A Special Order was issued on August 16 by General Sir Henry Rawlinson, the 4th Army Commander: “_Tank Corps._--The success of the operations of August 8 and succeeding days was largely due to the conspicuous part played by the 3rd, 4th and 5th Brigades of the Tank Corps, and I desire to place on record my sincere appreciation of the invaluable services rendered both by the Mark V. and the Mark V. star and the Whippets. “The task of secretly assembling so large a number of Tanks entailed very hard and continuous work by all concerned for four or five nights previous to the battle. “The tactical handling of the Tanks in action made calls on the skill and physical endurance of the detachments which were met with a gallantry and devotion beyond all praise. “I desire to place on record my appreciation of the splendid success that they achieved, and to heartily congratulate the Tank Corps as a whole on the completeness of their arrangements and the admirable prowess exhibited by all ranks actually engaged on this occasion. There are many vitally important lessons to be learned from their experiences. These will, I trust, be taken to heart by all concerned and made full use of when next the Tank Corps is called upon to go into battle. “The part played by the Tanks and Whippets in the battle on August 8 was in all respects a very fine performance. “(_Signed_) H. RAWLINSON, _General_, “Commanding 4th Army. “Headquarters, 4th Army, “_August 16, 1918_.” Nor were the Australians less generous. The following message is typical of many. It was sent to Brig.-General Courage (commanding 5th Tank Brigade) by the 4th Australian Divisional Commander: “G.O.C. 5th Tank Brigade. “I wish to express to you and the command associated with us on August 8 and following days, on behalf of the 4th Australian Division, our deep appreciation of the most gallant service rendered during our offensive operations by the Tank Corps. The consistent skill and gallantry with which the Tanks, individually and collectively, were handled during the battle, was the admiration of all ranks of the infantry with whom they were so intimately associated, and our success was due in a very large measure to your efforts. “We hope sincerely, that in future offensive operations in which we may take part, we shall have the honour to be associated with the same units of the Tank Corps as during the operations on August 8 and following days. “(_Signed_) E. G. SINCLAIR MCLAGAN, “Major-General, “Commanding 4th Australian Division.” Finally, in a congratulatory telegram after the battle, the Commander-in-Chief paid a high tribute to the skill and bravery displayed by the Tank Corps in the gaining of this signal victory. CHAPTER XVIII