at that end turned to repel the assault
the Scotch troops in the ravine rushed forward to be joined presently
by other British troops that had by this time broken into the ravine,
when there followed a scene of indescribable confusion. The struggle,
however, was of short duration, when the Germans, at first singly and
then in groups, flung down their arms and surrendered. All the Germans
visible were made prisoners, but it was known that the tunnel and the
shelters and dugouts contained many men. A shrewd Scotch private who
had lived in Germany succeeded by strategy in drawing out most of the
Germans from their hiding places. The canny Scot took a German officer
who had surrendered, and leading him to suspected dugouts bade him
order the men inside to come out. This ruse worked happily and at one
dugout fifty Germans issued forth and surrendered.
While this struggle in the ravine was going on, other Scotch troops
had swarmed over the German lines higher up, and by noon had taken
possession of the site--there is no village--of Beaumont-Hamel. The
place is underlaid with many subterranean hiding places, and it was
during the process of gathering in the Germans concealed in these
underground shelters that some extraordinary incidents took place. One
example of personal bravery at this time must be cited. While the
fighting was still going on a man of the British Signal Corps was
running telephone lines up, and had just reached his goal in a
captured German trench when he was struck down before the mouth of a
dugout. Just as he collapsed a German officer appeared from the
depths, and "Signals" could see that there were a number of German
soldiers behind him. By a supreme effort the wounded man struggled to
his feet and ordered the officer to surrender. This the German was
quite ready to do. The Scot then pulled himself together and with his
remaining strength telephoned an explanation of the situation back
over the line which he had just laid. Having done this he stood guard
over the German officer in the opening of the dugout, keeping others
blocked behind him, until relieved of his charges by the arrival of
help. As a whole the Scots took over 1,000 prisoners and gathered in
fifty-four machine guns in the day's fighting.
No doubt the British successes in this area were gained by the
unexpectedness and dash of their attacks which took the Germans by
surprise. The foggy weather which prevailed had hampered the Germans
so that they were unable to observe the movements of British troops.
In the region to the south of the Ancre a relief was going on, so that
there was double the usual number of Germans in the trenches. The
relieving division, the Two Hundred and Twenty-third, one of the
Ludendorff's new formations and going into action for the first time
as a division, was caught within a few minutes after getting to the
trenches. Again the "tanks" were found of special service, though
owing to the heavy mud encountered during the advance they were
considerably hampered in their movements. At one point north of the
Ancre a "tank" was useful in clearing the German first-line trench,
and at another point south of the river one pushed forward and got
ahead of the British infantry into a position strongly held by the
Germans who swarmed around it and tried to blow it up with bombs. The
"tank" stood off the furious assaults until the British infantry came
up, when it became busy and helped the troops clean up the trenches
and dugouts in the vicinity.
CHAPTER XII
OPERATIONS ON THE FRENCH FRONT--FURTHER FIGHTING IN THE ANCRE
While the British were winning one of their most important victories
on the Somme on the French front both north and south there was
continued activity. The whole village of Saillisel, over which there
had been prolonged fighting, was now in French hands. Heavy attacks by
the German troops assisted by "flame throwers" were repulsed.
Southeast of Berny the Germans succeeded in penetrating the French
trenches, but were thrust out by a keen counterattack.
During the fighting in these sectors the French took 220 prisoners,
seven officers, and eight machine guns.
North of the Somme the Germans attacked from Les Boeufs to
Bouchavesnes, evidently with the purpose of forestalling a new French
offensive beyond Saillisel, which would endanger the left of the
German line opposed to the British, by the menace of being turned on
the south. Regiments of the Prussian Guard Infantry Division attacked
in the forenoon and in the afternoon along the six-mile front. But the
French forces remained firm and unwavering on both wings, and the
Germans could gain no headway against their curtain and machine-gun
fire. Around the St. Pierre Vaast Wood, in the center of the line, the
fighting reached the greatest intensity. The Germans displayed
unyielding bravery, and despite very heavy losses succeeded in
capturing outlying trenches along the western fringe, and in the
northern corner of the wood. These positions afforded them little
advantage while Saillisel and the southwest fringe of the wood were
firmly held by French troops.
South of the Somme from Ablaincourt to Chaulnes Wood, a distance of
two and a half miles, the Germans pounded the French positions almost
unceasingly for forty-eight hours. At 6 o'clock in the morning of
November 15, 1916, the Germans after a final shower of tear shells
endeavored to drive in their wedge. The main efforts of the attacking
contingent were concentrated on Ablaincourt and Pressoir. The French
were quite prepared for the onslaught and the oncoming waves of German
troops wavered and broke under the fiery storm of French shells.
Despite their heavy losses the Germans after repeated failures
succeeded about noonday in rushing the eastern portion of Pressoir.
Renewing the attack after a short interval, other portions of the
place were occupied by them. During the night, the small force of
French troops which had held the village all day against overwhelming
odds was reenforced, and in the early hours of November 16, 1916, by a
brilliant counterattack the Germans were swept out of the village and
the French line was once more solidified. The Germans during two days'
fighting had displayed conspicuous courage, but the twelve attacks
they made on Pressoir, where they gained a temporary advantage, cost
them heavily. Certain regiments, among others the One Hundred and
Eleventh Prussian, lost 60 per cent. of their effectives.
On November 15 and 16, 1916, the British continued to make gains north
of the Ancre. One division advanced a mile, and took over 1,000
prisoners at a cost of about 450 casualties. On November 16, 1916, Sir
Douglas Haig reported that in twenty-four hours the British had taken
six German officers and 297 of other ranks. In the afternoon of this
date the Germans launched a vigorous counterattack, and forced the
British to relinquish a part of the ground east of the Butte de
Warlencourt, which had been won on November 14, 1916. During the week
the British aeroplanes were constantly active and some important
successes were won over enemy aircraft. On November 16, 1916, two
junctions on the German lines of communication were bombed, and
railways and aerodromes were attacked with bombs and machine-gun fire
by day and night. German aircraft, which had displayed considerable
activity at this period, fought a number of aerial engagements with
British flyers with disastrous results to themselves. Three German
machines were brought down on the British side, and two fell within
the German lines. The British also drove down five more in a damaged
condition, while their own losses in these air combats amounted to
only three machines.
According to the British official report 6,190 Germans had been made
prisoner during four days' fighting in this sector.
On a front of about a mile and a half the British troops on November
18, 1916, again forged ahead for an average distance of 500 yards or
so on the south side of the Ancre. On the north of the river they
pushed on at daybreak through fast-falling snow until the British line
was now within three-quarters of a mile to the northeast of Beaucourt
and 500 yards beyond the Bois d'Holland, which was in British hands.
The last advance had brought them to the outskirts of Grandcourt and
here bomb fighting at close range went on throughout the day of
November 18, 1916.
To the west of this village ran the original main German second line,
which lower down passed through such famous places as the Stuff and
Zollern Redoubts. With its parallel lines of trenches and
complications it was quite as formidable as the main first line
constructed about the same time two years before. The British had
already broken through the line up to a point some 600 yards north of
Stuff Redoubt. On November 18, 1916, their troops again smashed the
line for a distance of more than 500 yards. The Germans still held
positions on the line to the south of Grandcourt, but the British had
penetrated so far to the right and to the left that the line could no
longer serve as a barrier to the village. The British advance was
begun about 6 a. m., preceded by a short but fierce bombardment of the
German line, and which according to the account afterward given by
prisoners caused the Germans to seek the shelter of their dugouts.
Troops from the British Isles and Canada who made the advance together
were among the Germans before the latter could issue from their
shelters after the withering storm of shells. At different places
savage hand-to-hand fighting went on in the trenches. On the sides of
the ravine below Grandcourt, where the slopes were swept by
machine-gun fire, the British were unable to advance. But for some two
miles to the right they swept all resistance away. Especially
important were the British gains on the extreme right, which gave them
possession of another stage of the descent along the minor spur
running in a northerly direction. The whole of the south side of the
Ancre to the edge of Grandcourt was now firmly held by British troops.
In the night of November 21, 1916, after a heavy preparatory
bombardment by trench mortars, the Germans carried out a successful
trench raid on British lines south of St. Elie. A considerable part of
the British front-line trench was demolished by German fire and
twenty-six British were taken prisoner by the raiders.
The clear weather that prevailed along the Somme front at this time
encouraged German, French, and British airmen to engage in raiding
expeditions. On November 24, 1916, British machines attacked and
routed a formation of twenty German aeroplanes, and held possession of
the field without losing one machine. At other points the British
flyers smashed eight German machines and drove several down to earth
in a damaged condition. In these encounters the British lost three
aircraft of various types.
In Lorraine three British aeroplanes fought an engagement with a
considerable number of German machines. The result was that the
British drove down an enemy machine in the forest of Gremecy,
remaining masters of the field without incurring any losses
themselves. On the Somme front there was incessant activity among the
French airmen, who fought about forty engagements, during which they
brought down five German machines. Quartermaster Sergeant Flachaire
destroyed his sixth machine near Manancourt and Lieutenant Doullin his
tenth south of Vaux Wood.
CHAPTER XIII
WEATHER CONDITIONS--MOVEMENTS AROUND LOOS
November, 1916, the fifth month of the Battle of the Somme, drew to an
end with fog and drizzling rain, the whole fighting area a drab
expanse of mud and pools of water. For two months there had not been
an interval of more than three or four days of fine weather at a time,
and the ground had grown steadily more and more water-logged, which
greatly hampered military operations. Except on the Ancre, where the
British had taken 7,000 prisoners, no other important victories had
been won by them, but each day marked some gain, and in the aggregate
the ground won, the casualties inflicted, and the slow but continuous
attrition of the enemy were of importance. The British claimed that in
November alone they had taken prisoner between 9,000 and 10,000
Germans and had put out of action fully four times as many.
The wastage of the Allies' aircraft in November, 1916, was
considerably less than in any of the previous four months. In the
official reports it was definitely stated that 148 British, German,
and French machines had been brought down. Of this total thirty-two
British machines were admitted by General Headquarters to have been
lost or were counted missing. As an offset to these losses the British
airmen had destroyed twenty-four, captured seven, and brought down
damaged twenty-six German machines. In addition to these the Royal
Naval Air Service operating under French military authorities had
brought down five hostile aeroplanes.
It was claimed by the French that they had destroyed, captured, and
driven to earth in a wrecked condition fifty German machines.
Lieutenant Guynemer continued to hold his lead among French airmen,
having scored in November, 1916, his twenty-third victory. In three
days of this month he brought down six German aeroplanes. Guynemer's
victories in the air had inspired other members of the French flying
corps to fresh deeds of daring, and during November, 1916, Lieutenant
Nungesser and Adjutant Dorme destroyed their fifteenth and sixteenth
hostile machines respectively. In the only reports published by the
Germans during this month it was claimed that they had destroyed or
put out of action thirty-six hostile machines.
On December 1, 1916, British troops successfully raided German
trenches south of Armentieres. On the same date the Germans attempted
a trench raid northeast of Neuve Chapelle which was beaten off by the
British, who inflicted some losses on the raiders. On the French front
their airmen were active in bombing enemy positions.
A German attack was made in force on December 3, 1916, after a heavy
bombardment of the British trenches south of Loos. After a spirited
struggle the Germans were driven off, having suffered heavy
casualties. On this same day British aircraft won some important
successes inside the German lines, when they bombed among other
objectives a railway station and aerodrome. The British Naval Air
Squadron also engaged in a number of air combats on this date,
destroying two German machines and damaging four others.
Heavy bombardments of enemy positions by day and the usual trench
raids at night continued for more than a week, during which the Allied
troops registered minor successes, insignificant when considered
separately, but important in the aggregate. It was not until December
13, 1916, that any important engagement was fought, when a German
attack was made on Lassigny, that part of the French front nearest to
Paris. It was estimated by French headquarters that the Germans had
brought together for this attack 40,000 troops and had concentrated
corresponding quantities of artillery. After an intense bombardment of
the French lines that lasted for some hours the German troops pressed
forward. If they had hoped to take the French by surprise, they were
speedily undeceived. The assaulting waves were received by a withering
fire from the French 3-inch and machine guns that tore great gaps in
the German close-formed ranks. A barrier of fire thrown to the rear of
the Germans caught and ravaged the supporting reserves.
The French trenches were reached over a frontage of about 300 yards,
but an immediate counterattack enabled the French to recapture their
lines. Only a few survivors of the German attacking column escaped.
Most of them were killed after a determined resistance. An hour later
the Germans renewed the assault and again failed. As their reserves
came up they were easily dispersed by the heavy French artillery.
CHAPTER XIV
FRENCH WIN AT VERDUN
On December 15, 1916, the French troops won an important victory in
the region of Verdun, north of Douaumont, when they broke through the
German lines on a front of six and a quarter miles, extending from the
Meuse River to the plain of Woevre, penetrating to a depth of nearly
two miles. In this advance the French troops captured the villages of
Vacherauville and Louvemont, the fortified farm of Chambrettes, and
the fortified fieldworks of Hardaumont and Bezonvaux. The results
gained by the French in this advance compare favorably with General
Mangin's sensational exploit on October 24, 1916, when Fort Douaumont
was taken.
The battle began at 10 o'clock in the morning as the church clock near
by sounded the hour. Immediately every French gun started a storm of
steel, showering shells immediately behind the German front line.
While this intense bombardment was at its height, the French infantry
made a dashing advance and gained the village of Vacherauville, where
they encountered stubborn resistance. There was hand-to-hand fighting
from house to house until finally the Germans were driven out,
resisting every step of the way. Pressing on beyond the village the
French next attacked an important German trench known as "Bethmann's
Bowl," which they penetrated after a hard struggle and made the
defenders prisoners. Next Pepper Hill was attacked, and the two crests
of this height were won in exactly one hour after a start had been
made. During this time the Germans on the opposing slope were caught
in the rear by a French flank movement. Completely taken by surprise
they attempted to flee when French airmen, dropping their machines to
within 500 feet of the ground, brought their machine guns to bear on
the now disorderly crowd of fugitives, and those who escaped the
devastating fire sweeping down on them at once surrendered.
The French infantry now advanced along the valley behind Pepper Hill,
and with the aid of a French force that had fought its way through the
fortified fieldworks of Caurieres Wood took Louvemont by a brilliant
assault.
In front of Douaumont the French troops made a rapid advance, but in
Hardaumont Wood their forward movement on the right flank encountered
stubborn opposition. Fighting continued there until late in the
afternoon, when the German garrison in Bezonvaux Redoubt, about five
kilometers beyond the original French line, surrendered.
It was especially encouraging to the Allies that in this impressive
victory only four French divisions participated, while it was known
from prisoners taken that the Germans had five divisions in the field.
The French owed much of their success to the daring work performed by
their aviators. Dozens of airmen dashed here and there, taking
observations, correcting artillery, and accompanying the infantry's
advance. At intervals they dashed back to headquarters with detailed
reports of what was going on, thus keeping the commander in chief in
close touch with the operations of the troops. The German gunners
seemed to have become unnerved by the rapidity of the French advance,
and fired almost at random. They had no assistance from their own
aviators, who were kept in subjection by the French airmen, of whom
not one was lost during the day.
The French did not overestimate the magnitude of the victory they had
won. It compelled the Germans to move back their artillery, which up
to that time was a source of danger to the French supply depots and
works on the other side of the Meuse, and also laid open the flanks of
the French position on Le Mort Homme.
Owing to the swiftness of the advance and the disorganization of the
German batteries the French losses were comparatively slight. As
stated in the French official report the total number of prisoners
taken on December 15, 1916, was 11,387, including 284 officers, and
115 cannon were captured, with 44 bomb throwers and 107 machine guns.
This great victory was the last act of General Nivelle before assuming
the chief command of the French armies on the western front. To this
officer belongs the credit of drawing up the plan of attack, in which
he was assisted by General Petain, at that time his superior officer.
The assault proper was left to General Mangin. The four divisions
engaged were commanded by such leaders as General de Maud'huy and
General du Passage.
During the night of December 17, 1916, German troops delivered a
strong counterattack against the new French positions north of
Douaumont. By hard fighting they succeeded in forcing the French out
of the fortified position known as Chambrettes Farm, the farthest
point which the French attained in their advance on December 15, 1916.
The Germans were not allowed for long to enjoy their small success,
for on December 18, 1916, the French returned in force and reoccupied
the position which they now held intact.
CHAPTER XV
CANADIANS AT ARRAS--NIVELLE IN COMMAND
In the afternoon of December 20, 1916, Canadian troops made an
important raid on German trenches north of Arras on a front of 400
yards and succeeded in putting out of action, temporarily at least, an
entire battalion of German infantry.
The Canadian troops, after the first preparatory fire of the British
guns had ceased, advanced and occupied the German trenches in less
than two minutes. The Germans, who had not expected that the raid
would take place before Christmas Eve, were completely surprised. As
they hurried for the saps and dugouts leading to the rear trenches,
the Canadians showered hand grenades among them. Caught entirely
unprepared, the Germans in the first line offered but a feeble
resistance, the majority at once surrendering with cries of "Kamerad!"
Many others were taken as they fled for the second and third lines
while the Canadians pushed on to the second trenches. About twenty
dugouts were destroyed, some of them with bombs captured from the
Germans. In a few of these dugouts the occupants refused to surrender
and consequently their lairs were blown to pieces. It was estimated
that 150 Germans were killed during the raid. The Canadians took one
commissioned officer prisoner and fifty-seven of other ranks.
A British officer engaged in the raid thus describes the struggle
after the German line was penetrated:
"As we entered the trenches many Germans broke from the dugouts. All
who did were subsequently well cared for. Each of our men was given
definite instructions for his precise task and a map of the enemy's
trenches, which proved absolutely correct.
"Each man knew every detail of the proposed operation. They were
delighted at this and entered the fight with great cheers. When they
came out two hours later they were singing and as happy as schoolboys
on a holiday.
"The neatness and dispatch with which the raid was carried out were
unique. The artillery cooperation of the British guns was perfection.
Beautifully placed curtains of fire prepared our advance, and creeping
forward protected us as they proceeded to demolish absolutely the
enemy trenches and dugouts. The program had given the men an hour and
a half for their work, but the clean-up was accomplished in an hour
and ten minutes, when the raiders signaled that they were ready to
return to their own trenches."
The Germans did not attempt a counterattack until the following night,
when they mistakenly bombarded and raided their own first lines,
believing that the Canadians were still there. As it happened, the
Canadian troops who had carried out the successful raid were some
miles away. They were not a part of the fighting line, but on rest,
and had gone forward for this particular military operation planned
some weeks before.
During the night of December 19, 1916, British troops made a
successful raid on German lines in the neighborhood of Gommecourt,
where after doing considerable damage to the defensive works they
retired without any casualties. Early in the morning of the following
day the British made another successful raid on German trenches north
of Arras, where they captured a number of prisoners.
On the same date, December 19, 1916, a British contingent encountered
a hostile patrol north of Neuve Chapelle. After a brief, sharp fight
the leader of the patrol was killed and his men surrendered.
German official reports of this date stated that, west of
Villers-Carbonnel, Grenadiers of the Guard and East Prussian
Musketeers forced their way into a strong British position that had
been destroyed by effective fire, and after blowing up dugouts retired
to their own lines, bringing away with them four officers and
twenty-six men as prisoners. The Germans claimed that during various
air engagements about this time along the Somme they destroyed six
hostile aircraft.
During the night of December 20, 1916, a strong German raiding party
attacked the British line opposite Lens, but only a few succeeded in
penetrating the trenches. After a short struggle these were ejected by
the British troops and the raiding party was driven off.
Southwest of Armentieres a British raiding party entered German
trenches and made some prisoners.
On December 21, 1916, the French Government made public the official
order summoning General Nivelle to the command of the armies of the
north and northeast and signed by General Joffre. General Castelnau,
General Joffre's Chief of Staff, having reached the age limit, was
retained on the active list by a special decree indorsed by the
President of France, which was preliminary to his appointment to the
command of an army group.
CHAPTER XVI
GERMAN ATTACKS AT VERDUN--RESULT OF SIX MONTHS' FIGHTING
During the night of December 28, 1916, German troops in considerable
force delivered a spirited attack on a three-kilometer front between
Hill 304 and Dead Man Hill, northwest of Verdun. The German advance
was made after an intense artillery preparation. According to the
official French reports the French infantry and machine-gun fire broke
the attack, but a trench south of Dead Man Hill was occupied by a few
German troops. In the account of the attack given out from Berlin it
was stated that German troops penetrated the third and second lines of
the French positions, from which 222 prisoners, of whom four were
officers, together with seven machine guns, were brought back. All
attempts made by the French troops to regain the captured trenches
were defeated, the German report stated.
Between the Aisne and the Oise French artillery carried out a
destructive fire on the German positions in the region of
Quennevieres. French patrols penetrated the shattered German trenches
which had been hastily evacuated. All the afternoon of December 28,
1916, German guns on the left bank of the Meuse bombarded French
positions between the Meuse and Avocourt. At several points on the
French front in this sector the Germans made vigorous attacks with
grenades, but in every instance they were repulsed with considerable
losses.
During the night of December 28, 1916, a party of British troops made
a successful raid against German trenches to the east of Le Sars with
good results.
The closing days of the year were not marked by any important military
operations on either side. Though no great attacks were attempted, the
old business of trench warfare being resumed, the opposing forces
continued to harass and destroy each other at every opportunity. The
grim object of British, French, and German was to kill wherever shell
or machine-gun bullet could reach an enemy. This period of "peace" was
really one of ceaseless activity, and the British distinguished
themselves in keeping the Germans constantly on the alert. To prevent
the building of defenses, or smash them when built, to concentrate
gunfire on communication trenches so as to render them impassable, to
destroy reliefs coming in or going out, to carry death to the foe in
ditches and dugouts--in short, to injure him in any way that human
ingenuity and military science could devise--such were the tactics
employed by belligerents during the days and nights when in official
language there was "nothing to report."
Official announcement was made on New Year's Day by the British Prime
Minister's Department that General Sir Douglas Haig, commander in
chief of the British armies in France, had been promoted to the rank
of field marshal. His chief aids on the French front, Lieutenant
General Sir Henry Rawlinson and Major General Sir Hubert Gough,
commanding the Fourth and Fifth Armies respectively, were also
gazetted for promotion.
In reviewing the work of the Allies for the past six months Field
Marshal Haig made no secret of the fact that he had been forced by
circumstances to assume the offensive in July somewhat earlier than he
intended. Had he waited until his munitionment was complete and his
raw drafts had acquired more experience, the Battle of the Somme might
not have resulted so favorably to the Allies. The Germans were near
the outskirts of Verdun and striking hard, and the moral and political
consequences of the fall of Verdun would have been so serious that it
was impossible to delay the offensive. Field Marshal Haig stated in
his summing up that the Battle of the Somme was begun to save Verdun,
to prevent the transfer of further German reenforcements from the west
to the Russian or Italian fronts, and to wear down the strength of the
enemy forces, and that all these purposes were fulfilled.
The brief period of so-called "peace" which had prevailed along the
Somme during the closing days of 1916 was broken on New Year's Day,
when a strong German patrol attacked the British trenches north of
Vermelles. The British troops defending the position having
foreknowledge of the attack, were quite prepared for a vigorous
resistance and the Germans were driven off with sanguinary losses,
leaving a number of dead and wounded on the field. In the evening of
this date, under cover of a heavy bombardment, a German patrol
consisting of about forty men made an attempt to reach the British
lines to the north of Ypres. A few of the German troops succeeded in
gaining the British trenches, but were ejected after a brief struggle.
At other points on the front between the Somme and the Ancre the
British troops started the new year in spirited fashion by carrying
out effective counterbattery work and heavy bombardment of German
positions in the neighborhood of Neuve Chapelle and Armentieres.
During the afternoon of January 6, 1917, British troops under cover of
a heavy bombardment successfully raided German positions southeast of
Arras, where advancing over a wide front they entered the enemy's
defenses and penetrated to the third line. Here they succeeded in
bombing and destroying a number of dugouts and wrought considerable
damage to the German defensive works. In minor engagements of this
character the British reported to have taken 240 prisoners since
Christmas.
French artillery on the Somme front was especially active during the
first days of the new year. On the night of January 4, 1917, French
aerial squadrons scattered projectiles on the German aviation field at
Grisolles and on the railway station and barracks at Guiscard.
A number of explosions and four incendiary fires resulted from these
attacks by French airmen.
Surprise attacks were attempted by German troops on the French
advance posts east of Butte du Mesnil in the region of Maisons de
Champagne. During the day of January 5, 1917, French artillery fire
dispersed the attackers, who fled from the field, leaving a number of
prisoners in French hands. The British troops along the Somme
continued their raids on German positions every night and frequently
during the day. In the afternoon of January 7, 1917, they attacked a
German trench south of Armentieres, and after bombing the German
defenses retired in good order with nineteen prisoners. On the same
date a German contingent after a preliminary bombardment attempted to
penetrate British trenches southwest of Wytschaete. The attackers
evidently expected that their heavy gunfire had demoralized the
defenders and looked for an easy victory, but they were speedily
repulsed with considerable losses. Another attempt made under cover of
a heavy bombardment to seize British advance posts to the north of
Ypres also met with disaster.
CHAPTER XVII
GERMAN ATTACK ON HILL 304--BRITISH SURPRISE ATTACK
Early in the morning of January 10, 1917, small detachments of British
troops attacked the German lines to the north of Beaumont-Hamel. For
some days rain and sleet had been falling almost continuously, and the
battle field in this section of the fighting area largely consisted of
swamps and miniature lakes. The British troops following the barrage
fire penetrated the German position on a front of 500 yards. The
Germans had sought refuge from the withering fire of the British guns
in their dugouts, which rain and snow and sleet had converted into
mudholes. The German soldiers were wet and cold and miserable, and
offered but slight resistance. Three officers, nine non-coms., and 109
men surrendered to the British--a larger number than the raiding party
contained.
In the afternoon of January 10, 1917, the British carried out a
successful raid east of Loos which resulted in the capture of a number
of prisoners. Throughout the day British guns pounded German positions
in the neighborhood of Les Boeufs and on both sides of the Ancre
Valley. Destructive bombardment of German trenches opposite Le Sars,
and battery positions in the neighborhood of Gommecourt, produced good
results.
On the following day, January 11, 1917, British troops successfully
attacked German positions to the north of Beaumont-Hamel. The action
had some local importance, for the Germans occupied high ground from
which they had observation of the British trenches.
The British attack was begun shortly before dawn in a dark and heavy
mist. As the first glimmer of morning light appeared the snow began to
fall, hiding with a white mantle the miry battle field, in which the
British troops sank ankle deep as they struggled forward floundering
here and there in old shell holes. The Germans had not recovered from
the nerve-shattering bombardment that had preceded the attack when the
British soldiers were upon them and over their dugouts before they
could bring their machine guns into play. The majority of the Germans
did not attempt to fight, but surrendered at once. Some of the German
officers attempted to rally their men, and, fighting bravely rather
than surrender, were killed. In the two days' fighting in this sector
the British captured over 300 prisoners. The German version of this
attack stated that "an insignificant trench had been abandoned to the
enemy."
In the night on this date, January 11, 1917, British troops were
reported to have penetrated German trenches north of Arras, where a
number of prisoners were taken at the cost of a few casualties.
Early in the morning of January 13, 1917, German troops forced their
way into a British post northwest of Serre. By a hotly pressed
counterattack the British drove them out and again occupied the post.
Thirteen prisoners, including three officers, were captured in this
area. The British during the night also attacked German trenches west
of Wytschaete, where they were successful in attaining their
objectives and captured a number of prisoners.
[Illustration: This notice was posted in French munitions works by
order of the Minister of Munitions. It contains an aviator's pictures
of Fort Douaumont before and after the artillery bombardment and
proves the importance of immense munitions supplies.]
Owing to the almost continuous bad weather, heavy rains, and snowfall,
there was little fighting along the Somme during the succeeding days,
but the bombardment of enemy positions was continuous, and the British
took some prisoners in trench raids.
In the morning of January 17, 1917, British forces on the Ancre
launched the strongest attack that had been attempted for weeks on a
front of 600 yards north of Beaucourt. Preceded by a heavy bombardment
that shattered the German defenses British troops occupied a line of
enemy posts at the cost of a few casualties. The position won by the
British was especially valuable because it afforded them better
advantages than they possessed for observation in this area. In the
afternoon of this date the Germans attempted a counterattack which was
broken up with heavy losses by the British artillery barrage.
Another daylight raid was successfully carried out by the Canadian
troops northeast of Cite Calonne on the same morning. The Canadians
succeeded in penetrating German trenches on a front of 700 yards and
pushed forward to a depth of 300 yards, or as far as the enemy's
second line. The German dugouts were completely wrecked. The British
report stated that heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy. They
captured one officer and ninety-nine of other ranks, and several
machine guns and a trench mortar. In the evening of this date the
Germans, after three hours of intense artillery fire, delivered a
series of reconnoitering attacks in Chevaliers Wood on the height of
the Meuse (Verdun front). The British artillery and machine guns at
once became active and sent such a withering fire against the Germans
that they were scattered with heavy losses.
Violent artillery duels continued for several days following, but
there was no important fighting along the Somme. On January 20, 1917,
in the region south of Lassigny, the Germans were especially active in
shelling French positions. They attempted a surprise attack on one of
the advanced French trenches, but were beaten off. On this date the
French launched a successful attack against German lines in the Vingre
sector, where they captured a number of prisoners. In the sector of
Burnhaupt, in Alsace, the French won a victory in an encounter with
enemy patrols, and repulsed a strong German reconnaissance which
attempted to reach French lines in the region southwest of Altkirch.
During the night of January 20, 1917, and most of the following day,
German and French artillery fought an almost continuous duel on the
right bank of the Meuse, while patrols of the two armies engaged in
close and sanguinary encounters in Caurieres Wood. It was during the
fighting in this region that the British took over twelve miles of the
French front. French troops, however, still held the line on the
northern bank of the Somme near Mont St. Quentin, the key to Peronne.
In the morning of January 21, 1917, the British forces made a
successful raid on German trenches southeast of Loos. It was a short
but spirited fight while it lasted. The British reported that they had
bombed and destroyed dugouts full of Germans, while their own losses
were slight. A number of Germans were made prisoner in this raid, but
the majority preferred to fight rather than yield, and fighting fell.
In the evening on this date the Germans on the right bank of the Meuse
(Verdun front) attacked on two different occasions the French trenches
to the northeast of Caurieres Wood. They made the advance after an
intense preliminary bombardment, but were unable to reach the French
position. The accurate fire of the French artillery proved destructive
and drove them back, and the French were enabled to hold their lines
without a break. About the same time British troops repulsed a German
raid on their lines north of Arras. During the night and on the day
following, January 22, 1917, the British took a number of prisoners as
the result of patrol and bombing encounters in the neighborhood of
Grandcourt, Neuville-St. Vaast, Fauquisart, and Wytschaete.
German Army Headquarters reported that on this date the British
attacked their lines near Lens and in a hand-grenade engagement were
repulsed with some losses. Near Bezon one of their reconnoitering
detachments brought back several prisoners and one machine gun from
short excursions into hostile positions.
In the night of January 22, 1917, the Germans attempted two raids on
British positions between Armentieres and Ploegsteert. In one instance
the Germans were driven back before they could reach the British
trenches. The second party of raiders succeeded in penetrating a
portion of the British position, but were quickly driven out. The
raiding party while advancing, and again on returning, came under
British machine-gun fire and left a number of dead on the field. On
this date the British lost one aeroplane and drove a hostile machine
down in the neighborhood of Aubigny. About the same time the French
reported the capture of a Fokker, which landed in their lines near
Fismes. Two other German machines were brought down in an aerial
engagement in the vicinity of Marchelpot, and another by the fire of
French antiaircraft guns in the direction of Amy.
A new division, and the sixth to enter the fight, was now flung
against the French with the purpose of cutting through the line and
covering the German occupation on the southern slope of Hill 304. "The
blackened stumps of the shell-swept wood," said an eyewitness,
"offered no protection to the kaiser's legions, and regardless of the
officers' shrill whistles and brandished revolvers the German soldiers
flung aside their equipment, rifles, and hand grenades and raced back
to their former trenches."
During the night of January 26, 1917, French artillery continued to
pound German lines in the sector of Hill 304. At Les Eparges a
surprise attack was attempted by German troops that was repulsed with
considerable losses to the attackers. During the day's fighting in
this sector the French aviators brought down five hostile aircraft,
Lieutenant Guynemer scoring his thirtieth victory.
[Illustration: Allies' Gain at the Somme, up to February, 1917.]
In the neighborhood of Transloy on the Somme front British forces
carried out a successful operation on January 27, 1917. Owing to the
blizzard weather the Germans evidently did not expect an attack,
perhaps thinking that the British would remain under shelter as they
were doing. No unusual preparation seemed to be going on within the
British lines that would suggest to an outside observer that an
important military operation was about to be launched. But in the
British trenches well prepared and organized troops were waiting the
order to attack. Suddenly the British batteries spoke in thunderous
tones, showering German trenches and defensive works with shells of
enormous destructive force. The barbed-wire obstructions before the
German positions were cut like packthread. The British troops at the
signal sprang out into no-man's-land following the curtain of fire.
Sweeping over and around the position, the Germans were trapped in
their dugouts before they could get up to bomb the invaders or fire
upon them with machine guns. The whole German garrison of this strong
position gave up the fight after making but slight resistance.
The prisoners, numbering six officers and 352 men of the Hundred and
Nineteenth and Hundred and Twenty-first Regiments, the Wuerttembergers
of Koenigen Olga, who had hardly recovered from the surprise occasioned
by their capture, were packed into old London busses and were hurried
to their camp on the British side of the battle field.
The prisoners confessed that they had been caught napping. The British
gunfire they had believed was simply the usual morning salutation, and
remained in their dugouts until it was over. They said they would have
put up a fight if they had had any kind of chance, but taken by
surprise they could only surrender.
German gunners at other points had by this time observed the red
lights that went up, the signals of distress, and thus learned that
the position had been captured. But they were too late in getting
their guns into action, and the white haze that hung over the scene at
that early morning hour hindered their observation, so that the feeble
fire they could concentrate on the captured position did no harm.
The British had pressed on farther than the objective given to them to
a point 500 yards beyond the German first line, where they established
themselves, finding the deep warm dugouts much more comfortable than
the temporary shelters of their own which they had left. Later in the
day the British troops occupying the most advanced position were
withdrawn to the ground which had been assigned as the objective in
the attack. The Germans made different attempts to force them out of
this position, but all attacks broke down under fire, for the British
had perfect observation of their movements from the higher ground they
had won in recent battles in this sector.
On the French front there was active fighting all day long on January
27, 1917. On the left bank of the Meuse French troops engaged the
Germans with hand grenades on the eastern slopes of Hill 304. On the
right bank of the river they made a successful attack against German
positions between Les Eparges and the Calonne trench. The German
position was found to be strewn with dead, and a great quantity of
booty was taken. In Lorraine there were numerous artillery duels in
the sector of the forest of Bezange. Near Moulainville a German
aeroplane was brought down in flames by the fire of French guns.
The continued bad weather that prevailed along the Somme and on the
Verdun front did not hinder the Allies from assuming the offensive
whenever there appeared to be an opportunity to make even the
slightest gain. At daybreak on January 28, 1917, British forces
penetrated German trenches northeast of Neuville-St. Vaast, where they
successfully bombed the enemy in dugouts and brought away a number of
prisoners. All day British artillery was active north of the Somme in
the neighborhood of Beaumont-Hamel, Lens, and the Ypres sector.
Northeast of Festubert the British carried out a successful raid in
which they captured an officer and a number of other ranks. The
British raiders escaped without any casualties. The Germans after an
intense bombardment attempted to rush a British post east of
Fauquissart, but were repulsed in disorder.
On this date the French forces also displayed courage and activity in
carrying out successfully important minor operations at different
points along the Somme. During the night they entered German positions
in the sector of Hill 304 on the left bank of the Meuse; artillery
duels and grenade fighting were almost continuous. In the Champagne,
and at various places on the front in Alsace, there were numerous
patrol encounters between the Germans and French in which the latter
were generally victorious. A German attack made on a French trench at
Hartmannsweilerkopf was repulsed with heavy losses to the raiders. An
attempt made by German aviators to bomb the open town of Luneville
proved abortive. No damage was done and no lives were lost.
The British forces in France did not attempt any offensive during the
day of January 29, 1917, but at night a successful raid was carried
out in the neighborhood of the Butte de Warlencourt north of
Courcelette.
The British penetrated the German trenches and bombed the dugouts,
destroying a gun and taking seventeen prisoners. East of Souchez
another British raiding party penetrated German lines and wrecked the
defenses.
The Germans continued their efforts to drive the French out of their
positions in the region of Hill 304. On this date, January 29, 1917,
they made a violent attack with grenades on an advanced French trench
in this sector, but were repulsed with losses by the French artillery.
Three German aeroplanes were brought down.
The 30th of January, 1917, was an unimportant day in the fighting in
France. The British bombarded German positions opposite Richebourg
l'Avoue, east of Armentieres and Ypres. Between Soissons and Rheims
the French artillery dispersed two surprise attacks attempted by the
Germans, one in the sector of Soupir and the other in the region of
Beaulne (Aisne).
In Lorraine during the night a French detachment penetrated the first
and second line of German trenches at a point south of Leintrey. The
defenders of these positions were put out of action and the French
took about fifteen prisoners. In the region of Moncel another party of
French raiders successfully carried out a surprise attack on German
positions.
On this last day of the month the British headquarters in France
reported that during January they had captured 1,228 Germans,
including twenty-seven officers.
PART II--EASTERN FRONT
CHAPTER XVIII
THE NEW DRIVE AGAINST LEMBERG
Coincident with their attempt to recapture Kovel, the Russians
launched a new drive against Lemberg, the ancient capital of Galicia.
This movement was a result of the successes which they had gained in
the Bukowina and in eastern Galicia during July, 1916. By the end of
that month, as has been previously told, the Russians had reconquered
all of the Bukowina, overrun some of the most southern passes of the
Carpathians, and were in possession of that part of eastern Galicia
located north of the Pruth and Dniester Rivers and east of the Strypa
River.
Having gained these advantages, they now attempted to press them and
attacked Lemberg both from the north and from the south. In the former
direction they advanced from Brody and Tarnopol against the strongly
held Styr and Bug line. In the south Lemberg was defended by the
Dniester line. Before forcing this line it was necessary to capture
Stanislau, an important point on the Czernowitz-Lemberg railway.
Between the Bug and the Dniester lines of defense Lemberg was secured
in the east, and still farther by a third line of natural defenses.
This was formed by a series of northern tributaries of the Dniester,
of which the most important were the Sereth, Strypa, and Zlota Lipa
Rivers. The former two had already been crossed by the Russians, but
there still remained the very formidable and extremely strong line of
defenses along the last, which had more than once before proved very
difficult to overcome.
On the Russian side there were engaged in this struggle three army
groups under Generals Sakharoff, Stcherbacheff, and Lechitsky. The
Austro-German forces were divided into four groups under Generals
Puhallo, Boehm-Ermolli, Von Bothmer, and Von Pfanzer-Ballin.
During the first few days of August, 1916, the fighting along this
entire line, though continuous and severe, was not particularly well
defined and was more or less split up into comparatively small and
local engagements. On August 1, 1916, engagements of this nature took
place southwest of Burkanoff and west of Buczacz. In the latter region
the ground offered great difficulties. A small but very marshy
river--the Moropiec--was strongly defended by the Austro-German
forces, and when these finally had to give way, they destroyed all
bridges. Nothing daunted, the Russians waded across in the face of
severe fire and frequently up to their necks in water, gained the
western bank, and after making some hundreds of prisoners, promptly
dug themselves in. Other engagements occurred on the same day in the
Dniester-Pruth sector--in the direction of Stanislau near Wisniowcza
and Molodgonow.
On August 2, 1916, the Russians developed a strong attack on both
sides of the railway near Brody against Ponikowica, but were
unsuccessful. However, the attacks were kept up and by the next day,
August 3, 1916, yielded not only considerable ground, but more than
1,000 prisoners. Fighting was kept up in this locality throughout the
following day. The Austro-Germans launched nine counterattacks, all of
which were repulsed. The losses on both sides were very severe. For,
though the Austro-German forces had to give way, they did so only
after the most stubborn resistance. Every little village had to be
fought for for hours, and each street had to be cleared at the point
of the bayonet. Especially severe encounters occurred near Meidzigory
and Tchistopady. By August 5, 1916, the Russians had registered some
important successes in this small sector. The number of their
prisoners had mounted to over 5,000, and a considerable number of
machine guns and bomb throwers had fallen into their hands. The
Austro-Germans tried to dislodge their opponents by means of violent
artillery fire and a series of strong counterattacks, but were
unsuccessful, and by the end of the fourth day, August 5, 1916, the
Russians were in possession of the west bank of the Sereth, near and
northwest of Zalocze, and of the villages of Zvyjin, Ratische,
Tchistopady, Gnidava, and Zalvoce, and the entire ridge of heights
between them.
Without let-up the Russians continued to hammer away at the
Austro-German lines on the Graberka and Sereth Rivers. On August 6,
1916, the Russian troops captured some more strongly fortified
positions in the vicinity of the villages of Zvyjin, Kostiniec, and
Reniuv. This region abounds with woods, and lends itself therefore
easily to the most determined defense. This resulted again in very
fierce bayonet encounters. The Austro-German forces attempted to stop
the Russian advance and launched a long series of very energetic
counterattacks, especially in the region of the river Koropiec. All of
these, however, were in vain. They were repulsed and resulted in
considerable losses. According to their official statement, the
Russians made about 8,500 prisoners in the Sereth sector on August 5
and 6, 1916, captured four cannon, nineteen machine guns, eleven
trench mortars, a large number of mine throwers and much war material
of all kinds. The amount of ground captured by August 7, 1916, was
claimed to have reached the considerable total of sixty-one and
one-half square miles.
Closer and closer the Russians were getting to their immediate
objective, Stanislau. On August 7, 1916, strong Russian forces
attacked along a front of about fifteen miles on a line between
Tlumach and Ottynia and succeeded in forcing back the Austro-Germans
along this entire front. They forced their way into the town of
Nizniow (about fifteen miles northeast of Stanislau), which was
captured, as also were the villages of Bratychuv, Palakhiche,
Nodworna, Charnolocza, Krovotula, Nove, and the small town of Ottynia,
and finally the town of Ilumach itself.
In spite of the gradual retirement of the Austro-Germans they
maintained their counterattacks, which, however, were not successful.
By April 8, 1916, they had been forced to take their line back to the
west of Nizinoff-Tysmienitsa-Ottynia, or within a few miles east of
Stanislau. The Russians on that day crossed the Koropiec, drove their
opponents out of their fortified positions, and themselves occupied
the left bank up to the point of its juncture with the Dniester. Late
on the same day the town of Tysmienitsa was taken as well as a ridge
of heights to the northeast as far as the right bank of the Dniester.
The fall of Stanislau now had become only a matter of days.
Throughout the next two days, August 9 and 10, 1916, the battle for
the possession of Stanislau continued to rage incessantly. One after
another the Russians overcame all the obstacles in their way. River
after river was crossed, trench after trench was stormed, and village
after village was captured. At last, about 8 o'clock in the evening of
August 10, 1916, the Russians under General Lechitsky entered
Stanislau from where the Austro-German troops had previously retired
in good order in a northerly direction against Halicz.
Farther north, in the region of Buczacz and Zalocze, the Russian
advance likewise progressed, though somewhat slower. Although by
August 11, 1916, the ground between the Zlota Lipa and the Horovanka
from the village of Kraseczuv up to the village of Usciezelione had
been captured, the Russian line had not been able to push quite as far
west toward Lemberg as in the region of Stanislau. In spite of this
fact, however, the Russians continued to push their advance. On August
12, 1916, they occupied Podhaytse on the Zlota Lipa, halfway between
Buczacz and Brzezany, and Mariampol on the Dniester.
The Austro-German forces continued their stubborn resistance all along
the line, and every bit of ground gained by the Russians had to be
fought for very hard. On August 13, 1916, fighting occurred along the
entire Galician front, from the Dniester up to the upper Sereth. The
Zlota Lipa was again crossed on that day at some of its numerous
turnings. After a very stubborn fight the village of Tustobaby,
northwest of the Dniester, strongly defended by fortifications and
machine guns, fell into the hands of the Russians. Russian attacks in
the region of Zboroff on the Tarnopol-Lemberg railroad were repulsed,
as were also attacks made west of Monasterzyska.
"In addition, there were taken a large number of rifles, 30 versts of
small-gauge railways, telegraphic materials, and several depots of
ammunition and engineering materials."
Throughout the next few days the Austro-Germans resumed the offensive
along the entire line. In spite of this the Russians managed to
advance at some points. At others they stubbornly maintained their
ground, and only in a few instances were they forced to yield
slightly. As the end of August approached the fighting along the
entire eastern front decreased very much in importance and violence.
Local engagements, it is true, took place at many points. But the
result of none of these had any important influence on the respective
positions of the Russians and Austro-Germans. The latter had lost
considerable ground during the Russian offensive and, if the Russian
reports were at all reliable, had suffered even more severe losses in
men and material. In this respect, however, the Russians had fared no
better, and possibly even worse. At any rate, neither Kovel nor
Lemberg, apparently the two chief objectives of the Russian
operations, had been reached, so that in spite of the Russian gains
the advantage seemed to rest with the Austro-Germans.
At the same time at which the Russians advanced against Kovel and
Lemberg the Austro-German forces renewed with increased vigor their
activities in the Carpathian Mountains, undoubtedly with the object to
reduce, if possible, the Russian pressure on their Bukowinian and
Galician positions. To a certain extent the Central Powers met with
success.
On August 4, 1916, a strong force of about one division, belonging to
the army group of the then Austrian heir-apparent, Archduke Charles
Francis Joseph, attacked the Russians in the mountain passes southwest
of Kutty on the Cheremosh, drove them back in a northeasterly
direction and captured some 400 men and a few machine guns. Again on
the next day, August 5, 1916, the Austro-Germans attacked in force,
this time somewhat farther west on the Pruth River in the vicinity of
Jablonitza south of Delabin, without gaining any noticeable ground.
On August 6, 1916, the Austro-German successes of August 4, 1916, were
somewhat extended by the capture of some additional heights on the
Cheremosh River. For the next few days there was little fighting in
these regions. But on August 11, 1916, an attack begun the day before
south of Zabie on the Cheremosh resulted in the capture of about 700
Russians and a few machine guns.
Gradually this movement spread until on August 14, 1916, the Russians
saw themselves forced to evacuate Jablonitza on the Pruth, which,
together with some near-by villages, was immediately occupied by the
Austro-Germans. Over 1,000 Russians were captured. Additional
territory was regained by the Austro-Germans in this vicinity on
August 15, 1916. During the next few days the Russian resistance
gradually stiffened. In spite of this fact, and in spite of some local
successes gained by the Russians on August 15, 1916, south of Delatyn
and north of Kimpolung and again on August 17, 1916, south of
Jablonitza near Korosmezo, the Austro-Germans continued to gain ground
and increased the number of their prisoners. On August 19, 1916, the
Russians reported some additional successes in the Jablonitza sector
as well as on the Cheremosh and in the neighborhood of Kirlibaba,
northwest of Kimpolung near the Hungarian-Bukowinian-Rumanian border.
On the same day, however, August 19, 1916, the Austro-Germans occupied
some heights south of Zabie, which they succeeded in holding against
strong Russian attacks launched on the same day, as well as on August
20 and 21, 1916. During the balance of August, 1916, the fighting in
the Carpathian Mountains deteriorated as a result of the new
developments farther south on the Rumanian border in a number of small
local engagements. The results of none of these had any particular
influence on the general position of either side, and in most
instances amounted to little more than fighting between outposts. The
only exception was the fighting in the neighborhood of Nadvorna, a
few miles south of Stanislau, where the Russians in the face of
stubborn resistance made some slight advance toward the Hungarian
border, from which they were, on August 29, 1916, still some twenty
miles distant.
CHAPTER XIX
THE BATTLE ON THE STOKHOD RIVER
In preceding chapters we have learned of the successful onslaught
which the Russians made against the Austro-German lines during the
months of June and July, 1916. Along the entire southern part of the
eastern front--from the southern base of the Pinsk salient down to the
Austro-Russo-Rumanian border--the troops of the Central Powers had
been pushed back many miles.
From June 4, 1916, to August 1, 1916, the Russians had regained some
15,000 square miles in Volhynia, Galicia, and the Bukowina. Lutsk,
Dubno, and Czernowitz were some of the valuable prizes which had
fallen into the hands of the czar's armies. At the beginning of
August, 1916, they now threatened the important railway centers of
Kovel and Lemberg, the latter the capital of Galicia.
In defending the former the Austro-German armies had made a determined
stand on the banks of the Stokhod River. This bit of water has its
origin some ten miles west of Lutsk, from which point it winds its
tortuous course for about one hundred miles in a northerly direction
toward the Pripet River, of which it is a tributary. Its northern part
flows through the Pripet Marshes. Its southern part, up to about the
village of Trojanovka, forms a salient, with its apex on an almost
straight line drawn between Kolki on the Styr and Kovel on the Turiya.
This salient, as well as the part of the Stokhod between the southern
base of the salient and its origin, formed a valuable and very
formidable natural line of defense for Kovel against any attacks from
the northeast, east, and southeast. Here the Austro-Germans had thrown
up strong defensive works and were resisting with all their might.
On August 1, 1916, the most furious kind of fighting took place in the
Stokhod sector. By that time the Russian attack, begun a few days
before, had made considerable progress, so that the Russians were at
some points some few miles west of the river. Time and again the
Russians heavily attacked the German-Austrian lines. In most places,
however, the latter not only held, but were even strong enough to
permit of repeated powerful counterattacks. This was especially true
in the region of the bend of the Stokhod near the villages of
Seletsie, Velitsk, and Kukhari. Very heavy fighting also developed at
many points north of the Kovel-Sarni railway. Near the village of
Smolary the Russians attacked three times, but were thrown back as
often, and between Witoniez and Kiselin six Russian attacks followed
each other in rapid succession, encountering the most stubborn
resistance.
Without abatement the Russians threw themselves against their
opponents' lines in this sector on the following day, August 2, 1916.
But the Germans protected themselves with such a well-directed and
furious curtain of artillery fire that the czar's troops could make no
further progress in spite of exceedingly heavy losses. Again Witoniez
and Kiselin were the center of desperate fighting which gradually
spread to the forest near Ostrow, north of Kiselin, and to the region
near the villages of Dubeschovo and Gulevitchie.
As the fighting progressed it became more and more evident that the
Austro-German command had determined to make a stand at the Stokhod at
any cost. The special correspondent of the London "Times," observing
the fighting from the Russian side, described its furiousness and the
ever-increasing resistance of the Austro-Germans as follows:
"From an observation point eighty feet above the ground in the swaying
foliage of a huge oak, a few versts distance from the battle field, I
obtained an extraordinary view of the country and of the Russian
artillery preparation. The country here is as flat as a board and
marshy, with the slow-flowing Stokhod oozing in the midst of beds of
water lilies. The difficulties of an advance are almost incredible,
yet our troops forded the river in places, passing mazes of barbed
wire sunk in the water.
"The cannonading continues day and night, at times reaching such
violence that it is impossible to distinguish sounds; it is simply a
continuous roar like thunder. At night the whole sky is illuminated by
bursting shells, searchlights, and star bombs. The town is filled with
wounded."
During the night of August 3 to 4, 1916, the stiffening of the
Austro-German defensive found expression in a series of very violent
German attacks against the village of Rudka-Miryanskaia, which formed
a very strong salient in the Russian positions. This little hamlet--it
is hardly more than that--is situated on the river Stavok, a tributary
of the Stokhod. Austro-German forces advanced from three sides.
Throughout the entire night the fighting for the possession of this
point was kept up. Attack after attack was repulsed by the Russians.
But in the early morning hours the latter were forced to evacuate the
village and to retreat more than 500 yards to the east. A few hours
later reenforcements arrived and the Russians once more gained
possession of the village, in the streets of which the sanguinary kind
of hand-to-hand fighting raged for hours. As a result the
Austro-German forces were finally thrown back beyond the river Stavok.
Before long, however, fresh Austro-German troops launched new
counterattacks and regained most of this territory, holding it
thereafter in the face of a number of violent Russian counterattacks.
Considerable fighting occurred likewise on August 3, 1916, both
somewhat farther north and south of this position. In the former
direction Russian detachments crossed the Stokhod at some points near
Lubieszow and occupied a series of heights, where they fortified
themselves strongly. To the south Ostrow again was the center of
bitter engagements, which, however, yielded no definite results.
By this time, August 10, 1916, it had become more or less evident that
the Russian drive against Kovel had been stopped by the
Austro-Germans. For a few days now a comparative reduction in the
violence of the fighting in the Stokhod sector set in.
Local attacks, however, as well as counterattacks continued even
during this period near Lubieszow and Zarecze, especially on August 11
and 12, 1916. Gradually, and concurrent with increased activity on
other parts of the eastern front, engagements in the Stokhod sector
became fewer and less important.
On August 18, 1916, however, the Russians somewhat renewed their
activity. The first sign was increased artillery fire at various
points. This was quickly followed by local attacks near
Rudka-Czerwiszce, Szelwow, and Zviniache. Especially noticeable was
the increase in Russian activity in the neighborhood of the first of
these three places, where the village of Tobol, after having changed
hands repeatedly, was finally occupied by the Russians. The latter
were successful on August 17, 1916, in crossing the Stokhod in this
vicinity at a point where they had previously been unable to make any
progress. On the other hand, they were forced to evacuate some of
their positions east of Kiselin.
Both on August 20 and 21, 1916, the Russians attempted to enlarge the
success which they had gained near Rudka-Czerwiszce. In this, however,
they were not successful, encountering the strongest kind of
determined resistance and suffering considerable losses. Local
engagements at various points on the Kovel-Sarni railroad and in the
neighborhood of Smolary likewise terminated in favor of the
Austro-German forces. During the balance of August, 1916, fighting on
the Stokhod was restricted to moderate artillery fire, local infantry
engagements, and extensive reconnoitering operations, carried on now
by one side, now by the other, without, however, yielding any
important results or changing to any extent the respective positions.
While the Russians were developing their attack against Kovel the
balance of the eastern front was comparatively inactive with the
exception of the Galician and Bukowinian sectors. The fighting which
occurred there had as its object the capture of Lemberg and developed
soon into a struggle of the first magnitude. It will be described in
detail in the following chapter.
North of the Stokhod occasional local engagements occurred from time
to time. Thus the Germans gained a slight local success on August 1,
1916, near Vulka on the Oginsky Canal to the northwest of Pinsk. On
the same day considerable fighting took place near Logischin and on
both sides of Lake Nobel, both in the same vicinity. The fighting on
the banks of the lake continued during the next few days, but bore no
important results.
Smorgon, the small but important railroad station on the Vilna-Minsk
railway, just southwest of the Vilia River, which so many times before
had been the center of furious fighting, again was made the scene of
attacks on the night of August 2, 1916. At that time the Germans
launched gas attacks on both sides of the railway. The attack opened
at 1 o'clock in the morning and the gas was released six times with
intervals between the waves. The gas attacks finished at 6 a. m. The
use of gas was discovered in good time, with the result that the
Germans, who were following the attacks, on attempting to advance,
were met with rifle and machine-gun fire and suffered severe losses.
On August 3, 1916, considerable activity was displayed in the vicinity
of Lakes Narotch and Wiszniew. The Russians there attempted to advance
against the German field positions near Spiagla, but were promptly
thrown back. Farther north the Germans gained some slight local
successes by capturing a few advanced Russian trenches northwest of
Postavy. At some other points, especially on the Shara, southeast of
Baranovitchy, the railway center east of Slonin, lively hand-grenade
battles occurred.
On the following day, August 4, 1916, the Russians made an attempt to
cross the Dvina near Deveten, a few miles northwest of Dvinsk, but
were repulsed. Another similar undertaking, attempted August 8, 1916,
east of Friedrichstadt, met the same fate. On that day German
batteries successfully bombarded Russian torpedo boats and other
vessels lying off the coast of Kurland and forced them to retire.
August 10 and 11, 1916, brought a series of small, local attacks
launched by the Russians south of Lake Wiszniew, near Smorgon and
Krevo. They were all repulsed. These attacks were renewed on August
12, 1916, bringing, however, no better results. On August 13, 1916,
considerable fighting took place in the region of Skrobiowa and along
the Oginsky Canal, south of Lake Wygonowskoie.
A lively local engagement developed on August 16, 1916, west of Lake
Nobel in the Pripet Marshes, about sixty miles northeast of Kovel. The
fighting lasted throughout August 17 and 18, 1916, and finally
resulted in a repulse for the Russians, who lost some 300 men and a
few machine guns.
A gas attack, launched by the Germans during the night of August 22,
1916, in the region south of Krevo, a little town north of the
Beresina River and about fifty miles southeast of Vilna, brought no
results of importance. The same was true of an attack against Russian
trenches south of Tsirin, northwest of Baranovitchy, made after
considerable artillery preparation on August 24, 1916.
Toward the end of August, 1916, the Russians again attempted at
various times to cross the Dvina. In no case, however, were they
successful. Even when they succeeded in launching their boats, as they
did on August 26, 1916, near Lenewaden east of Friedrichstadt, they
were driven back by the German fire.
CHAPTER XX
RENEWED DRIVE AGAINST LEMBERG
In spite of the temporary setback which the Russians experienced at
the end of August, 1916, in their attempt to reach and capture once
more Galicia's ancient capital, Lemberg, they were undaunted.
With the beginning of September, 1916, the vigor of their attacks
increased noticeably. On September 1, 1916, Russian attacks were
launched against the Austro-German lines east of Lemberg from all
directions. They were especially strong and violent in the vicinity of
Zlochoff and Halicz. In both these regions the Russian troops were
successful in advancing after capturing a number of positions. Without
abatement fighting continued on the next day, both before Halicz and
Zlochoff. In spite of the most fierce attacks, many of which were made
at the point of the bayonet, the Russians on September 2, 1916, were
unable to advance.
The fighting on September 3, 1916, was centered chiefly around
Brzezany and Zboroff. In both localities the Russians claimed
successes and reported large numbers of prisoners. Again, on September
4, 1916, Brzezany was the center of much fighting. Attack after attack
was launched by the Russians and thrown back by the Austro-Germans. On
the following day, September 5, 1916, the Russian persistency finally
found its reward. Although Russian attacks near Zlochoff broke down
under the Austro-German fire, other attacks between the Zlota Lipa and
the Dniester resulted in the pressing back of the Austro-German
center. Throughout the next few days the Russians continued to hurl
attack after attack against the Austro-German lines, stretching, to
the west of Lemberg, from Brody to Halicz. The regions near Zlochoff,
Zboroff, Brzezany, and Halicz, and especially that small strip of
country lying between the Zlota Lipa and the Dniester, were witnesses
of some of the most stubborn and sanguinary fighting which even this
blood-drenched corner of unhappy, war-swept Galicia had seen.
Again and again the Russian regiments would sweep up against the
strongly fortified and strongly held Austro-German lines, after
gunfire of unheard-of violence had attempted to prepare their task.
But though occasionally they made some advances, stormed some
trenches, or by the very violence of their attacks forced back the
Austro-Germans, the latter, generally speaking, held their ground.
Some very interesting sidelights are thrown on the fighting near
Halicz by the special correspondent of the London "Times," Stanley
Washburn, who writes from the Russian lines about the middle of
September, 1916, as follows:
"Our troops are now but a few hundred yards from Halicz railway
station, and just across the river from the town.
"Fighting has been going on on this army front almost without
intermission since August 31, and has resulted in the capture of
25,000 prisoners, of whom 8,000 are Germans, and twenty-two guns, some
of them heavy guns.
"The most significant, observation one makes on coming to this front
after two months with the more northern armies is the complete
reorganization of the Austrian front since the beginning of the
offensive in June. It was then held by six Austrian divisions and one
German. It is now held with a slightly extended front by fragments of
nine German divisions, two Turkish divisions, and three and a half
Austrian divisions. Of the Austrian divisions originally here three
have been completely destroyed, and two have departed, one for the
Rumanian front and another is missing.
"The composition of the German forces here shows the extraordinary
efforts the Germans are making to bolster up the Austrian cause and
preserve Lemberg. The only German division here at the inception was
the Forty-eighth Reserve Division. Last July there came from the
Balkans the Hundred and Fifth German Division, and at the same time
the Hundred and Nineteenth from our Riga front. Subsequently two
regiments of this division were sent to Kovel. Now one of these has
been hurried back here. The Ninety-fifth and the Hundred and
Ninety-ninth Divisions came in August, and within the past few days
the Hundred and Twenty-third Division arrived from the Aisne and the
Two Hundred and Eighth from the Somme. In addition there are present
here a fragment of the First Reserve Division and of the Third
Prussian Guard Division.
"The Turkish troops, which came several weeks ago, consist of the
Nineteenth and Twentieth Divisions, which last year opposed the Allies
at the Dardanelles. They have been fighting with extraordinary
fierceness.
"The immense efforts being made by the Germans to hold this front and
to make sweeping movements, become increasingly difficult, and the
campaign here promises to become similar to that in the west, where
the enemy's lines must be slowly digested mile after mile."
With the beginning of October, 1916, the Russians once more began
their drive against Lemberg. On the last day of September, 1916, the
Russians advanced short distances along both sides of the
Brody-Lemberg railroad, as well as farther south, near Zboroff, until
they were stopped by the curtain of fire directed against them from
the Austro-German lines. Still farther south, along both sides of the
Zlota Lipa, violent hand-to-hand encounters occurred. In the angle
between the Tseninoka and the Zlota Lipa the Russians also advanced
and gained a foothold in the first line of the Austro-Germans.
The latter immediately launched strong counterattacks on October 1,
1916, which resulted in the recapture of some of the lost ground,
especially along the Brody-Lemberg railroad. By October 2, 1916, the
battle for Lemberg was again in full swing all along the line from
Brody down to the Dniester, and the Russians succeeded in advancing at
some points on the Zlota Lipa. Without diminution the battle continued
on October 3, 1916. But so stubborn was the Austro-German resistance
that the Russians, in spite of the most violent assaults, were unable
to make any noticeable progress, except in the neighborhood of Brody
and Zboroff, as well as on the Zlota Lipa. Not only were infantry
attacks kept up for two full days, but the most lavish expenditure of
shells resulted in the most stunning artillery fire. No changes of any
importance, however, occurred in the positions of either side. The
same condition continued on October 6, 1916. On October 7 and 8, 1916,
the fighting in this region had slowed down to a considerable extent,
except in the vicinity of Brzezany where a series of attacks and
counterattacks took place without having any definite result for
either side.
Throughout the following week up to October 15, 1916, little of real
importance occurred in the Lemberg sector. Engagements, some of them
more nearly deserving the name "battles," were frequent at many
points, but barren of results. Gradually, however, the artillery fire
from both sides increased in violence, a sure sign of new attacks. On
October 14, 1916, coincident with the new Austro-German offensive in
the Carpathians, the Russians again attacked in force near Zboroff,
while the Germans attempted an advance south of Halicz. These
undertakings gradually developed, and by October 15, 1916, the battle
was again raging furiously all along the line east of Lemberg.
Especially on the western bank of the Narayuvka, a few miles north of
Halicz, strong Austro-German forces were employed and began to gain
ground slowly. This small success was gradually increased during the
following days, and on October 19, 1916, additional ground was gained
in this section. The Austro-Germans claimed to have captured over
2,000 men and held their newly regained positions against a number of
strong counterattacks. This success was again enlarged on October 20,
1916.
The fighting for complete control of the west bank of the Narayuvka
continued on October 21 and 22, 1916, and by that day the Russians had
been forced to give up all their positions. This greatly improved the
Austro-German positions before Halicz. This, in conjunction with the
severe losses, which the Russians had suffered, resulted in a
reduction of fighting and, at least for the time being, the Russian
attempts to reach Lemberg ceased. During the balance of October
nothing of importance happened in the Lemberg sector of the eastern
front, although the Russians attempted a number of times during the
last two days of the month to recapture the positions which they had
lost on the Narayuvka.
These attempts were renewed on November 1 and 2, 1916, with equal lack
of success. Engagements in this region which occurred on November 3,
1916, gave a few additional Russian positions to the Austro-Germans.
For the rest of November, 1916, the vicinity of the Narayuvka was
frequently the center of minor actions between comparatively small
detachments. Similar engagements occurred at various other points on
the Lemberg sector, and in some instances were preceded by heavy
artillery fire. The net result of all this fighting made practically
no change in the relative positions, except that it gave an
opportunity to the Austro-Germans to strengthen their positions near
Halicz and to bar the way to Lemberg more efficiently than ever.
CHAPTER XXI
THE FIGHTING FROM RIGA TO LUTSK
Just as the Russians maintained their attacks against Lemberg, they
continued their drive against Kovel, farther north, in September,
1916. On the first of that month fierce fighting occurred east and
south of Vladimir Volynsky, about twenty-five miles south of Kovel. On
the Stokhod Austro-German counterattacks near the village of Tobolo,
about forty miles northeast of Kovel, likewise resulted in fierce
engagements. On September 2, 1916, strong Russian attacks were
launched northeast and southeast of Sviniusky. At one time these
resulted in the capture of the village of Korytniza, which, however,
had to be given up again by the Russians when the Austro-Germans
commenced a dangerous outflanking counterattack.
The fighting in this region continued for that entire week, September
3 to 9, 1916. Neither side could gain any noticeable advantage. No
matter how often and how violently the Russians threw themselves
against the Austro-German lines on the Stokhod, the latter held as
they had done before so often. In isolated places the Austro-Germans
even assumed the offensive. But in that respect they were not any more
successful than their opponents.
[Illustration: Attack in the Riga Sector.]
On September 9, 10, and 11, 1916, the Russians launched a series of
very fierce attacks, carried out by strong forces against Bavarian
troops, holding part of the Stokhod line near Stara Czerwiszcze. Again
and again they came on in wave after wave. But neither great numbers
nor the most extensive artillery fire had any effect, as far as
gaining ground was concerned. The losses on both sides, however, were
appalling. By the middle of September, 1916, the fighting in the Kovel
sector lost noticeably in violence. On September 16, 1916, however,
the Russians again attacked west of Lutsk over a front of about twelve
miles. Though they suffered severe losses, they could not overcome the
Austro-German resistance, and for the balance of the month of
September, 1916, comparative quiet reigned along the Kovel sector of
the eastern front.
Simultaneously with their renewed efforts against Lemberg the Russians
began once more to drive against Kovel, with the beginning of October,
1916. On October 1 and 2, 1916, the most stubborn fighting developed
west of Lutsk in the neighborhood of Zaturze, Zola Savovskaia, and
Shelvov. In some places Russian troops stormed twelve times against
one and the same position, and at one point they made seventeen
attacks. These attacks were kept up for a number of days, but met with
little success, and by October 5, 1916, comparative calmness prevailed
on the Volhynian sector.
However, on October 8, 1916, the battle west of Lutsk, in the
direction of Vladimir Volynski, broke out once more in full fury. On
that day the Russians gained some slight successes at a few points,
which they lost, however, again on the following day. During the next
few days a number of smaller engagements occurred at many places west
of Lutsk, near Kiselin and along the Stokhod. These were only
forerunners of a new drive against Kovel which was begun on October
14, 1916.
On that day the Russians captured some trenches near Korytniza, forty
miles south of Kovel. These were held against many violent
Austro-German counterattacks, although the latter were kept up for a
number of days. By October 18, 1916, a new battle had developed in the
neighborhood of Kiselin, and fighting also was renewed more vigorously
on the Stokhod. In the latter region the Austro-Germans regained some
ground which they held against strong counterattacks. By October 20,
1916, activities on the Volhynian front had slowed down to an exchange
of artillery fire of varying intensity and to minor engagements of
local extent and little importance. This condition continued
throughout the balance of October, 1916, except that during the last
few days the Russian artillery fire along the entire Stokhod line,
especially just west of Lutsk, increased greatly in violence.
Throughout November, 1916, only a few actions of real importance took
place in the Kovel sector. Most of these occurred on the Stokhod,
where the Austro-Germans succeeded in improving their positions at
various points. The Russians seemed to be satisfied everywhere to
maintain their positions and to repulse as violently as possible all
Austro-German attempts to press them back. The most important
engagement in this sector most likely occurred on November 9, 1916, in
the region of Skrobova, near Baranovitchy, where the Central Powers
attacked along a front of about two and one-half miles and inflicted
heavy losses on the Russians.
Throughout the entire period of the Russian offensive against Kovel
and Lemberg comparative quiet reigned in the northern half of the
eastern front. Of course there, as well as everywhere else, continuous
engagements occurred. But they were almost all of a minor character,
and in most instances amounted to little more than clashes between
outposts or patrol detachments. On September 2, 1916, the Germans made
a somewhat more pretentious attack against some Lettish battalions of
the Russian army near Riga. The latter retorted promptly by a strong
counterattack which inflicted severe losses. On September 3, 1916, the
Russians repulsed a strong German gas attack.
During the balance of September, 1916, comparatively little of
importance occurred along the northern half of the eastern front
between Riga and the Styr. On September 6, 1916, the Russians crossed
to the western bank of the Dvina, north of Dvinsk, drove the Germans
out of their trenches along a short stretch and captured these
positions. On the next day the Germans promptly attacked these
positions, first with artillery and then with infantry, but were
unable to dislodge the Russians. On September 12, 1916, the Russians
made a number of attacks north of Dvetnemouth and near Garbunovka, but
were repulsed. A similar fate was suffered by a series of massed
attacks, preceded by a gas attack, which were undertaken by the
Germans on September 22, 1916, southwest of Lake Narotch.
The month of October, 1916, brought little of moment on the northern
half of the eastern front. Of course, local engagements occurred at
various places almost continuously, but most of them were little less
than fights between outposts of patrols. On October 12, 1916, the
Germans suddenly attacked Russian trenches near the village of
Goldovitchy, on the western bank of the Shara, north of the Pripet
Marshes. A few isolated gas attacks were attempted by the Russians in
the same vicinity on October 24 and 25, 1916. The latter was
reciprocated by an infantry attack, carried out by a small German
force on October 26, 1916, which had no result. A similar attack made
against the Russian positions just south of Riga was equally
unsuccessful.
During November, 1916, practically nothing of importance happened
anywhere along that part of the eastern front which stretches from
Riga to the Styr. Occasional attacks by small infantry groups were
made by both sides, but resulted in no actual change in the relative
positions. At other times artillery duels would take place, varying in
duration and intensity, and having likewise no result of real
importance.
CHAPTER XXII
FIGHTING IN THE CARPATHIANS
Accompanying the renewed Russian efforts against Lemberg and Kovel in
the beginning of September, 1916, fighting broke out again with
greater vigor in the Carpathians. Numerous local engagements took
place on September 1, 1916, none of which, however, brought any
successes to the attacking Russians. They were more successful on the
following day, September 2, 1916. South of Rafailov, in the region of
Kapul Mountain and also near Dorna Vatra, the Austro-Germans lost some
strongly fortified positions and the Russians thereby captured some
heights. Considerable fighting also occurred on both banks of the
Bystritza near the Rumanian border. These successes were somewhat
extended by the Russians on September 3, 1916. On the following day
small engagements developed southwest of Zabie and in the region of
Shypoth. Strong Russian attacks were repulsed with heavy losses
southwest of Fundul Moldowi. Finally, on September 5, 1916, these
continuous Russian attacks lasting day and night somewhat undermined
the Austro-German resistance and resulted in a slight Russian advance
along the entire line of attack.
On September 6, 1916, the Russians attacked southeast of Zielona,
about thirty-five miles southwest of Stanislau, and on the Bagaludova
west of the Kirlibaba Valley, on the border between the Bukowina and
Hungary. Both of these attacks were repulsed. The Austro-Germans
promptly replied with counterattacks near Zielona and west of Shypoth
on September 7, 1916. The Russians registered some successes on the
following day, September 8, 1916, west and southwest of Shypoth as
well as near Dorna Vatra. On the same day the Austro-Germans were also
forced to retreat northwest of Mount Kapul, a neighborhood in which
more or less fighting had been in progress ever since July, 1916. This
mountain peak is about 5,000 feet high. Again on September 9, 1916,
the Russians gained some ground west of Shypoth after attacking at
many points in the southern Carpathians. The heights east of the Cibo
Valley, about three miles west of Mount Kapul and just within the
Hungarian line, were also occupied by Russian forces.
Attacks again occurred in the Mount Kapul sector on September 10 and
11, 1916. On the latter day the Russians finally succeeded in
capturing Mount Kapul, after first having occupied a ridge to the
north of it. Almost 1,000 prisoners as well as some machine guns and
mortars fell into their hands. This success apparently encouraged the
Russians to other efforts in this territory.
On September 12, 1916, they attacked in the Carpathians along the
entire line from Smotrych, southwest of Zabie, to the Golden
Bystritza, without, however, making any headway.
Part of the position on Mount Kapul lost by the Austro-Germans on
September 11, 1916, was recovered on the fourteenth. To the west, in
the Cibo Valley, the fighting continued, but here too, as along the
balance of the eastern front, fighting gradually slowed down during
the rest of September, 1916.
During the first half of October, 1916, fighting in the Carpathians
was of a rather desultory nature. Neither side, though frequently
undertaking local engagements, registered any noticeable successes.
Suddenly on October 14, 1916, simultaneously with the increased vigor
shown by the Russians in Volhynia and Galicia, the Central Powers
launched a violent offensive movement along the entire Carpathian
front, from the Jablonica Pass down to the Rumanian border, on a front
of some seventy-five miles.
Especially heavy fighting occurred near Kirlibaba, in the Ludova
sector, and south of Dorna Vatra. In the latter region the Russians
were thrown back over the Negra Valley. These early successes,
however, led to nothing of importance. After October 15, 1916, up to
the end of the month only local engagements took place. By that time
weather conditions in the Carpathians had become too severe to permit
of any extensive operations.
Just as on the other parts of the eastern front the Carpathian sector
showed comparatively little activity during the month of November,
1916. Only at one point, in the region south of Dorna Vatra, did there
occur an action of somewhat greater importance. The Russians there had
gradually gained some ground by a series of small engagements. About
the middle of the month the Austro-Germans launched a strong
counterattack and regained all the ground, inflicting at the same
time heavy losses on the Russians. At other points occasional
artillery duels took place, and at many places small local engagements
between outposts and patrol detachments occurred almost daily.
CHAPTER XXIII
WINTER AT THE EASTERN FRONT
With the beginning of December, 1916, the severity of the cold weather
became so pronounced that activities at the eastern front had to be
reduced to a minimum by both sides. During the first week of December,
1916, considerable fighting, however, continued in that part of the
Carpathians just north of the Rumanian border, especially in the
vicinity of Dorna Vatra and Kirlibaba. This, too, gradually decreased
in violence, and during the second week of the month only minor
engagements between outposts and the usual trench activities occurred.
On December 17, 1916, the Germans, after considerable artillery
preparation, started a more extensive offensive movement in the
vicinity of Great and Little Porsk, about twenty-one miles southeast
of Kovel. After considerable fighting, lasting all afternoon,
nightfall put a temporary stop to this undertaking. It was, however,
renewed during the early morning hours of the following day, and as a
result the Germans occupied small portions of the Russian positions.
These were held against a number of Russian counterattacks made during
the following days. Minor engagements also occurred on December 16,
17, and 18, 1916, near Kabarowce, northwest of Tarnopol; in the
Jezupol region of the river Bystrzyca between Stanislau and the
Dniester; southwest of Vale Putna in the extreme south of the
Bukowina; on the Narajowka River near Herbutow, about ten miles north
of Halicz; and near Augustowka south of Zboroff.
During the balance of December, 1916, nothing of importance happened
at any part of the eastern front, except that on December 25, 1916,
the Germans violently bombarded the Russian positions in the region
between Brody and Tarnopol in Galicia and farther south on the
Narajowka south of Brzezany.
The first few days in January, 1917, brought little change on the
eastern front. Engagements between small detachments occurred daily at
a number of places. None of these was of any importance.
On January 23, 1917, the Germans after extensive artillery preparation
launched an attack with considerable forces against the positions
which the Russians had recently gained along the river Aa. Though
meeting with stubborn resistance they were successful, and captured
not only considerable ground, but also some 1,500 prisoners. The
Russians were forced to retire about a mile and a half toward the
north. During the next two days, January 24 and 25, 1917, they were
forced back still farther. These gains the Germans were able to hold
in the face of strong Russian counterattacks made on January 26 and
27, 1917, though they were unable to extend them.
During the last four days of January, 1917, engagements along the
entire front increased occasionally in number and violence. On January
28, 1917, Russian troops attacked positions held by Turkish troops
near the Galician village of Potutory, some seven miles south of
Brzezany. At the point of the bayonet the Turks were forced to yield,
and in spite of a number of counterattacks the Russians maintained
their success. Fighting on January 29, 1917, was restricted chiefly to
the vicinity of the river Aa, where the Germans again made some slight
gains. This was also the case on January 30, 1917, when the Germans
with the assistance of extensive artillery bombardments and a series
of gas attacks captured some more Russian positions as well as about
900 prisoners and fifteen machine guns.
On the last day of January, 1917, practically nothing of any
importance occurred at any point of the eastern front, the whole
length of which was that day in the grip of ever-increasing cold.
PART III--THE BALKANS