But long before zero hour, at 5.20, a glare of burning dumps in the east seemed to show that the enemy were already withdrawing, and, in fact, when the Tanks went over just after dawn, they encountered scarcely any opposition at all, save a perfunctory fire from rearguard machine-gunners. Small parties of the enemy were found in dug-outs, waiting to be captured. His infantry and guns were already well on their way back to the Canal du Nord. IV The Second Battle of Arras was over and we had pierced the renowned Drocourt-Quéant Line and had delivered a blow from which the enemy’s _moral_ never quite recovered. Since August 21, in all, some 500 Tanks had been in action, and except for one or two minor failures every attack had culminated in a cheap success. We had pushed forward for fifteen or twenty miles along about thirty miles of front. [86]“During the night of September 2–3, the enemy fell back rapidly on the whole front of the 3rd Army and the right of the 1st Army. By the end of the day, he had taken up positions along the general line of the Canal du Nord, from Péronne to Ypres, and thence east of Hermies, Inchy-en-Artois and Ecoust St. Quentin to the Sensée, east of Lecluse. On the following day he commenced to withdraw also from the east bank of the Somme, south of Péronne, and by the night of September 8 was holding the general line Vermand--Epehy--Havrincourt, and thence along the east bank of the Canal du Nord. “The withdrawal was continued on the front of the French forces on our right. “Throughout this hasty retreat our troops followed up the enemy closely. Many of his rearguards were cut off and taken prisoner; on numerous occasions our forward guns did great execution among his retiring columns, while our airmen took full advantage of the remarkable targets offered them. Great quantities of material and many guns fell into our hands.” But the Tank Brigades were, all of them, in such urgent need of refitting, of new machines and of fresh crews, that after the 3rd they had to be withdrawn into G.H.Q. reserve, and, “faint with pursuing,” were unable to take any further part in the battle for just over a fortnight. Even so, that fortnight was spent, not in rest, but in feverish preparation of the most arduous kind. We had begun to practise the fitting of Cribs, for we were getting back to the Hindenburg Line. The other dogs of war were in full cry. The Tanks did not propose to waste time. By September 18, the 5th Brigade was able to put a few machines into the field. They belonged to the 2nd Battalion, which had not fought since the earlier stages of the last battle. V This time the Tanks were to be put in the south, in the 4th Army area. There were to be about twenty Tanks, and they were to work with the Australians and the 9th and 3rd Corps on a wide front between Epehy and Villeret.