[23], In the Weekly Intelligence Summary of 10 March 1918, British intelligence predicted a German offensive in the Arras–St. Around midday, they halted for a few hours rest near Avricourt. [29], The artillery bombardment began at 04:35 with an intensive German barrage opened on British positions south west of St. Quentin for a depth of 4–6 km (2.5–3.7 mi). [28], At the time of the attack Fifth Army defences were still incomplete. [91] From north to south, the line was held by the 14th Division, 35th Australian Battalion and 18th Division. Quentin area based on air reconnaissance photographs and the testimony of deserters; the prediction was reiterated in the next summary on 17 March. [96], In the British Official History (1935) Davies, Edmonds and Maxwell-Hyslop wrote that the Allies lost c. 255,000 men of which the British suffered 177,739 killed, wounded and missing, 90,882 of them in the Fifth Army and 78,860 in the Third Army, of whom c. 15,000 died, many with no known grave. Some British battalions continued to resist in the Battle Zone and delay the German advance, even managing to withdraw at the last moment. Forty-four divisions were allocated to Operation Michael and called mobile divisions, which were brought up to full strength in manpower and equipment. [72] [e] Rearguard actions by the cavalry in the Third Army slowed the German advance but by 18:00 Byng had ordered a further retirement beyond the Ancre. Limbers of the 25th Division passing in the back ground. His unit had been fighting at Vermand near to St. Quentin on 21/22nd March 1918… Over 3,500,000 shells were fired in five hours, hitting targets over an area of 40… Orders were given for the Bn to withdraw behind PROYART, astride the FOUCACOURT-MANOTTE road. Through the night of 25 March, the men of the Third Army attained their positions but in the process gaps appeared, the largest of over 6 km (4 mi) between V and VI Corps. He joined the 16th Lancers in 1889 and served in the Tirah Expedition in India (1897) and in the South African War (1899–1902). [4] Of these divisions, 110 were in the front line, 50 of which faced the shorter British front. Such artillery tactics had been made possible by the vast numbers of accurate heavy guns and large stocks of ammunition that Germany had deployed on the Western Front by 1918. [100] In 2002, Marix Evans recorded 239,000 men, many of whom were irreplaceable Stoßtruppen; 177,739 British casualties of whom 77,000 had been taken prisoner, 77 American casualties and 77,000 French losses, 17,000 of whom were captured. Rawlinson replaced Gough, who was "Stellenbosched" (sacked) despite having organised a long and reasonably successful retreat given the conditions.[87]. In the afternoon the Bn occupied the PROYART-FROISSY road. [a], On 11 November 1917, the German High Command (Oberste Heeresleitung, OHL) discussed what they hoped would be a decisive offensive on the Western Front the following spring. This was a consequence of the precipitate abandonment of Bray and the winding line of the Somme river, with its important bridgeheads westwards towards Sailly-le-Sec, by the Third Army on the afternoon of 26 March. [28] The British ordered an intermittent bombardment of German lines and likely assembly areas at 03:30 and a gas discharge on the 61st Division front. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. - filed in Photos, Maps or Sketches from 51st Highland Division Website North of Le Transloy our troops had hard fighting; the 31st, Guards, 3rd, 40th and 17th Divisions have all repulsed heavy attacks and held their ground.[67]. They dug in on the German side of the village amongst the cornfields and settled in for the night. [85] [f]. Midday saw them in a stronger position until French artillery and machine guns opened fire on them, mistaking them for Germans, forcing them to retire to high ground west of Grandu. This reduced the proportion of troops in the front line, which was lightly held by snipers, patrols and machine-gun posts and concentrated reserves and supply dumps to the rear, away from German artillery. [40], Gough ordered a fighting retreat to win time for reinforcements to reach his army. [68] This would create a gap between the British and French armies and force the British to retreat towards the Channel Ports. All three of his armies were given ambitious targets, including the capture of Amiens and an advance towards Compiègne and Montdidier, which fell on 27 March. The Bedfords were ordered to retire just as their ammunition ran out and retreated through the lines of the 20th Division, having lost half their number. The physical and mental strain of the struggle against overwhelming odds, the heavy losses, the sinister rumours which were rife, all contributed to depress morale.[56]. Book Command or Control? Naval and Overseas Operations. No.8 Platoon, B Coy of the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders retiring along the Cambrai road near Beaumetz. The advance had been costly and the German infantry were beginning to show signs of exhaustion; transport difficulties had emerged, supplies and much heavy artillery lagged behind the advance.[55]. [32], When the infantry assault began at 09:40, the German infantry had mixed success; the German 17th and 2nd Armies were unable to penetrate the Battle Zone on the first day but the 18th Army advanced further and reached its objectives. Brigade and battalion control over events was absent. Von Hutier renewed his assault on the French, south of the new Somme salient, while von der Marwitz launched an attack towards Amiens (First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, 30 March – 5 April). The bridge was recaptured and held for twelve hours before Herring was captured with the remnants of his platoon.[53][c]. The Germans passed through Libermont and over the Canal du Nord. During the day, the Germans made a rapid advance and Allied troops and civilians with laden carts and wagons filled the roads south and west. The daylight withdrawal to the Green Line, over almost 14 km (9 mi), was completed gradually, assisted by the defence of the Ricardo Redoubt whose garrison did not surrender until 16:40. [31][d], More orders were received at 3pm to move to Varesnes on the south bank of the River Oise but whilst en-route they were countermanded with surprise orders to counter attack and retake a village called Babouef. On 21st March 1918, during the Battle of St Quentin, he sustained gunshot wounds to his left arm and a compound fracture of his left leg and was admitted to 41st Casualty Clearing Station. The Bn showed the utmost resource during this dangerous manoeuvre, loosing [sic] very few men. It came on 4 April, when fifteen divisions attacked seven Allied divisions on a line east of Amiens and north of Albert (towards the Avre River). The artillery bombardment began at 0435 on March 21st to the depth of 2.5 to 4 miles on the front SW of Saint Quentin, later the Germans began a heavy barrage on the front lines along a 40-mile front, with intensive gas shelling of the front line trenches, along with the use of smoke canisters. When this had been successfully accomplished under very harassing machine gun fire from the enemy, the Bn conformed to the general retirement on CLERY village where it concentrated. Some British ground was lost but the German attack was rapidly losing strength. Ludendorff's dilemma was that the parts of the Allied line that he needed to break most were also the best defended. The traditional account then describes Haig as sending a telegram to the War Office to request an Allied conference. [64] Fresh British troops had been hurried into the region and were moved towards the vital rail centre of Amiens.[65]. 21-Mar-1918— 05-Apr-1918. "BATTLE OF CAMBRAI - ST. QUENTIN (Aug. 26-Oct. 5 1918). At 1am on the 21st March, a night patrol from the 16th Manchester's, opposite St Quentin, decided it was lost in the dense fog in no mans land. They were assisted by British "Whippet" tanks which were lighter and faster than the Mark IVs. The enemy at this point was well in our rear in possession of LAMOTTE so that the withdrawal had to be done quickly. Of the front between the Oise and the Somme, the French held 18 miles [29 km] and the British 19 miles [31 km]. The 2nd train carried the 5th Bn, 6th Bn and 1/1st Field Ambulance. 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