The British Campaign in France and Flanders—January to July, 1918Doyle, Arthur Conan
History
The British Campaign in France and Flanders—January to July, 1918
Doyle, Arthur Conan
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
On the morning of March 30 the 61st Brigade of the Twentieth Division
was on the south end of the line covering the bridge over the Luce at
Hangard, while the 59th covered that at Dornart, the 60th lining up
from Dornart to Berteaucourt. The Fiftieth Division had been now
incorporated in the Twentieth. All the bridges had been prepared for
demolition. The enemy were slowly pushing the French out of the
Moreuil Wood upon the extreme right, small bodies of infantry
gradually infiltrating the whole position. The Germans soon
developed activity also in the Luce valley, and finally along the
whole corps front. The Second Cavalry Division was sent into Moreuil
Wood to help the French, but the whole right of the line began
gradually to crumble in face of the repeated assaults. The remains
of the Sixty-sixth and Twentieth Divisions were bent back, though the
latter continued for a long time to hold the Demuin-Marcelcave line
of road, but about 8 A.M. the Sixty-sixth Division was pushed out of
Aubercourt. There was some weakness farther north also, between
Villers and Marcelcave, but the never-failing First Cavalry Division
stiffened the yielding line. At 10 {149} o'clock the situation had
improved in Moreuil Wood, where Seely's Canadian cavalry, with the
3rd Cavalry Brigade in support, were making their presence felt.
They held the line along the edge of the wood from east of Moreuil,
but had lost touch with the Twentieth upon their left. Later in the
morning there was a strong German counter in this quarter which drove
the cavalry back into the wood. Here at a later hour they were
reinforced by the Eighth Division, if such a sonorous name can be
given to a handful of dazed and exhausted men. The line at mid-day
ran roughly as follows:
Moreuil Wood. Demuin. W. of Aubercourt. W. of Marcelcave.
2nd Cav. 20th. 66th. Carey. 61st. 1st Cav.
The great bulk of the British force lay to the north of the Luce
River, and the Germans were making every effort to push the flank
backwards or aside and to ford the stream. A wood named Little Wood
lay in such a position as to help or hinder, such an attempt, and it
was the scene of some fierce fighting. It was first occupied by one
of the enemy's advanced parties. It was then retaken by some of the
West Yorkshires of the 60th Brigade. These in turn were pushed out
by the enemy. Finally, in the evening the 12th Rifles and 12th Rifle
Brigade, with some French and scattered units of the Fiftieth
Division, charged forward through the twilight, recaptured the wood,
and re-established the whole line in this quarter. Nine machine-guns
and fifty-three prisoners were taken. Well might General Watts
telegraph: "Well done, the Twentieth! Such a counter-attack after
all your hard work is splendid."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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