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THE GERMAN RETREAT UPON THE ARRAS-SOISSONS FRONT

Hindenburg's retreat--The advance of the Fifth and Fourth Armies--Capture of Bapaume and Peronne--Atrocious devastation by the Germans--Capture of guns at Selency--Definition of the Hindenburg Line--General survey

THE BATTLE OF ARRAS

April 9 to April 23, 1917.

Vast preparations--Attack of Snow's Seventh Corps--The Ibex Trench--Attack of Haldane's Sixth Corps--Attack of Fergusson's Seventeenth Corps--A Scottish Front--The splendid Canadians--Capture of Mouchy--Essex and Newfoundland--A glorious episode--The Chemical Works--Extension of the battle to the north--Desperate fight of the Australians at Bullecourt

OPERATIONS IN THE ARRAS SECTOR FROM APRIL 23 ONWARDS

Advance of April 23--Middlesex and Argyll--Grand fighting of the Fifteenth Division--H.A.C. at Gavrelle--Operations of May 3--The Gavrelle Windmill--Loss of Fresnoy--Capture of Roeux--The long fight at Bullecourt

THE BATTLE OF MESSINES

Plumer's long vigil--The great mines--Advance of Australians--Of New Zealanders--Of the Twenty-fifth Division--Of the Irish Divisions--Death of Major Redmond--Advance of Nineteenth Division--Of the Forty-first Division--Of the Forty-seventh Division--Of the Twenty-fourth Division--General results

OPERATIONS FROM JUNE 10 TO JULY 31

Fighting round Lens--Good work of Canadians and Forty-sixth Division--Action on the Yser canal--Great fight and eventual annihilation of 2nd K.R.R. and 1st Northampton--An awful ordeal--Exit Russia

THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES

July 31, 1917

Attack of July 31--Advance of the Guards--Of the Welsh--Capture of Pilkem--Capture of St. Julien by Thirty-ninth Division--Advance of Fifty-fifth Division--Advance of Jacob's Second Corps--General results

THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES

August 1 to September 6

Dreadful weather--German reaction--Attack of August 16--Advance of Cavan's Corps--Capture of Langemarck--Dreadful losses of the two Irish Divisions--Failure in the south--Splendid field-gunners--The Forty-second Division upon September 6

THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES

September 6 to October 3, 1917

Engagement of Plumer's Second Army--Attack of September 20--Fine advance of Fifty-fifth Division--Advance of the Ninth Division--Of the Australians--Strong counter-attack upon the Thirty-third Division--Renewed advance on September 20--Continued rain--Desperate fighting

THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES

October 4 to November 10, 1917

Attack of October 4--Further advance of the British line--Splendid advance of second-line Territorials--Good work of H.A.C. at Reutel--Abortive action of October 12--Action of October 26--Heavy losses at the south end of the line--Fine fighting by the Canadian Corps--Capture of Paschendaale--General results of third battle of Ypres

THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI

Second phase of battle on November 30--Great German attack--Disaster to three divisions--Desperate fight of Twenty-ninth Division--Fine advance by the Guards--Capture and recapture of Gouzeaucourt--Hard battle in the Bourlon Sector--Heavy losses of the Germans--Retraction of the British line

INDEX

MAPS AND PLANS

Fighting Line, February 24, 1917, and Fighting Line, March 1, 1917

The Arras Front

Chart of Order of Battle, Arras, April 9, 1917

Order of Battle, Messines, June 7, 1917

Line of Battle, August 16, 1917

The Ypres Front

Third Ypres Battle, September 26

Order of Battle, October 4, 1917

Fighting Line, November 20, 1917

Battle Line of Third Army, November 20, 1917

Fighting Line, November 30, 1917

Battle Order of Third Army, November 30, 1917

Map to illustrate the British Campaign in France and Flanders

THE GERMAN RETREAT UPON THE ARRAS-SOISSONS FRONT

Hindenburg's retreat--The advance of the Fifth and Fourth Armies--Capture of Bapaume and Peronne--Atrocious devastation by the Germans--Capture of guns at Selency--Definition of the Hindenburg Line--General survey.

In the latter days of 1916 and the beginning of 1917, the British Army, which had in little more than two years expanded from seven divisions to over fifty, took over an increased line. The movement began about Christmas time, and early in the New Year Rawlinson's Fourth Army, side-stepping always to the south, had covered the whole of the French position occupied during the Somme fighting, had crossed the Somme, and had established its right flank at a point near Roye. The total front was increased to 120 miles, which may seem a small proportion as compared to the whole. In making such a comparison, however, one must bear in mind the difference in the effort of sustaining an army in one's own country and in a foreign land with all communications by water. The task of the British was continually made more difficult by the precarious nature of their connection with their base. Dulness of vision may be as dangerous to a nation as treason, and no enemies could have harmed the country more than those perfectly sincere and patriotic individuals who had for so long opposed the construction of a Channel tunnel.

The general disposition of the British forces after this prolongation to the south was as follows. Plumer's Second Army still held that post of danger and of honour which centred round the Ypres salient. South of Plumer, in the Armenti?res district, was the First Army, now commanded by General Horne, whose long service with the Fifteenth Corps during the Somme Battle had earned him this high promotion. Allenby's Third Army carried the line onwards to the south of Arras. From the point upon which the British line had hinged during the Somme operations Gough's Fifth Army took over the front, and this joined on to Rawlinson's Fourth Army near the old French position. From the north then the order of the armies was two, one, three, five, and four.

The winter was spent by both sides in licking their wounds after the recent severe fighting and in preparing for the greater fighting to come. These preparations upon the part of the British consisted in the addition to the army of a number of fresh divisions, and the rebuilding of those divisions, fifty-two in number, which had taken part in the Somme fighting, most of them more than once. As the average loss in these divisions was very heavy indeed, the task of reconstructing them was no light one. None the less before the campaign re-opened, though the interval was a short three months, the greater part of the battalions were once again at full strength, while the guns and munitions were very greatly increased. A considerable addition to the strength of the army was effected by the civilian railway advisers, under Sir Eric Geddes, who by the simple expedient of pulling up their own lines at home, and relaying them in France, enormously improved the communications of the army.

In the case of the Germans their army changes took the form of a considerable new levy from those classes which had been previously judged to be unfit, and a general comb-out of every source from which men could be extracted. A new law rendered every citizen liable to national service in a civilian capacity, and so released a number of men from the mines and the factories. They also increased the numbers of their divisions by the doubtful expedient of reducing the brigades, so that the divisions were shorn of a third of their strength. The battalions thus obtained were formed into new divisions. In this way it was calculated that a reserve force had been created which would be suddenly thrown in on one or the other front with dramatic effect. Some such plan may have been in contemplation, but as a matter of fact the course of events was such that the German generals required every man and more for their own immediate needs during the whole of the year.

It has been shown in the narrative of 1916 how the British had ended the campaign of that year by the brilliant little victory of Beaumont Hamel, which gave them not merely 7000 prisoners, but command of both sides of the Valley of the Ancre. This victory had been the sequel to the capture of the Thiepval Ridge, and this again had depended upon the general success of the Somme operations, so that the turn of events which led to such considerable results always traces back to the tragic and glorious 1st of July. It was clear that whenever the weather permitted the resumption of hostilities, Sir Douglas Haig was in so commanding a position at this point that he was perfectly certain to drive the enemy out of the salient which they held to the north of Beaumont Hamel. The result showed that this expectation was well founded, but no one could have foreseen how considerable was the retreat which would be forced upon the enemy--a retreat which gave away for nothing the ground which cost Hindenburg so much to regain in the following year.

Although the whole line from the sea to the Somme was a scene of activity during the winter, and though hardly a day, or rather a night, went by that some stealthy party did not cross No-Man's-Land to capture and to destroy, still for the purposes of this narrative the three northern armies may be entirely ignored in the succeeding operations since they had no occasion to alter their lines. We shall fix our attention in the first instance upon Gough's Army in the district of the Ancre, and afterwards upon Rawlinson's which was drawn into the operations. Gough's Army consisted, at the beginning of the year, of three corps, the Fifth to the left covering the ground to the north of the Ancre, the Second Corps immediately south of the river, and the First Australian Corps extending to the junction with Rawlinson's Army, and covering the greater part of the old British line upon the Somme. It was upon the Fifth and the Second Corps that the immediate operations which opened the campaign were to devolve.

The Fifth Corps was formed at this period of three divisions, the Eleventh, Thirty-first, and Seventh. Each of these divisions by constant pressure and minor operations, backed by a powerful artillery fire, played a part in the wearing process of constant attrition which ended in making the position of the Germans impossible. On January 10, the 32nd Yorkshire Brigade of the Eleventh Division carried an important trench due east of Beaumont Hamel, taking 140 prisoners. On the next day the movement extended farther north, where three-quarters of a mile of trench with 200 prisoners was the prize. On January 17, another 600 yards north of Beaumont fell into British hands. Of the 1228 prisoners who were taken in January a considerable proportion came from this small section of the line, though the largest single haul consisted of 350 men who were captured by a brilliant advance of the Australians in the Le Transloy sector upon January 29.

The movement along the valley of the Ancre was continued in February, but at an accelerated pace, the Second Corps, which consisted of the Sixty-third, Eighteenth, and Second Divisions, moving in conformity with Fanshawe's men upon the northern bank. The chief initiative still rested with the latter, and upon February 3 another push forward of 500 yards upon a mile front yielded a hundred more prisoners, while two sharp counter attacks by the Germans only served to increase their losses. A number of small spurs run down to the river upon the northern bank, and each of these successive advances represented some fresh ridge surmounted. Upon February 6 the Second Corps was moving upon Beaucourt, which is to the immediate south of the river, and upon the 7th the village was evacuated--the first of that goodly list which was to adorn the official communiqu?s during the next two months. On the 9th the advance crept onwards upon both banks, gathering up a hundred prisoners, while eighty more were taken in Baillescourt Farm upon the north bank. These men were Hamburgers of the 85th Regiment. Upon February 10 the left of the Fifth Corps began to feel out towards Serre, that village of sinister memories, and 215 prisoners were taken from the trenches to the south of the hamlet. This provoked a new counter from the enemy which was beaten back upon February 12. A period of impossible weather suspended the advance, but again upon February 17 the British tide swelled suddenly into a wave which swept forward on either bank, engulfing some crowded trenches north of Baillescourt Farm, which yielded 12 officers and 761 men of the 65th, 75th, and 395th Prussians. The main success was gained by the Sixty-third Division upon the left of the Second Corps, but it was aided by the work of the Eighteenth and Second Divisions to the south of the Ancre. The latter met with strong resistance and had considerable losses. The burden of this work fell chiefly upon the 99th and 54th Brigades, both of which reached their objectives in the face of mist, darkness, uncut wire, heavy fire, and vigorous resistance. This blow stung the enemy into a sharp reaction, and three waves of infantry stormed up to the lost position, which for a time they entered, but were again beaten out of. During their temporary success they claim to have taken 130 prisoners.

On March 4 the advance which had steadily continued in the north spread suddenly southwards to Bouchavesnes north of Peronne, the sector held by the Twentieth and Forty-eighth Divisions of Rawlinson's Army, which from this time onward was more and more engaged in the forward movement. Three machine-guns and 172 prisoners were taken. There was some interruption of the operations at this stage owing to severe snowstorms, but upon March 10 Tries, west of Bapaume, was taken by assault by the Eighteenth Division. This was a formidable point, well wired and trenched, so that the artillery in full force was needed for preparation. The infantry went forward before sunrise, and within an hour the village with 15 machine-guns and 290 prisoners was in British hands. The losses were light and the gain substantial. Grevillers also fell next day. This advance in front of Bapaume was of importance as it turned Loupart Wood, forming part of a strong defensive line which might have marked the limit of the German retreat. It was clear from that day onwards that the movement was not local but far reaching. The enemy was still too strong to be hustled, however, especially upon the northern sector of the operations, where Jacob's Second Corps was feeling the German line along its whole front. An attempt at an advance at Bucquoy upon the night of March 13, carried out by the 137th Brigade of the Forty-sixth North Midland Division, met with a check, though most bravely attempted. The two battalions concerned, the 5th South Staffords and 5th North Staffords, found themselves entangled in the darkness amid uncut wire and suffered considerable loss before they could extricate themselves from an impossible position.

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