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
One company of the 11th Royal
Scots was cut off in Revelon Farm, but managed to fight their way
back, bringing with them an officer and eighteen other prisoners. No
guns were lost by the Ninth Division save ten, which were without
teams and were therefore destroyed.
[Sidenote: Seventh Corps. March 23.]
At this period there was some dislocation between the left of the
Ninth Division and the right of the Forty-seventh, as is likely to
occur where each belongs to a different corps and army. For a time
there was a gap between them. This was partly overcome, however, on
the evening of the 22nd by means of the Second Division, which lay in
reserve behind the Forty-seventh and put its 99th Brigade under the
orders of the Ninth Division so as to ensure unity of command in this
position of danger.
Turning to the right wing of the Seventh Corps allusion has been made
in the last chapter to the severe pressure upon the Sixteenth
Division and its determined resistance. It will be remembered that
it was reinforced by the 116th Brigade of the Thirty-ninth Division,
and all three brigades were involved in the same heavy fighting on
the morning of March 22, the German attack being relentless in its
vigour. In the course of this severe action the village of St.
Emilie was lost, and was afterwards retaken in a very gallant fashion
by the 1st Hertfords, a battalion which had greatly distinguished
itself {118} already at St. Julien and elsewhere. The orders were to
retreat, however, and in this movement the switch line from Saulcourt
dug and manned by the 117th and 118th Brigades proved invaluable.
The army policy was to fight rearguards and delay the enemy, and this
was most efficiently done during the evening of March 22, the flank
of the Twenty-first Division being covered in its retirement, and the
line held against vigorous attacks. Many of the guns of the
Thirty-ninth Divisional artillery were lost through their extreme
devotion in covering the retreat of the Sixteenth Division, for they
frequently carried on until the infantry were behind them. The enemy
was pressing his attacks with great vigour, and every withdrawal was
followed up by strong bodies of troops and of field artillery.
[Sidenote: Seventh Corps. March 22.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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