We had now reached another--the last--stage of the battle. The nature of the terrain had begun to change, for we were travelling at last. [103]“Despite the unfavourable weather and the determined opposition at many points from the German machine-gunners, in two days our infantry and Tanks had realised an advance of five or six miles over difficult country.” We had now reached the half wooded, half pasture and orchard country which lay on the outskirts of the Forest of Mormal, “like fringe upon a petticoat,” and the last of our battles had been fought amid the trees of the Bois L’Evêque and of Pommereuil. We were within a mile of Le Quesnoy, which lay in a clearing in the Forest. There was no chance of giving our machines an overhaul. It was therefore in a state of mechanical “efficiency,” which a little while before we should have said made any sort of fighting out of the question, that most of the remaining Tanks gaily tackled this difficult piece of the advance. CHAPTER XXII THE ROUT--MORMAL FOREST--THE BATTLE OF THE SAMBRE--THE ARMISTICE I “Some greater issue was at stake, some mightier cause, than ever before the sword had pleaded or the trumpet had proclaimed.” DE QUINCEY. On November 4, the 1st, 3rd and 4th Armies were to deliver an attack on a combined front of about thirty miles, from the Sambre to the north of Oisy and Valenciennes. The country across which our advance was to be made was exceedingly difficult: in the south, the river Sambre had to be crossed almost at the outset. In the centre the great Forest of Mormal, though here and there thinned by German foresters, still presented a formidable obstacle. In the north lay the strongly fortified town of Le Quesnoy, which was defended naturally by several streams which ran parallel to the line of our advance, offering the enemy repeated opportunities for a successful defence. On November 2, we fought a small action west of Landrecies. We were anxious to improve our position near Happegarbes before the big attack on the 4th. Only three Tanks of the 10th Battalion took part. Unfortunately, although we took all our objectives, the Germans suddenly plucked up heart, launched a surprise attack, and we lost them again before nightfall. The Battle of Mormal Forest was the last set Tank attack of the War, and for it we could only scrape together just thirty-seven machines. Tank units were bled almost white. Sections took the place of companies, companies of battalions, and Tanks were parcelled out in such a way that the very most might be made of their scanty numbers. At dawn, after an intense bombardment, Tanks and infantry moved forward to the assault under a heavy barrage, and it was not long before they had penetrated the enemy’s positions on the whole battle front.