Great Britain -- Defenses; Imaginary wars and battles
"The left flank of this corps rested on the river Stour itself, so that
it was secure from any turning movement. Its front was opposed to and
directly threatened Colchester, while its outposts, to say nothing of
its independent cavalry, reached out in a northerly direction towards
Stowmarket, where they joined hands with the left flank of the Xth
Corps--those under Von Wilburg, who had landed at Yarmouth--whose
headquarters were now at Bury St. Edmunds, their outposts being disposed
south, overlooking the valley of the upper reaches of the Stour."
Nor was this all. From Newmarket there came information that the enemy
who had landed at Weybourne and Cromer--viz., the IVth Corps under Von
Kleppen--were now encamping on the racecourse and being billeted in the
town and villages about, including Exning, Ashley, Moulton, and
Kentford. Frölich's cavalry brigade had penetrated south, covering the
advance, and had now scoured the country, sweeping away the futile
resistance of the British Yeomanry, and scattering cavalry squadrons
which they found opposed to them, all the time maintaining communication
with the Xth Corps on their left, and the flower of the German Army, the
Guards Corps, from King's Lynn, on their right. Throughout the advance
from Holt, Von Dorndorf's motorists had been of the greatest utility.
They had taken constantly companies of infantry hither and thither. At
any threatened point, so soon as the sound of firing was heard in any
cavalry skirmish or little engagement of outposts, the smart motor
infantry were on the spot with the promptness of a fire brigade
proceeding to a call. For this reason the field artillery, who were
largely armed with quick-firing guns, capable of pouring in a hail of
shrapnel on any exposed point, were enabled to push on much further than
would have been otherwise possible. They were always adequately
supported by a sufficient escort of these up-to-date troops, who,
although infantry, moved with greater rapidity than cavalry itself, and
who, moreover, brought with them their Maxims, which dealt havoc far and
near.
The magnificent troops of the Duke of Mannheim, in their service
uniforms, who had landed at King's Lynn, had come across the wide, level
roads, some by way of Downham Market, Littleport, and Ely, and arrived
at Cambridge. The 2nd Division, under Lieutenant-General von Kasten,
protecting the exposed flanks, had marched _viâ_ Wisbech, March,
Chatteris, and St. Ives, while the masses of the cavalry of the Guard,
including the famous White Cuirassiers, had been acting independently
around the flat fen country, Spalding and Peterborough, and away to
quaint old Huntingdon, striking terror into the inhabitants, and
effectively checking any possible offensive movement of the British that
might have been directed upon the great German Army during its ruthless
advance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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