The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
World War, 1914-1918
On the following day, August 9, 1918, the advance was continued, with
the Third, First, and Second Canadian Divisions in the line, the
Fourth Canadian Division being held in corps reserve. Substantial
progress was made, and by evening the average depth of advance was
about four miles, with a maximum of six and one half miles at some
points. The following additional villages were captured: Le Quesnel,
Folies, Bouchoir, Beaufort, Warvillers, Rouvroy, Vrely, Meharicourt,
and Rosières.
The infantry and tanks of the Third Canadian Division and the Canadian
Independent Force cooperated with the French in the capture of
Arvillers.
During the day the enemy's resistance stiffened considerably, and
whatever gains were made resulted from heavy infantry fighting against
fresh troops, with only a few tanks available for support.
The attack was continued on the morning of the 10th, with the Third
Canadian Division on the right and the Fourth Canadian Division on the
left, the First and Second Canadian Divisions being held in corps
reserve. After the Third Canadian Division had taken the village of
Le Quesnoy-en-Santerre, the Thirty-second Division, which had come
under the Canadian Corps on the night of the 9th-10th, and had been
ordered to relieve the Third Canadian Division, passed through it and
advanced the line somewhat farther through the old British trenches
west of Parvillers and Damery. The Fourth Canadian Division during the
day succeeded, after very hard fighting, in occupying Fouquescourt,
Maucourt, Chilly, and Hallu.
During the night 10th-11th a strong enemy counterattack developed
against a part of the front of the Fourth Canadian Division east of
Hallu. This counterattack was beaten off, but owing to general
conditions the line at that point was slightly withdrawn to the
railway embankment immediately to the west of Hallu. Subsequent upon
this slight withdrawal, and with a view to reducing the existing
salient forward of Chilly, the line was further withdrawn to the
eastern outskirts of that village.
On August 11, 1918, at 9.30 a. m., the Thirty-second Division launched
an attack against Damery, but was not successful. The Fourth Canadian
Division improved their line by advancing it locally to reduce the
Chilly salient, which was still very pronounced.
During the night of August 12, 1918, the Thirty-second Division and
Fourth Canadian Division were relieved by the Third and Second
Canadian Divisions respectively.
It now became increasingly apparent that strong enemy reserves had
been sent forward to stem the Canadian advance. Six fresh divisions
and a large number of light and heavy batteries had been brought in,
and were fighting hard in a strongly intrenched defensive position.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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