The general situation had meanwhile undergone an important change. One result of the battle of the Somme had been to leave the enemy in a pronounced salient between Le Transloy and Arras, and during the winter 1916/1917 operations were carried out against the southern face and the south-east corner of this salient. In November an advance on the Ancre ended in the capture of St Pierre Divion, Beaucourt and Beaumont Hamel, and of commanding positions south of the river. Operations were continued early in 1917, and by the 17th of February we had gained the high ground overlooking Miraumont from the south and from the west. This gave us command of a further stretch of the Ancre valley and threatened the enemy’s line north of the river, where he still held a sharp salient at Serre. On the 24th the enemy began to evacuate his forward positions, and by the evening of the following day the Fifth Army had occupied a line from the north-east of Gueudecourt through Warlencourt-Eaucourt and Miraumont to Serre and was established in the enemy’s first defensive system. In the following fortnight the line was pushed forward to Grévillers, Puisieux and Gommecourt.[5] Prisoners taken in these operations stated that the Germans were contemplating a retirement on a still larger scale to the newly-constructed Hindenburg Line, which ran from St Quentin through Havrincourt, eight miles south-west of Cambrai, and Quéant to the original defensive system east of Arras. They said that this line was to be reached by the 25th of March, that the water supply was being cut off, and that all possible dug-outs were being mined in the area which it was intended to evacuate. Meanwhile British troops had taken over a considerable length of line from the French; by the end of February the British right flank rested at a point four miles west of Roye.[6] On the 3rd of March the Divisional front was extended to the right some 750 yards to include the village of Sailly-Saillisel. This was due to the withdrawal from the line of the 29th Division, whose front the Guards and 20th Divisions took over between them. The XIVth Corps front was then held by two divisions instead of three, the Guards on the right and the 20th on the left. On the left of the 20th was the 5th Australian Division of the 1st Anzac Corps, belonging to the Fifth Army. At this time the 91st and 92nd Field Artillery Brigades relieved the 17th Divisional Artillery, and came again under the orders of their own division. The 91st Brigade, with two batteries R.H.A., formed the right group, the 92nd Brigade, with one battery R.H.A., formed the left group, and the 460th (How.) battery of the 29th Division was in reserve. On the 7th the regular brigade organisation was resumed, with the 61st Brigade on the right, the 59th on the left, and the 60th at Carnoy in reserve. Each of the forward brigades kept two battalions in the line and two at Guillemont.