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
Early on August 23 the Thirty-seventh Division came up on the left
and relieved the Naval Division. Guns had been pushed into position,
so at 11 o'clock in the forenoon it was possible to deliver a strong
attack under an adequate barrage upon the line of the railway. The
result was a complete success, in spite of the formidable nature of
the defences. The imperturbable English infantry flooded over every
obstacle, took its inevitable losses with its usual good humour, and
established itself upon the farther side of the position, while the
tanks, taking advantage of a level crossing, burst through and did
very great work. Both Achiet-le-Grand and Bihucourt fell to {124}
the Thirty-seventh Division, while the Fifth captured the high ground
overlooking Irles, and subsequently pushed on eastwards as far as
Loupart Wood. Since Miraumont was still German the flank of
Ponsonby's Division was scourged by the machine-guns, and an attempt
by the Forty-second Division to relieve the pressure by taking the
village had no success, but the Fifth maintained all its gains in
spite of the heavy enfilading fire. In this fine operation the
Thirty-seventh Division alone captured 1150 prisoners. There were
signs, however, of German reaction, especially on the southern flank,
where a new division, the Third Naval, had been brought into line.
[Sidenote: August 23, 24.]
August 24 was another day of victory. The New Zealanders passed
through the depleted ranks of the Fifth Division and made good not
only the whole of Loupart Wood, but also Grevillers to the north-east
of it. An even more useful bit of work was the storming of Miraumont
by the Forty-second Division in the south. This village, which had
been nearly surrounded by the advance on the flanks, gave up 500
prisoners and several guns. The Forty-second continued its career of
victory to Pys, which they took, and were only stopped eventually by
the machine-guns at Warlencourt. This advance greatly relieved the
situation on the right flank, which had been a cause for anxiety, and
it also, by winning a way to the Ancre, solved the water problem,
which had been a difficult one. This day of continued victorious
advance was concluded by the occupation of Biefvillers by the united
action of the Thirty-seventh and of the New Zealanders.
[Sidenote: August 25, 26.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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