Problems before General Gough--His masterful action--Arrival of Thirty-ninth, Twentieth, and Fiftieth Divisions--Retreat of Tudor's Ninth Scottish Division--Destruction of the South Africans--Defence of the Somme--Arrival of the Eighth Division--Desperate fighting--The Carey line--Death of General Feetham--"Immer fest daran"--Advance, Australia--Great achievement of General Watts CHAPTER VI THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME The Retreat of the Eighteenth Corps Retreat of the Sixty-first Division--The Gloucesters at Beauvais--Fall of Ham--Retreat of the Thirtieth and Thirty-sixth Divisions--Great privations of the men--Fine feat at Le Quesnoy--Summary of the experience of Maxse's Corps CHAPTER VII THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME The Retreat of the Third Corps Movement across the Crozat Canal--Fight of the 173rd Brigade--Forcing of the Canal Line--Arrival of the French--Fight of Frières Wood--Splendid work of the Cavalry--Loss of Noyon--Final equilibrium--General retrospect of the Battle CHAPTER VIII THE SOMME FRONT FROM APRIL 1 ONWARDS The last waves of the storm--The Twelfth Division at Albert--The Forty-seventh Division at Aveluy Wood--The Australians in the {ix} south--Capture of Villers-Bretonneux by the Germans--Recapture by Australians and Eighth Division--Fierce fighting--The first turn of the tide CHAPTER IX THE BATTLE OF THE LYS April 9-12 The Flanders front--Great German onslaught--Disaster of the Portuguese--Splendid stand at Givenchy of the Fifty-fifth Division--Hard fight of the Fortieth Division--Loss of the Lys--Desperate resistance of the Fiftieth Division--Thirty-fourth Division is drawn into the Battle--Attack in the north upon the Ninth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-fifth Divisions--British retreat--General survey of the situation CHAPTER X THE BATTLE OF THE LYS April 13 to May 8 Desperate situation--Sir Douglas Haig's "Win or Die" message--Epic of the 4th Guards Brigade at Hazebrouck--Arrival of First Australian Division--Splendid services of Thirty-third Division--Loss of Armentières, Bailleul, and Neuve Eglise--The First Division at Givenchy--Fall of Kemmel--Battle of Ridge Wood--Great loss of ground--Equilibrium CHAPTER XI THE BATTLES OF THE CHEMIN DES DAMES AND OF THE ARDRES May 27 to June 2 The rest cure of the Aisne--Attack upon the Fiftieth Division--Upon the Twenty-first--Fifth Battery R.F.A.--Glorious Devons--Adventure of General Rees--Retreat across the Aisne--Over the Vesle--Arrival of Nineteenth Division--Desperate fighting--Success of 4th Shropshires--General Pellé's tribute--General prospect of the Allies midway through 1918 INDEX {xi} MAPS AND PLANS British Battle Line, March 21 Position at the Close of the Great Retreat, March 30 Rough Sketch of the General Position of Troops at the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, April 24-25 Rough Sketch of Guards' Position, April 13 Defence of Givenchy by the First Division, April 18 Position of the Line in Flanders, April 9