The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1917Doyle, Arthur Conan
History
The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1917
Doyle, Arthur Conan
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
from their assault, and in spite of the heavy barrage, the staff of
the brigade headquarters, who were the only troops available, were
sufficient to hold them off; Colonel Forbes Robertson doing
particularly good work with a Lewis gun. No German set foot in
Monchy. Of the headquarter staff there were only nine survivors,
each of whom was decorated.
Apart from the attack so heroically repelled, a second had developed
to the south-east of Monchy which was driven back by rifles and
machine-guns. The total German losses during the day must have been
very heavy, and they had nothing to show for {52} it, though the
British casualties amounted to some 4000, chiefly in the Twenty-ninth
Division.
It must be admitted that the Germans, who had been strongly
reinforced in men and in guns, were fighting with great resolution on
this front, and their defence and counter-attacks were equally
gallant.
From this date onwards until April 22, there was no particular
forward movement, and every effort was concentrated upon the
improvement of defences and communications. There were no fresh
German counter-attacks, but there was constant and heavy bombardment
upon both sides, the Germans pouring shells into Monchy and raking
every road which led to the front, while the British overwhelmed
Guémappe, Rœux, and Pelves with their fire. The only change of
troops was that upon the night of April 19 the Fifteenth Scottish
Division, after its short rest, pushed in upon the right of the
Twenty-ninth Division, taking over the ground between La Bergère on
the north and the Cojeul River on the south. The order of battle of
the Sixth Corps was therefore from the north the Seventeenth,
Twenty-ninth, and Fifteenth Divisions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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