The British Campaign in France and Flanders—July to November, 1918Doyle, Arthur Conan
History
The British Campaign in France and Flanders—July to November, 1918
Doyle, Arthur Conan
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
Berthaucourt had been captured by the First Division, but progress in
the Fresnoy direction was still very slow. About 3.30 P.M. hostile
counter-attacks were launched south of Berthaucourt and opposite
Fresnoy. These were repulsed by steady {75} rifle-fire, but the
general situation was still obscure. All the afternoon there was
very heavy fighting on the front of the Sixth Division, especially
east of Holnon village, and on the west side of the Quadrilateral.
The French had been held up on the right. So matters remained until
evening. It had been a day of hard work and varying success on this
portion of the line, but the capture of 18 officers and 541 men with
8 field-guns showed that some advance had been made. It was short,
however, of what had been hoped.
[Sidenote: Sept. 19.]
The next morning saw the battle renewed. The neighbourhood of
Fresnoy and of the Quadrilateral was now more strongly held than
ever, the Germans being encouraged, no doubt, by their successful
defence of the day before. The fighting during this day was
desultory, and no particular advance was made by either division. In
the south the French failed to capture Manchester Hill, which was an
ugly menace to the right flank of the Ninth Corps.
The Forty-sixth Division (Boyd) had been added to the strength of the
Ninth Corps, and when this welcome addition had been put in upon the
left wing it enabled the others to contract their front and thicken
their array. At 7 P.M. on September 22 the Germans attacked the
Forty-sixth Division in its new position, just east of Berthaucourt,
but they were driven back after a slight initial success.
There was a fresh attack on September 24 in which the Ninth Corps
co-operated with the Thirty-sixth Corps on its right, in order to try
and overcome the German strongholds on the right of their front which
were holding them off from the Hindenburg Line. The order of the
British line was that {76} the Sixth Division was on the right, the
First in the centre, and the Forty-sixth on the left.
[Sidenote: Sept. 24.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account