This blog continues from the first part of Major Kennedy's story which can be read here.
The winter of 1916-1917 was incredibly cold for the men in the trenches. The landscape of Northern France was blasted to ruins and hardly a tree stood in the vicinity of the front lines.
In January 1917 "A" Battery of the 126th Brigade was reassigned as "A" Battery of the 28th Army Field Brigade RFA which was at that time allocated to the 5th Division. The brigade was at Gorre, 4km east of Bethune. Gorre was a quiet, former boat-building village lying on a steep slope with only one taxi being kept very busy there according to Dunn’s book. The 28th were firing at La Bassee, as part of Left Group, 5th Divisional Artillery. La Bassee was a major junction of road, rail and canal for the Germans. The 5th Division was an old pre-war Division.
The creation of "Army" Artillery Brigades at this time was because while a division's infantry would regularly be sent out of the line for a rest the artillery tended to remain in place which was exhausting the gunners. Creating Army Brigades provided a pool of reserve gunners who could be sent into the line as needed, thereby relieving divisional artillery brigades without disrupting the rest of the division.
In February - March 1917 the Brigade stopped at Le Touret, Bethune, Annequin, Loisne, Locon and Verdrel (south of Bethune). Bethune was a tough, working class mining town similar to communities in the North East of England. Field Marshal Haig was planning an attack in the vicinity of Arras which was to be under the command of the Canadian Corps.
Bethune had suffered a lot of destruction since it had been the centre of recreation for the British troops stationed in the area during 1915 and early 1916. Dunn’s book describes many jolly moments of leisure enjoyed by the men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the town at that earlier time.
In February and March 1917 the Germans made a massive strategic withdrawal back to the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line which ran 70 miles from Neuville Vitasse south east of Arras to the Aisne River. They destroyed hundreds of villages in their wake, left vast numbers of booby traps, blew up bridges and poisoned the wells. The ground was hazardous to the Allied troops who had to advance over it and build new trenches, gun positions and billets in it.
In April 1917 the Brigade stopped at Verdrel, then Aux Rietz (to the north of Lens), then Bois De La Ville.
During April 1917 the 28th Brigade and the rest of 5th Division Artillery was part of the artillery bombardment supporting the attack on Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps and other attacks that comprised the Arras Campaign. The campaign was meticulously planned by the Canadian and 1st Army staff and was one of the great Allied successes of the First World War.
On the 8th February the GOCRA First Army Major General H.F. Mercer issued the artillery plan for the capture of Vimy Ridge. First Army Commander General Sir Henry Horne understood the problems well being a gunner himself. First Army and the Canadian Corps were directed to split their heavy artillery into three counter battery and two siege sections. The counter battery group were to do nothing else until all the German artillery was put out of action. They would try to destroy the enemy artillery before zero hour and try to neutralise it afterwards. A flight of aircraft were allocated to each of the first two counter battery groups, with the third group to be kept in reserve. Systematic counter battery fire began at Zero minus 20 days. At Z-10 days they focused more vigorously on enemy batteries, telephone exchanges and observation posts. The Germans made it easier by grouping many of their batteries in ‘nests’. Intelligence was well-coordinated between balloon observers, flash spotters, aircraft, sound rangers and ground observers. Plans were made to move the artillery once the attack started.
The main barrage was to be an unprecedented zone of fire. The First Army was to attack Vimy Ridge while the other forces would attack the Arras-Lens Road on the left and the Hindenburg Line on the right. The massive Vimy Ridge dominates the area, being a gradual slope on the west side and a steep drop on the east side.
The slope of the ridge had no trees or hedges and few fences. Just south of the ridge is the Scarpe River. The ground is chalk and the allied troops sheltered in massive chalk caves before the attack. These caves can still be visited, decorated by the troops’ graffiti.
The 28th Brigade came under the control of the Canadian Corps for the duration of the battle. The total number of guns allocated were as follows:
1404 18-pounders
258 60-pounders
40 6-inch guns
148 9.2-inch howitzers
450 4.5-inch howitzers
364 6-inch howitzers
124 8-inch howitzers
2 9.2-inch guns
17 12-inch howitzers
2 12-inch guns
8 15-inch howitzers
Totalling 2817 guns and howitzers
Enormous amounts of ammunition were made available compared to previous battles - for instance 300 rounds for each gun for the first two days after zero hour.
The Germans had less than half that amount of artillery available in that sector.
Batteries were allocated various different tasks such as wire cutting, bombardment and counter battery work.
Although it is frequently forgotten today, the Arras/Vimy attack was meant to be a diversion in favour of the main French offensive by General Nivelle further south which whilst making limited gains, resulted in the collapse of morale of a large part of the French Army. There were widespread mutinies which were luckily kept secret from the Germans. The French Army became a defensive force only. From hereon the British would have to shoulder the burden of offensive operations. The French to be fair had lost millions of men by this time and the fighting and huge losses around Verdun in particular had sapped their will to continue the War.
Excerpts from 28th Brigade RFA War Diary are given below.
1-10.1.17 Building gun positions, OP and wagon lines
11.1 Commander of Left Group handed over to 123 Brigade. Batteries remained under control of Left Group Commander but Brigade HQ moved to Luon (?) prior to reorganisation
A/126 become 28th Field Brigade Royal Field Artillery Jan 1917 (comprising 123, 124, A/28, 65 Howitzer Battery)
1 Jan 1917 28th Bde at Gorre, 2.5 miles east of Bethune
Firing at La Bassee (important enemy-held road, rail and canal junctions)
Feb 1917 Gorre, then Le Touret east of La Bassee
Part of Left Group, 5th Divisional Artillery
March 1917 Le Touret, Bethune, Annequin, Loisne, Locon, Verdrel (south of Bethune)
BATTLE OF ARRAS AND BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE Easter 1917
The Battle of Arras and Vimy Ridge was aimed at taking the high ground of the Ridge and pushing the Germans Eastwards. The preparation that went into it was unprecedented.
The weather on 9th April in Arras was cold and snowy. The infantry advanced behind the creeping barrage and took their initial objectives including the heavily fortified Ridge. The new positions were used to target the retreating enemy forces to devastating effect. 15000 prisoners and 200 guns were captured along with many machine guns and other weapons. The weather was awful and the roads in a terrible state.
By 16th April the 5th Division batteries were lined along the railway east of the village of Farbus. The Germans had the range of them and made their life miserable with gas and shells. There was no cover so the ammunition dumps were frequently blown up throwing up huge clouds. The British erected fake dumps with tarpaulins over them, encouraging the Germans to waste their shells.
From this time, throughout the spring the Germans launched ferocious counter attacks on the new British and Canadian lines. By the end of May things had calmed down to comparative "quiet".
April 1917 Verdrel, Aux Rietz (to the north of Lens), Bois De La Ville (Maroeuil, NW suburb of Arras)
May 1917 Bois De La Ville, Bois De Farbus (between Lens and Arras)
June 1917 Roclincourt, Vimy Ridge near Farbus Wood, Farbus Wood
July 1917 Vimy Ridge near Farbus Wood, Farbus Wood, Roclincourt, Aire et Neupre
1-4.8 1917 Marched from Neupre to Thieushouk (near Fletres), attached to Portuguese Division XI Corps. Heavy rain.
Private Frank Richards of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, author ‘Old Soldiers Never Die’ had a very low opinion of the fighting capabilities of the Portuguese troops.
At the end of May 28th Brigade left the 5th Division which meant that it was to be used in the even larger battle which was being prepared in the vicinity of Ypres (today known as Ieper) - the opening barrages of the Third Battle of Ypres began on the 4th August.
In June 1917 the Brigade were at Roclincourt, Vimy Ridge near Bois De Farbus.
From 28th June till 22nd July Julius was on medical leave in England according to his B103 Casualty Form. It is possible he had been gassed, some family members who knew him believe he suffered from the after effects of gas.
In July 1917 the Brigade were at Vimy Ridge near Bois De Farbus, then Bois De Farbus, then Roclincourt, then Aire et Neupre.
The Third Battle of Ypres Summer-Autumn 1917
The main objective for the campaign in Flanders in 1917 was to take the port of Zeebrugge from the Germans which was regarded as key to the serious U Boat threat to shipping which had in turn been causing food shortages in Britain. The first goal of the campaign was to clear the Germans from the ridge from which they had been pounding the old Belgian city of Ypres with their artillery. The fortress of Ypres was the barrier stopping the Germans from pushing the British and Belgians back to the coast, a mere 31 miles.
In August 1917 the Brigade were at Neupre, Thieushouk (a hop growing area with a few ‘oast houses’), then Hallebast attached to Portuguese Division XI Corps, then on 8.8.1917 they moved to Lock 7 of the Ypres-Comines Canal, south of Ypres.
28th Army Field Brigade was now part of the 2nd Army, led by General Plumer. "Daddy" Plumer might have looked like a typical fat, moustachioed, cartoon blimp of a General but was in fact a canny operator who based his campaigns on lots of planning and clever use of mining, in which the British had great superiority due to great foresight at the start of hostilities in the Salient and to the fact that they were on low lying ground. The British mined out huge galleries and scores of tunnels under the Salient, mostly during the first year or two of the War.
5-6 August At Hallebast, south east of Ypres.
8.8 A/28 at St Eloi, near Ypres
10.8 Wagon lines shelled by 30cm High Velocity artillery
11.8 In the early hours, enemy aircraft bombed the wagon lines
18.8 Brigade HQ moved to Lock 7 Ypres-Comines Canal. Lt-Col Savile takes over BATTLEWOOD GROUP.
Lock 7, St Eloi, Ypres, Victoria Mine Shaft
19.8 A/28 join CANAL GROUP. Visibility very good. Enemy fire very active, bombing rear areas. Two enemy aircraft shot down by anti aircraft fire.
20.8 Day firing. Weather warm, visibility good, enemy shelling heavy, especially both banks of canal by Spoilbank. (Spoilbank was a fortified bank of earth that had been fought over and over since 1914)
21.8 Batteries fired “hurricane of fire” in afternoon. Bluff and Spoilbank received shelling by 5.9s and 4.2s. Weather fine
22.8 All batteries took part in hurricane barrage in support of a II Corps attack on the left
24.8 Lt-Col Savile takes over CANAL GROUP instead of BATTLEWOOD GROUP, at
Victoria Mine Shaft. A/28 bombarded ‘new work’. Enemy shelling Dammstrasse (a fortified road leading to the fortified ruin of The White Chateau) with 150s, Chester Farm (captured German concrete bunker) and The Bluff (fortified heap left over from the building of the Canal) with 150s and elsewhere. Stormy weather.
25.8 Batteries carried out 2 minute bombardments of May Farm, Potsdam Farm.
Enemy aircraft active and flying low
26.8 Batteries carried out 4 minute bombardments of dugouts including Potsdam Farm.
Night firing by A/28. Enemy bombarding Dammstrasse. Enemy aircraft active in the morning. Stormy weather in the afternoon.
27.8 Batteries carried out 2 minute bombardments of cross roads, junctions of tracks.
Enemy artillery active especially in the morning. 8:25pm Germans laid down heavy bombardment on front lines. 18 pounders fired in response to SOS rockets. Poor visibility, stormy weather.
28.8 Stormy weather. Batteries fired on Hessian Wood and other locations.
29.8 A/28 fired delayed action fuses at Hollebeke Mill and various other targets.
Night firing.
30.8 A/28 did 2 minute bombardment. Some enemy firing of 105mms from the direction of St Eloi crossroads along the Voormezele road towards Bus House (where Victoria Mine Shaft is located). Batteries bombarded Potsdam Farm and others.
Enemy bombarded Dammstrasse.
In August, A/28 sustained 1 officer wounded, 3 other ranks killed and 8 injured.
On 7th June a huge mine was exploded at Spanbroekmolen just over the railway line from Hill 60 which devastated the vast German fortifications at Hill 60, literally blowing the whole hill up in the air. Several other mines were exploded under the German lines. About 10,000 German troops died. Despite the heavy blow this was to the German forces the British operations that followed took a while to get started.
Apart from anything else there was a shortage of ammunition.
General Gough was in command of operations to the north of Ypres in August which did not succeed in making much progress - and cost heavy casualties. Gough liked the old failed method of long distance attacks. General Plumer to the south was more cautious than his colleague, believing in thorough artillery preparation of ground and detailed planning of the attack, familiarising the troops with the ground they were attacking using scale models. Plumer believed in attacking closer targets which prevented the usual confusion that resulted when long distance attacks led to breakdowns in communication with the forces at the leading edge. The term used for these attacks was "bite and hold". Each division would attack on a 1000 yard front with each objective no more than 1500 yards away.
1,295 guns and howitzers were assembled for the planned barrages. 1830 guns were available for other purposes. There was one gun/howitzer for every five yards of front. 3.5 million rounds were assembled for the first day of attacks alone and the same amount of ammunition for the preliminary bombardments. Counter battery bombardments concentrated on the ground around enemy guns, ensuring that they could not be moved.
Then in the 24 hours prior to the attacks the guns themselves were targeted, ensuring that the Germans could not replace them in time for the battle.
The creeping barrage was of a new design too. There were to be five lines or "belts" of fire.
The first line A, nearest the British lines was fired by 18 pounders with one third of the guns ready to switch over to opportunistic targets that might arise and leave no gaps in the barrage. Line B was 200 yards further on and was 4.5 inch howitzers using Fuze 106 to give more penetration, and the rest of the 18 pounders. Then came Line C 200 yards further on which was all machine guns. 200 yards on came Line D fired by 6 inch howitzers. Line E, 200 yards on, was fired by 60 pounders, 8 and 9.2 inch howitzers.
All together this gave 1000 yards of fire. 50% of the 18 pounder ammunition would be high explosive with 25% of fuzes set to delay. The pace was to be slow, getting slower as the attack went on and with a pause every 500 yards. Standing barrages 2000 yards further on were to be fired continuously to break up counter attacking enemy troops and isolate the enemy front line. There were also smaller barrages in depth to fill gaps and thicken fire on counter attack approaches. More guns were on call for SOS bombardments to protect infantry under threat. Massive calculations were required by all batteries, checking and double checking. The preparation work by the artillery was superb despite the miserable conditions in the command posts around Ypres.
Due to the excellent counter battery fire of the British artillery the German artillery were at the furthest possible distance away around the "ridge" surrounding Ypres.
This artillery strategy provided a curtain behind which a line of skirmishing infantry advanced. Platoon groups went behind them to deal with particular strong points.
Mopping up groups followed to garrison the strong points captured. Reserve companies followed behind to provide reserves. Bombardments gave signals to the infantry - using smoke shell to indicated that a bombardment was starting, pausing, ending, or changes in direction.
Communication was by balloon, pigeons, buried telephone wire and radio. Forward observers in FOO posts and balloons were on hand to observe progress.
On 1st September 1917 39th and 41st Division were sharing the 39th Division Front
On 2nd September IX Corps relieved X Corps on the Ypres to Comines canal front
The Germans were bombing and shelling the Ypres-Comines canal banks and Dammstrasse.
Dammstrasse was the fortified former ‘avenue’ to the ruined ‘White Chateau’ - also heavily fortified by the Germans but by this time a bombed-out ruin. The British had taken Dammstrasse and the Chateau in the aftermath of the huge mine explosions in June 1917.
At the beginning of September 1917 28th Brigade were with HQ Canal Group, Brigade HQ being based in the Victoria Mine Shaft, a huge complex of tunnels and bunkers which was in the vicinity of 'Bus House'. The Brigade were taking part in the massive bombardments that were being directed onto the ridge of the Salient, in support of the infantry attacks.
The enemy, sat on the horseshoe-shaped ridge, were able to pick their targets at will whilst the British and Empire forces attempted to advance across what was now a sea of mud.
The British artillery emplacements, their gun pits, dumps of shells, and long ammunition columns travelling to and fro along the 'corduroy' tracks were the main target of the German shelling - because the British artillery was the Germans’ biggest problem.
The positions that are mentioned are mainly concrete bunkers that British troops had captured from the Germans.
In the diary we read that periodically the Brigade withdraw to rest at the wagon lines at Poperinghe, handing over to 87 Brigade RFA. Typically units were rotated out for a rest period behind the lines like this, although artillery units could be left in the front line for much longer periods due to their critical role.
On a certain day during this period, Julius and his men were attempting to retrieve shells from an ammunition dump which was being shelled, then caught fire. There was the imminent risk of a major explosion which would have killed them, yet they continued to retrieve the shells despite the fire. To abandon shells in the position they were in would have forced the ammunition column to return to collect yet more fresh shells and to put themselves under fire again or risk slipping and being sucked under the sea of mud. Therefore by their action Julius and his men saved other men's lives as well as enabling the battery to continue firing in order to support the advance. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Private Frank Richards notes in his book that the high command introduced the Military Cross in 1916 to reduce the number of DSOs being issued so Julius’s award is particularly notable.
During part of this period, the Brigade's CO was on leave. Julius was left in command of the 28th Army Brigade.
The next big battle planned by General Plumer in the Ypres salient was to be the Battle
of The Menin Ridge. In the plan the artillery were given the key role. The advance was to consist of a series of “bite and hold” attacks consisting of a sequence of limited objectives no more than 1500 yards away. This had the strong advantage that the communications link would be maintained - something that was lacking in the long distance attacks on The Somme in 1916 which proved so costly in lives.
Communication was still largely by human runners - telephone wires constantly being broken by enemy gunnery. On zero day 20th September objectives were all taken by the attacking troops and Crown Prince Rupprecht in command of the German side commented in his diary that the British Artillery prevented any counter attacks by breaking them up as they assembled.
The Wagon Lines were at St. Sixte (near Poperinghe) in December - German bombing killed several men and many horses
The brigade were at Negro Farm from 6th till 19th Haandekot (West of Poperinghe).
They were at Anchor Farm on the 28th November then moved to Persia Farm.
Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Messines Ridge SEPTEMBER 1917
1st Sep 1917 39th and 41st Divisions sharing 39th Division Front
2nd Sept IX corps relieved X corps on Ypres to Comines Canal front
Enemy are bombing and shelling Canal banks, Dammstrasse
Dammstrasse was a road south of St Eloi running east from Rijselstraat to White Chateau grounds)
5th September enemy shell A/28 position, Arundel and Norfolk Lodge
6th September withdrew to wagon lines at Poperinghe, hand over to 87 Bgde RFA
8th September 65th battery rejoin after supporting Portuguese 1 Division XI Corps
9-12 September at Poperinghe, the divisional ammunition column was bombed, 6 wounded, 10 horses killed
13th September HQ is Victoria Mine Shaft, 19th Division. L C. Savile commands B subgroup Right Group
Supporting 157 and 158 infantry brigades at Klein Zillebeke
14th September enemy shell St Eloi and Kemmel
111 infantry brigade (37th Division) troops take over Klein Zillebeke
15th September Brigade took part in various barrages
Enemy shelling Spoilbank to St Eloi, bombing of Voormezele (between Dickebusch and St Eloi)
16th September enemy shelled positions including gas
17th September barrages including night firing enemy shelling including Hill 60
18th September barrages night and day, enemy shelled 124th and 65th batteries, causing casualties, also Triangular Wood
19th September enemy shelling from Tenbrielen including on White Chateau. Enemy balloons
Mention is made above of enemy balloons. These were deadly because they gave trained observers the opportunity to pinpoint targets all over the British lines and transmit the results to the enemy's artillery with deadly results. Killing the observers and blowing the balloon up was a critical goal of the Royal Flying Corps.
Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of The Menin Road 20-25th September
20th September HQ at Lock No 7 Victoria Mine Shaft usual barrages plus some gas, also shelled Bassevillebeek supporting 57th, 58th infantry brigades at Hill 60
21st September usual night and day firing
22nd September usual night and day firing.
Enemy artillery at Tenbrielen shelled A/28 position and others, Norfolk Farm and road from Bus House to Spoil Bank
23rd September German counter battery fire very intense on A/28 position
25th September GERMAN COUNTER ATTACK
Crown Prince Rupprecht Daily Report 20th September
"True to the massive artillery effort made by the British during the past few days, the concentration of enemy fighting power peaked today along a twelve kilometre front. Advancing behind a wall of drumfire of extraordinary intensity of guns and mortars, came
at least nine British Divisions..."
(The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
26th September 3rd October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle of Polygon Wood
The attack on Polygon Wood was fought by Australian and New Zealand troops. In it was a large mound that was a shooting range prior to the war that the Germans had fortified. The Allies had also moved up ten divisional artillery units, in the region of 500 guns. The toll was heavy. Today the mound in the forest is a tranquil place surrounded by the many graves of fallen Australians and New Zealanders.
The British artillery were firing for over twelve hours at high rates of fire. 119 officers and 2,292 other ranks were killed in the artillery at this time. 350 18 pounders were lost in September.
27th September Moved to Lock 7 on Ypres-Comines Canal
28th September Hostile aircraft. Enemy shelled roads and tracks between Lock 8 and Voormezele (img5116)
30th September -4th October GERMAN COUNTER ATTACKS broken up by the artillery and infantry.
30th September Night and day firing. Enemy hostile firing with heavy calibre howitzers
1st October Night and day firing. Much hostile activity - 150mm and 105mm
2nd October Much hostile activity
3rd October Night firing
Leutnant Walsemann 6th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 92
"The length of the battle made Verdun dreadful: but so concentrated was the British fire in Flanders that it was incomparably worse..." (The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
249 18 pounders were lost in October. The Second Army had 796 heavy and siege, and 1548
field guns and howitzers left in working order. On the other side 4th October was declared a black day for the German Army by General Ludendorff. However the weather worsened substantially, rain and mud making progress extremely difficult. Guns sank, plank roads vanished, guns could not move. Gun platforms sank in the mud. A journey that would otherwise take an hour was taking 16. Shells had to be cleaned before firing. Men were permanently wet and wrapped themselves in muddy blankets. Many became sick.
Unteroffizier Paul Stolz 4th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 92 "The 4th October dawned. It was a day which for me and many others will remain unforgettable. Already by 5:30am the British brought down drumfire of an intensity you would hardly believe possible...lasted until evening...it was like a volcano erupting"
(The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
4th October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Broodseinde
Night firing 180 rounds. Stormy weather restricted enemy activity
5th October Night firing. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
6th October Night firing. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
7th October GERMAN COUNTER ATTACKS AND INCREASED COUNTER BATTERY FIRE
Shelled with 150mm and 105mm including 150 armour piercing shells. Extremely heavy shelling, and damage to positions and telephone communications. No casualties
8th October Night firing on tracks and communications. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
9th October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Poelcapelle
Night Firing 175 rounds. Canal banks shelled by German 4.1 High Velocity guns
10th October Night Firing 175 rounds. German aeroplanes attacking
11th October Night Firing 175 rounds
12th October Third Battle Of Ypres/1st Battle Of Passchendaele
Night Firing 175 rounds
13.10 Night Firing 175 rounds. Heavy shelling of A/28th’s position
20-22nd October Third Battle Of Ypres/2nd Battle Of Passchendaele
14th October 28th Field Brigade withdraw from Lock 7 to Poperinghe
Rest of October stationed at Proven, Grays Inn
November 1917 stationed at Proven, Grays Inn, Pill Box 178 - XIX Corps
On 14th November 1917 Julius was presented with the DSO at Buckingham Palace by the King. Typically the award of DSO was a prelude to promotion to Colonel and beyond, but Julius did not receive any further advance in rank perhaps due to lack of social connections in the army. His family background was Liberal and non-military.
13th November the brigade were salving guns from the Steenbeck, to the North of Ypres, target for Gough's attacks in the summer.
Wagon Lines at S. Sixte into December - German bombing kills several men and many horses
Negro Farm from 6th till 19th Haandekot (West of Poperinghe)
Anchor Farm on the 28th. Persia Farm
January 1918 Lapin Farm, Haandekot
Major Lutyens of 28th Brigade RFA killed 6.1.18 at Langemarck
February 1918 Bixschoote 5148 - No casualties in February
Spring 1918
On the 26th February Julius was again mentioned in dispatches - in B103 form.
In March 1918 The Wagon Lines were at A5G, then from the 11th at Gournier Farm to the north east of Ypres.
The collapse of the Russian Army and the Russian October Revolution in 1917 meant that the Germans now only needed to fight on one front. They now had millions of men available to fight in the West. They had to act fast though because the Americans were now arriving in France.
In March the Germans launched their great offensive in the Somme sector of the line, pushing the British back to Albert, and regaining all the hard-fought gains the British had made during 1916. For a time it looked as if France was lost as the allies retreated.
Thousands were killed and thousands of prisoners were taken by the advancing Germans.
From the 21st - 30th March Julius was on leave in England.
On 11th April Julius completed a course with the 35th Division. It seems that he was being trained for a new role with the 35th Division which we will see below.
The Battle of The Lys
In Apr 1918 the 28th Brigade were at Gournier Farm then Square Farm then moved to north of Pradelles which is on the outskirts of Hazebrouck. Hazebrouck was the key railhead in Northern France supplying the Allied Armies so during this critical time A/28 was clearly engaged in defence of the town, then threatened by the German 6th Army’s offensive. This is known as The Battle of The Lys. The Germans attacked in the open in huge numbers, making easy targets of themselves and the toll on their attacking infantry was enormous.
The British had no reserves left. The Germans had exploited the collapse of Portuguese forces in the sector and were intent on seizing the railhead town. Australian 1st Division troops plugged the gap and fought with their customary bravery. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig issued his famous "Backs To The Wall" appeal at this time.
On the 15th and 16th there was relative quiet in the sector.
On the 17th April there was a tremendous though inaccurate German barrage followed by a final desperate attempt to break through which was stopped.
They were at Borre which is on the eastern outskirts of Hazebrouck from April 15th onwards
On 30th April Julius attended a course.
In mid May the brigade moved to W13d.98.20
On 31st May Julius attended a course
On June 8th Brigade HQ moved to Lynde (10km west of Hazebrouck).
On 31st July 1918 Julius joined 35th Division Artillery where he was to be Brigade Major
He was henceforth responsible for coordinating artillery barrages and bombardments for the whole division.
The 100 Days
Julius was posted to 35th Divisional Artillery on the 31st July 1918. The 35th Division were part of the 2nd Army of General Plumer, and were a Kitchener's New Army Division. This was in the immediate prelude to The Battle of Amiens, 8th August, where, after a massive retreat, and massive reorganisation under French Marshal Foch, the British Army were steeling themselves for the big offensive that would ultimately lead to the defeat of the Central Powers.
The rest of this post is mainly based on the History of The 35th Division by Lieutenant Colonel H.M. Davson.
The winter of 1916-1917 was incredibly cold for the men in the trenches. The landscape of Northern France was blasted to ruins and hardly a tree stood in the vicinity of the front lines.
In January 1917 "A" Battery of the 126th Brigade was reassigned as "A" Battery of the 28th Army Field Brigade RFA which was at that time allocated to the 5th Division. The brigade was at Gorre, 4km east of Bethune. Gorre was a quiet, former boat-building village lying on a steep slope with only one taxi being kept very busy there according to Dunn’s book. The 28th were firing at La Bassee, as part of Left Group, 5th Divisional Artillery. La Bassee was a major junction of road, rail and canal for the Germans. The 5th Division was an old pre-war Division.
The creation of "Army" Artillery Brigades at this time was because while a division's infantry would regularly be sent out of the line for a rest the artillery tended to remain in place which was exhausting the gunners. Creating Army Brigades provided a pool of reserve gunners who could be sent into the line as needed, thereby relieving divisional artillery brigades without disrupting the rest of the division.
In February - March 1917 the Brigade stopped at Le Touret, Bethune, Annequin, Loisne, Locon and Verdrel (south of Bethune). Bethune was a tough, working class mining town similar to communities in the North East of England. Field Marshal Haig was planning an attack in the vicinity of Arras which was to be under the command of the Canadian Corps.
Bethune had suffered a lot of destruction since it had been the centre of recreation for the British troops stationed in the area during 1915 and early 1916. Dunn’s book describes many jolly moments of leisure enjoyed by the men of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in the town at that earlier time.
In February and March 1917 the Germans made a massive strategic withdrawal back to the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line which ran 70 miles from Neuville Vitasse south east of Arras to the Aisne River. They destroyed hundreds of villages in their wake, left vast numbers of booby traps, blew up bridges and poisoned the wells. The ground was hazardous to the Allied troops who had to advance over it and build new trenches, gun positions and billets in it.
In April 1917 the Brigade stopped at Verdrel, then Aux Rietz (to the north of Lens), then Bois De La Ville.
During April 1917 the 28th Brigade and the rest of 5th Division Artillery was part of the artillery bombardment supporting the attack on Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps and other attacks that comprised the Arras Campaign. The campaign was meticulously planned by the Canadian and 1st Army staff and was one of the great Allied successes of the First World War.
On the 8th February the GOCRA First Army Major General H.F. Mercer issued the artillery plan for the capture of Vimy Ridge. First Army Commander General Sir Henry Horne understood the problems well being a gunner himself. First Army and the Canadian Corps were directed to split their heavy artillery into three counter battery and two siege sections. The counter battery group were to do nothing else until all the German artillery was put out of action. They would try to destroy the enemy artillery before zero hour and try to neutralise it afterwards. A flight of aircraft were allocated to each of the first two counter battery groups, with the third group to be kept in reserve. Systematic counter battery fire began at Zero minus 20 days. At Z-10 days they focused more vigorously on enemy batteries, telephone exchanges and observation posts. The Germans made it easier by grouping many of their batteries in ‘nests’. Intelligence was well-coordinated between balloon observers, flash spotters, aircraft, sound rangers and ground observers. Plans were made to move the artillery once the attack started.
The main barrage was to be an unprecedented zone of fire. The First Army was to attack Vimy Ridge while the other forces would attack the Arras-Lens Road on the left and the Hindenburg Line on the right. The massive Vimy Ridge dominates the area, being a gradual slope on the west side and a steep drop on the east side.
The slope of the ridge had no trees or hedges and few fences. Just south of the ridge is the Scarpe River. The ground is chalk and the allied troops sheltered in massive chalk caves before the attack. These caves can still be visited, decorated by the troops’ graffiti.
The 28th Brigade came under the control of the Canadian Corps for the duration of the battle. The total number of guns allocated were as follows:
1404 18-pounders
258 60-pounders
40 6-inch guns
148 9.2-inch howitzers
450 4.5-inch howitzers
364 6-inch howitzers
124 8-inch howitzers
2 9.2-inch guns
17 12-inch howitzers
2 12-inch guns
8 15-inch howitzers
Totalling 2817 guns and howitzers
Enormous amounts of ammunition were made available compared to previous battles - for instance 300 rounds for each gun for the first two days after zero hour.
The Germans had less than half that amount of artillery available in that sector.
Batteries were allocated various different tasks such as wire cutting, bombardment and counter battery work.
Although it is frequently forgotten today, the Arras/Vimy attack was meant to be a diversion in favour of the main French offensive by General Nivelle further south which whilst making limited gains, resulted in the collapse of morale of a large part of the French Army. There were widespread mutinies which were luckily kept secret from the Germans. The French Army became a defensive force only. From hereon the British would have to shoulder the burden of offensive operations. The French to be fair had lost millions of men by this time and the fighting and huge losses around Verdun in particular had sapped their will to continue the War.
Excerpts from 28th Brigade RFA War Diary are given below.
1-10.1.17 Building gun positions, OP and wagon lines
11.1 Commander of Left Group handed over to 123 Brigade. Batteries remained under control of Left Group Commander but Brigade HQ moved to Luon (?) prior to reorganisation
A/126 become 28th Field Brigade Royal Field Artillery Jan 1917 (comprising 123, 124, A/28, 65 Howitzer Battery)
1 Jan 1917 28th Bde at Gorre, 2.5 miles east of Bethune
Firing at La Bassee (important enemy-held road, rail and canal junctions)
Feb 1917 Gorre, then Le Touret east of La Bassee
Part of Left Group, 5th Divisional Artillery
March 1917 Le Touret, Bethune, Annequin, Loisne, Locon, Verdrel (south of Bethune)
BATTLE OF ARRAS AND BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE Easter 1917
The Battle of Arras and Vimy Ridge was aimed at taking the high ground of the Ridge and pushing the Germans Eastwards. The preparation that went into it was unprecedented.
The weather on 9th April in Arras was cold and snowy. The infantry advanced behind the creeping barrage and took their initial objectives including the heavily fortified Ridge. The new positions were used to target the retreating enemy forces to devastating effect. 15000 prisoners and 200 guns were captured along with many machine guns and other weapons. The weather was awful and the roads in a terrible state.
By 16th April the 5th Division batteries were lined along the railway east of the village of Farbus. The Germans had the range of them and made their life miserable with gas and shells. There was no cover so the ammunition dumps were frequently blown up throwing up huge clouds. The British erected fake dumps with tarpaulins over them, encouraging the Germans to waste their shells.
From this time, throughout the spring the Germans launched ferocious counter attacks on the new British and Canadian lines. By the end of May things had calmed down to comparative "quiet".
April 1917 Verdrel, Aux Rietz (to the north of Lens), Bois De La Ville (Maroeuil, NW suburb of Arras)
May 1917 Bois De La Ville, Bois De Farbus (between Lens and Arras)
June 1917 Roclincourt, Vimy Ridge near Farbus Wood, Farbus Wood
July 1917 Vimy Ridge near Farbus Wood, Farbus Wood, Roclincourt, Aire et Neupre
1-4.8 1917 Marched from Neupre to Thieushouk (near Fletres), attached to Portuguese Division XI Corps. Heavy rain.
Private Frank Richards of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, author ‘Old Soldiers Never Die’ had a very low opinion of the fighting capabilities of the Portuguese troops.
At the end of May 28th Brigade left the 5th Division which meant that it was to be used in the even larger battle which was being prepared in the vicinity of Ypres (today known as Ieper) - the opening barrages of the Third Battle of Ypres began on the 4th August.
In June 1917 the Brigade were at Roclincourt, Vimy Ridge near Bois De Farbus.
From 28th June till 22nd July Julius was on medical leave in England according to his B103 Casualty Form. It is possible he had been gassed, some family members who knew him believe he suffered from the after effects of gas.
In July 1917 the Brigade were at Vimy Ridge near Bois De Farbus, then Bois De Farbus, then Roclincourt, then Aire et Neupre.
The Third Battle of Ypres Summer-Autumn 1917
The main objective for the campaign in Flanders in 1917 was to take the port of Zeebrugge from the Germans which was regarded as key to the serious U Boat threat to shipping which had in turn been causing food shortages in Britain. The first goal of the campaign was to clear the Germans from the ridge from which they had been pounding the old Belgian city of Ypres with their artillery. The fortress of Ypres was the barrier stopping the Germans from pushing the British and Belgians back to the coast, a mere 31 miles.
In August 1917 the Brigade were at Neupre, Thieushouk (a hop growing area with a few ‘oast houses’), then Hallebast attached to Portuguese Division XI Corps, then on 8.8.1917 they moved to Lock 7 of the Ypres-Comines Canal, south of Ypres.
28th Army Field Brigade was now part of the 2nd Army, led by General Plumer. "Daddy" Plumer might have looked like a typical fat, moustachioed, cartoon blimp of a General but was in fact a canny operator who based his campaigns on lots of planning and clever use of mining, in which the British had great superiority due to great foresight at the start of hostilities in the Salient and to the fact that they were on low lying ground. The British mined out huge galleries and scores of tunnels under the Salient, mostly during the first year or two of the War.
5-6 August At Hallebast, south east of Ypres.
8.8 A/28 at St Eloi, near Ypres
10.8 Wagon lines shelled by 30cm High Velocity artillery
11.8 In the early hours, enemy aircraft bombed the wagon lines
18.8 Brigade HQ moved to Lock 7 Ypres-Comines Canal. Lt-Col Savile takes over BATTLEWOOD GROUP.
Lock 7, St Eloi, Ypres, Victoria Mine Shaft
19.8 A/28 join CANAL GROUP. Visibility very good. Enemy fire very active, bombing rear areas. Two enemy aircraft shot down by anti aircraft fire.
20.8 Day firing. Weather warm, visibility good, enemy shelling heavy, especially both banks of canal by Spoilbank. (Spoilbank was a fortified bank of earth that had been fought over and over since 1914)
21.8 Batteries fired “hurricane of fire” in afternoon. Bluff and Spoilbank received shelling by 5.9s and 4.2s. Weather fine
22.8 All batteries took part in hurricane barrage in support of a II Corps attack on the left
24.8 Lt-Col Savile takes over CANAL GROUP instead of BATTLEWOOD GROUP, at
Victoria Mine Shaft. A/28 bombarded ‘new work’. Enemy shelling Dammstrasse (a fortified road leading to the fortified ruin of The White Chateau) with 150s, Chester Farm (captured German concrete bunker) and The Bluff (fortified heap left over from the building of the Canal) with 150s and elsewhere. Stormy weather.
25.8 Batteries carried out 2 minute bombardments of May Farm, Potsdam Farm.
Enemy aircraft active and flying low
26.8 Batteries carried out 4 minute bombardments of dugouts including Potsdam Farm.
Night firing by A/28. Enemy bombarding Dammstrasse. Enemy aircraft active in the morning. Stormy weather in the afternoon.
27.8 Batteries carried out 2 minute bombardments of cross roads, junctions of tracks.
Enemy artillery active especially in the morning. 8:25pm Germans laid down heavy bombardment on front lines. 18 pounders fired in response to SOS rockets. Poor visibility, stormy weather.
28.8 Stormy weather. Batteries fired on Hessian Wood and other locations.
29.8 A/28 fired delayed action fuses at Hollebeke Mill and various other targets.
Night firing.
30.8 A/28 did 2 minute bombardment. Some enemy firing of 105mms from the direction of St Eloi crossroads along the Voormezele road towards Bus House (where Victoria Mine Shaft is located). Batteries bombarded Potsdam Farm and others.
Enemy bombarded Dammstrasse.
In August, A/28 sustained 1 officer wounded, 3 other ranks killed and 8 injured.
On 7th June a huge mine was exploded at Spanbroekmolen just over the railway line from Hill 60 which devastated the vast German fortifications at Hill 60, literally blowing the whole hill up in the air. Several other mines were exploded under the German lines. About 10,000 German troops died. Despite the heavy blow this was to the German forces the British operations that followed took a while to get started.
Apart from anything else there was a shortage of ammunition.
General Gough was in command of operations to the north of Ypres in August which did not succeed in making much progress - and cost heavy casualties. Gough liked the old failed method of long distance attacks. General Plumer to the south was more cautious than his colleague, believing in thorough artillery preparation of ground and detailed planning of the attack, familiarising the troops with the ground they were attacking using scale models. Plumer believed in attacking closer targets which prevented the usual confusion that resulted when long distance attacks led to breakdowns in communication with the forces at the leading edge. The term used for these attacks was "bite and hold". Each division would attack on a 1000 yard front with each objective no more than 1500 yards away.
1,295 guns and howitzers were assembled for the planned barrages. 1830 guns were available for other purposes. There was one gun/howitzer for every five yards of front. 3.5 million rounds were assembled for the first day of attacks alone and the same amount of ammunition for the preliminary bombardments. Counter battery bombardments concentrated on the ground around enemy guns, ensuring that they could not be moved.
Then in the 24 hours prior to the attacks the guns themselves were targeted, ensuring that the Germans could not replace them in time for the battle.
The creeping barrage was of a new design too. There were to be five lines or "belts" of fire.
The first line A, nearest the British lines was fired by 18 pounders with one third of the guns ready to switch over to opportunistic targets that might arise and leave no gaps in the barrage. Line B was 200 yards further on and was 4.5 inch howitzers using Fuze 106 to give more penetration, and the rest of the 18 pounders. Then came Line C 200 yards further on which was all machine guns. 200 yards on came Line D fired by 6 inch howitzers. Line E, 200 yards on, was fired by 60 pounders, 8 and 9.2 inch howitzers.
All together this gave 1000 yards of fire. 50% of the 18 pounder ammunition would be high explosive with 25% of fuzes set to delay. The pace was to be slow, getting slower as the attack went on and with a pause every 500 yards. Standing barrages 2000 yards further on were to be fired continuously to break up counter attacking enemy troops and isolate the enemy front line. There were also smaller barrages in depth to fill gaps and thicken fire on counter attack approaches. More guns were on call for SOS bombardments to protect infantry under threat. Massive calculations were required by all batteries, checking and double checking. The preparation work by the artillery was superb despite the miserable conditions in the command posts around Ypres.
Due to the excellent counter battery fire of the British artillery the German artillery were at the furthest possible distance away around the "ridge" surrounding Ypres.
This artillery strategy provided a curtain behind which a line of skirmishing infantry advanced. Platoon groups went behind them to deal with particular strong points.
Mopping up groups followed to garrison the strong points captured. Reserve companies followed behind to provide reserves. Bombardments gave signals to the infantry - using smoke shell to indicated that a bombardment was starting, pausing, ending, or changes in direction.
Communication was by balloon, pigeons, buried telephone wire and radio. Forward observers in FOO posts and balloons were on hand to observe progress.
On 1st September 1917 39th and 41st Division were sharing the 39th Division Front
On 2nd September IX Corps relieved X Corps on the Ypres to Comines canal front
The Germans were bombing and shelling the Ypres-Comines canal banks and Dammstrasse.
Dammstrasse was the fortified former ‘avenue’ to the ruined ‘White Chateau’ - also heavily fortified by the Germans but by this time a bombed-out ruin. The British had taken Dammstrasse and the Chateau in the aftermath of the huge mine explosions in June 1917.
At the beginning of September 1917 28th Brigade were with HQ Canal Group, Brigade HQ being based in the Victoria Mine Shaft, a huge complex of tunnels and bunkers which was in the vicinity of 'Bus House'. The Brigade were taking part in the massive bombardments that were being directed onto the ridge of the Salient, in support of the infantry attacks.
The enemy, sat on the horseshoe-shaped ridge, were able to pick their targets at will whilst the British and Empire forces attempted to advance across what was now a sea of mud.
The British artillery emplacements, their gun pits, dumps of shells, and long ammunition columns travelling to and fro along the 'corduroy' tracks were the main target of the German shelling - because the British artillery was the Germans’ biggest problem.
The positions that are mentioned are mainly concrete bunkers that British troops had captured from the Germans.
In the diary we read that periodically the Brigade withdraw to rest at the wagon lines at Poperinghe, handing over to 87 Brigade RFA. Typically units were rotated out for a rest period behind the lines like this, although artillery units could be left in the front line for much longer periods due to their critical role.
On a certain day during this period, Julius and his men were attempting to retrieve shells from an ammunition dump which was being shelled, then caught fire. There was the imminent risk of a major explosion which would have killed them, yet they continued to retrieve the shells despite the fire. To abandon shells in the position they were in would have forced the ammunition column to return to collect yet more fresh shells and to put themselves under fire again or risk slipping and being sucked under the sea of mud. Therefore by their action Julius and his men saved other men's lives as well as enabling the battery to continue firing in order to support the advance. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Private Frank Richards notes in his book that the high command introduced the Military Cross in 1916 to reduce the number of DSOs being issued so Julius’s award is particularly notable.
During part of this period, the Brigade's CO was on leave. Julius was left in command of the 28th Army Brigade.
The next big battle planned by General Plumer in the Ypres salient was to be the Battle
of The Menin Ridge. In the plan the artillery were given the key role. The advance was to consist of a series of “bite and hold” attacks consisting of a sequence of limited objectives no more than 1500 yards away. This had the strong advantage that the communications link would be maintained - something that was lacking in the long distance attacks on The Somme in 1916 which proved so costly in lives.
Communication was still largely by human runners - telephone wires constantly being broken by enemy gunnery. On zero day 20th September objectives were all taken by the attacking troops and Crown Prince Rupprecht in command of the German side commented in his diary that the British Artillery prevented any counter attacks by breaking them up as they assembled.
The Wagon Lines were at St. Sixte (near Poperinghe) in December - German bombing killed several men and many horses
The brigade were at Negro Farm from 6th till 19th Haandekot (West of Poperinghe).
They were at Anchor Farm on the 28th November then moved to Persia Farm.
Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Messines Ridge SEPTEMBER 1917
1st Sep 1917 39th and 41st Divisions sharing 39th Division Front
2nd Sept IX corps relieved X corps on Ypres to Comines Canal front
Enemy are bombing and shelling Canal banks, Dammstrasse
Dammstrasse was a road south of St Eloi running east from Rijselstraat to White Chateau grounds)
5th September enemy shell A/28 position, Arundel and Norfolk Lodge
6th September withdrew to wagon lines at Poperinghe, hand over to 87 Bgde RFA
8th September 65th battery rejoin after supporting Portuguese 1 Division XI Corps
9-12 September at Poperinghe, the divisional ammunition column was bombed, 6 wounded, 10 horses killed
13th September HQ is Victoria Mine Shaft, 19th Division. L C. Savile commands B subgroup Right Group
Supporting 157 and 158 infantry brigades at Klein Zillebeke
14th September enemy shell St Eloi and Kemmel
111 infantry brigade (37th Division) troops take over Klein Zillebeke
15th September Brigade took part in various barrages
Enemy shelling Spoilbank to St Eloi, bombing of Voormezele (between Dickebusch and St Eloi)
16th September enemy shelled positions including gas
17th September barrages including night firing enemy shelling including Hill 60
18th September barrages night and day, enemy shelled 124th and 65th batteries, causing casualties, also Triangular Wood
19th September enemy shelling from Tenbrielen including on White Chateau. Enemy balloons
Mention is made above of enemy balloons. These were deadly because they gave trained observers the opportunity to pinpoint targets all over the British lines and transmit the results to the enemy's artillery with deadly results. Killing the observers and blowing the balloon up was a critical goal of the Royal Flying Corps.
Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of The Menin Road 20-25th September
20th September HQ at Lock No 7 Victoria Mine Shaft usual barrages plus some gas, also shelled Bassevillebeek supporting 57th, 58th infantry brigades at Hill 60
21st September usual night and day firing
22nd September usual night and day firing.
Enemy artillery at Tenbrielen shelled A/28 position and others, Norfolk Farm and road from Bus House to Spoil Bank
(Trench Section near Ieper)
23rd September German counter battery fire very intense on A/28 position
(Menin Road Injured)
25th September GERMAN COUNTER ATTACK
Crown Prince Rupprecht Daily Report 20th September
"True to the massive artillery effort made by the British during the past few days, the concentration of enemy fighting power peaked today along a twelve kilometre front. Advancing behind a wall of drumfire of extraordinary intensity of guns and mortars, came
at least nine British Divisions..."
(The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
26th September 3rd October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle of Polygon Wood
The attack on Polygon Wood was fought by Australian and New Zealand troops. In it was a large mound that was a shooting range prior to the war that the Germans had fortified. The Allies had also moved up ten divisional artillery units, in the region of 500 guns. The toll was heavy. Today the mound in the forest is a tranquil place surrounded by the many graves of fallen Australians and New Zealanders.
The British artillery were firing for over twelve hours at high rates of fire. 119 officers and 2,292 other ranks were killed in the artillery at this time. 350 18 pounders were lost in September.
27th September Moved to Lock 7 on Ypres-Comines Canal
28th September Hostile aircraft. Enemy shelled roads and tracks between Lock 8 and Voormezele (img5116)
30th September -4th October GERMAN COUNTER ATTACKS broken up by the artillery and infantry.
30th September Night and day firing. Enemy hostile firing with heavy calibre howitzers
1st October Night and day firing. Much hostile activity - 150mm and 105mm
2nd October Much hostile activity
3rd October Night firing
Leutnant Walsemann 6th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 92
"The length of the battle made Verdun dreadful: but so concentrated was the British fire in Flanders that it was incomparably worse..." (The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
(Trench Section Sanctuary Wood near Ieper)
249 18 pounders were lost in October. The Second Army had 796 heavy and siege, and 1548
field guns and howitzers left in working order. On the other side 4th October was declared a black day for the German Army by General Ludendorff. However the weather worsened substantially, rain and mud making progress extremely difficult. Guns sank, plank roads vanished, guns could not move. Gun platforms sank in the mud. A journey that would otherwise take an hour was taking 16. Shells had to be cleaned before firing. Men were permanently wet and wrapped themselves in muddy blankets. Many became sick.
Unteroffizier Paul Stolz 4th Company Reserve Infantry Regiment 92 "The 4th October dawned. It was a day which for me and many others will remain unforgettable. Already by 5:30am the British brought down drumfire of an intensity you would hardly believe possible...lasted until evening...it was like a volcano erupting"
(The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword. )
(Artillery Telephonists)
4th October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Broodseinde
Night firing 180 rounds. Stormy weather restricted enemy activity
5th October Night firing. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
6th October Night firing. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
7th October GERMAN COUNTER ATTACKS AND INCREASED COUNTER BATTERY FIRE
Shelled with 150mm and 105mm including 150 armour piercing shells. Extremely heavy shelling, and damage to positions and telephone communications. No casualties
8th October Night firing on tracks and communications. Much rain and poor visibility restricted enemy activity.
(Moving Shells, Flanders 1917)
9th October Third Battle Of Ypres/Battle Of Poelcapelle
Night Firing 175 rounds. Canal banks shelled by German 4.1 High Velocity guns
10th October Night Firing 175 rounds. German aeroplanes attacking
11th October Night Firing 175 rounds
(Gunner, Flanders 1917)
12th October Third Battle Of Ypres/1st Battle Of Passchendaele
Night Firing 175 rounds
13.10 Night Firing 175 rounds. Heavy shelling of A/28th’s position
20-22nd October Third Battle Of Ypres/2nd Battle Of Passchendaele
14th October 28th Field Brigade withdraw from Lock 7 to Poperinghe
Rest of October stationed at Proven, Grays Inn
November 1917 stationed at Proven, Grays Inn, Pill Box 178 - XIX Corps
On 14th November 1917 Julius was presented with the DSO at Buckingham Palace by the King. Typically the award of DSO was a prelude to promotion to Colonel and beyond, but Julius did not receive any further advance in rank perhaps due to lack of social connections in the army. His family background was Liberal and non-military.
13th November the brigade were salving guns from the Steenbeck, to the North of Ypres, target for Gough's attacks in the summer.
Wagon Lines at S. Sixte into December - German bombing kills several men and many horses
Negro Farm from 6th till 19th Haandekot (West of Poperinghe)
Anchor Farm on the 28th. Persia Farm
January 1918 Lapin Farm, Haandekot
Major Lutyens of 28th Brigade RFA killed 6.1.18 at Langemarck
February 1918 Bixschoote 5148 - No casualties in February
Spring 1918
On the 26th February Julius was again mentioned in dispatches - in B103 form.
In March 1918 The Wagon Lines were at A5G, then from the 11th at Gournier Farm to the north east of Ypres.
The collapse of the Russian Army and the Russian October Revolution in 1917 meant that the Germans now only needed to fight on one front. They now had millions of men available to fight in the West. They had to act fast though because the Americans were now arriving in France.
In March the Germans launched their great offensive in the Somme sector of the line, pushing the British back to Albert, and regaining all the hard-fought gains the British had made during 1916. For a time it looked as if France was lost as the allies retreated.
Thousands were killed and thousands of prisoners were taken by the advancing Germans.
From the 21st - 30th March Julius was on leave in England.
On 11th April Julius completed a course with the 35th Division. It seems that he was being trained for a new role with the 35th Division which we will see below.
The Battle of The Lys
In Apr 1918 the 28th Brigade were at Gournier Farm then Square Farm then moved to north of Pradelles which is on the outskirts of Hazebrouck. Hazebrouck was the key railhead in Northern France supplying the Allied Armies so during this critical time A/28 was clearly engaged in defence of the town, then threatened by the German 6th Army’s offensive. This is known as The Battle of The Lys. The Germans attacked in the open in huge numbers, making easy targets of themselves and the toll on their attacking infantry was enormous.
The British had no reserves left. The Germans had exploited the collapse of Portuguese forces in the sector and were intent on seizing the railhead town. Australian 1st Division troops plugged the gap and fought with their customary bravery. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig issued his famous "Backs To The Wall" appeal at this time.
On the 15th and 16th there was relative quiet in the sector.
On the 17th April there was a tremendous though inaccurate German barrage followed by a final desperate attempt to break through which was stopped.
They were at Borre which is on the eastern outskirts of Hazebrouck from April 15th onwards
On 30th April Julius attended a course.
In mid May the brigade moved to W13d.98.20
On 31st May Julius attended a course
On June 8th Brigade HQ moved to Lynde (10km west of Hazebrouck).
On 31st July 1918 Julius joined 35th Division Artillery where he was to be Brigade Major
He was henceforth responsible for coordinating artillery barrages and bombardments for the whole division.
The 100 Days
Julius was posted to 35th Divisional Artillery on the 31st July 1918. The 35th Division were part of the 2nd Army of General Plumer, and were a Kitchener's New Army Division. This was in the immediate prelude to The Battle of Amiens, 8th August, where, after a massive retreat, and massive reorganisation under French Marshal Foch, the British Army were steeling themselves for the big offensive that would ultimately lead to the defeat of the Central Powers.
The rest of this post is mainly based on the History of The 35th Division by Lieutenant Colonel H.M. Davson.
On the 14th August Julius was appointed Brigade Major to 35th Division. This was another Kitchener Division that originally recruited undersized "Bantam" infantry of between 5 feet and 5 feet 3 inches height as the need for men in uniform increased. This was soon seen as a mistake and men of normal height mainly comprised the infantry of the division. By 1918 the Division had been well proven in the field.
The 35th Division were sent to Ypres where the Germans had advanced to the very gates of the town. Allied resistance was solid however and the Germans were unable to make any further gains, in fact there was a kind of stalemate at this time which enabled the British to recover from the strains of the Spring Offensive. Plans were laid for a counter attack.
Part of the reason for the stalemate was the onset of the Influenza Pandemic which affected both sides but the Germans had it even worse because of their poor diet. The British Navy's blockade was causing severe hardship for the German population by this time.
Julius had been appointed Brigade Major, which combined the role of Intelligence Officer with a number of other roles, under the commander of Divisional Artillery, under Major General Madocks MC RA, a New Zealander. The divisional artillery consisted of 157th and 159th Brigades RFA. The battles that they were about to face would see them steadily advancing in support of the infantry brigades, knocking out machine gun nests, strongpoints and artillery so that the infantry could take their objectives.
Unfortunately French Marshal Foch had decided for political reasons that the combined French, British and Belgian Armies would be under the command of the Belgian King. This so that he could be seen liberating his towns, in the driver's seat. In his diary, Haig says he was furious about this use of the Second Army but after much protest acceded to Foch's order.
On September 1st 159th Brigade RFA took up position between Ypres and Brielen with HQ at Machine Gun Farm. The next day 157th Brigade RFA joined them there. The DAC and wagon lines were at Handekot and Hamhoek. The CRA Major General Madocks took command of operations covering 14th Division with HQ at Chateau Couthove.
Ypres was nearly flattened by now. The line was the Ypres - Comines Canal to the north of Ypres and to the south ran through Voormezeele to south west of Zillebeke Lake.
On September 5th 35th Division too up position on the right section of II Corps front, on the front Voormezeele-Zillebeke relieving the US 30th Division. The artillery went straight into action in suppot of 14th Division on the left.
On September 7th 159th Brigade moved to south of Ypres, covering the 35th Division, with observation posts on the eastern ramparts of the town. During this period there were skirmishes between 35th Division infantry and German units in the vicinity.
On September 11th 157th Brigade RFA moved to the right sector of the Divisional Front. They had been carrying out harassing fire and supporting a minor Belgian attack. During this time only certain guns were nominated as "active", the rest keeping quiet in order to mislead the enemy. The active section of 159th Brigade RFA were moved to the town itself.
From the 13th on there was a marked increase in hostile fire. The 35th Division were involved in some attacks on the enemy lines and Hill 60 was shelled with 1000 rounds of gas shells.
At 10am on the 15th the 35th Divisional Front was switched from II Corps to XIX Corps.
Zero hour was 10:28 on the morning of September 15th. The British part of the attack was to take the men on the route through a landscape that must have been etched into Julius' psyche from the travails of the previous year. The ground was saturated with the remains of the battles of the past four years and the remains of the hundreds of thousands that had fallen.
Division troops cleared the dugouts of Spoil Bank and captured the garrison of Chapelle Farm.
28.9-2.10 Fifth Battle of Ypres
On the 28th 35th Division troops advanced to a point south east of Battle Wood and to a point south east of Sanctuary Wood. By midday they were at Verbrandenmolen and Zillebeke. By evening Hill 60, Caterpillar, Sanctuary Wood and Shrewsbury Forest were captured. These locations had cost hundreds of thousands of lives over the preceding years. The divisional artillery had fired 37500 rounds at times over open sights - directly at the enemy. The Royal Engineers set about rebuilding tracks over the broken ground and replacement ammunition was sent for.
The 35th Division infantry advanced to Zandvoorde the next day but came under fierce machine gunfire and were held up. The artillery were able to put down a barrage on the village from their positions at Hollebeke Mill which meant that the troops were able to take the whole ridge. 35th Division troops were forced to wear their gas masks due to gas shells which continued till evening. That same day the 35th Division front went beyond the furthest line occupied by British troops since 1914-the village of Tenbrielen.
(18 pounder shells, Sanctuary Wood, Ieper)
By evening the 2nd Army under General Plumer had advanced to the foot of the slopes that comprised the Ypres Salient including Graventafel, Zonnebeke and Gheluvelt, captured in autumn 1917. The British had taken all the high ground around Ypres.
By the 1st October they had taken the west bank of the Lys as far as Comines which the enemy had abandoned. By the 2nd the 35th Division had taken the high ground overlooking Werviq. During this fighting a certain Corporal Adolf Hitler of the German Army was gassed by the British Artillery and had to be invalided out, having been blinded.
Due to communication difficulties the artillery were unable to coordinate in attacks on the German machine gun nests and pill boxes around Werviq so there were a lot of casualties in the infantry during that battle. The war of mobility was presenting new problems. Evacuation of the wounded was another logistics problem encountered by the Allies the road back to Zillebeke being knee deep in mud. Motor ambulances were brought up to resolve this. Ration parties experienced similar problems but there were no food shortages.
The British suffered 4,695 casualties in the battle. The Allies had advanced up to 18 miles and captured about 10,000 prisoners, 300 guns and 600 machine-guns.
This was a campaign of mobility which tested the abilities of the Allies to maintain their supply lines and to ensure that the different forces kept in touch with each other. There was always the risk that the Germans could counterattack and split the attacking Allied forces.
The British suffered 4,695 casualties in the battle. The Allies had advanced up to 18 miles and captured about 10,000 prisoners, 300 guns and 600 machine-guns.
This was a campaign of mobility which tested the abilities of the Allies to maintain their supply lines and to ensure that the different forces kept in touch with each other. There was always the risk that the Germans could counterattack and split the attacking Allied forces.
On October 5th/6th attacks were launched south of Terhand. The Division's artillery gave a gun per battery to support with harassing fire day and night.
On the 13th the Division HQ moved to new quarters at Jackdaw Tunnels near Sanctuary Wood near Hooge. The weather was very wet. The troops went into position for a slanting attack which would bring them to the River Lys. The Division artillery minus a battery of 18 pounders and of 4.5 inch howitzers per brigade was lined up between Terhand and Molenhock. They were joined by the Australian Field Artillery to put the barrage over 3000 yards. As the barrage started the detached batteries were to advance with the infantry. Once the limit of range was reached the rest of the artillery were also to advance. The lifts were 100 yards in 2 minutes with a pause of 15 minutes in addition at every 1500 yards. Thermite shells were to be fired on the left flank to give direction to the infantry. Heavy artillery did counter battery duty and fire beyond the range of the other guns. Advancing at 5:35am they encountered mist and enemy gas shells. By the end of 14th October the artillery had crushed an attempted counter attack and reached a line between Moorselle and Wijnberg.
14.10 Battle Of Courtrai
The Groupe d'Armees des Flandres (GAF) comprised twelve Belgian divisions, ten divisions of the British Second Army and six divisions of the French Sixth Army under the command of the Belgian King with the French General Jean Degoutte as Chief of Staff.
The GAF strategy was to pursue the retreating Germans until the weather made it impossible to attack. They had been held up for days by bad supply problems and mud but on 14th October at 5:35am the GAF were able to attack from the Lys River at Comines towards Dixmude. The creeping barrage of the British Artillery advanced at a rate of 100 yards per minute. By evening they had taken the high ground around Werviq, Menin and Wevelghem. The British took Moorslede and were close to Gulleghem and Steenbeek. Belgian troops reached Iseghem and captured Cortemarck. French troops encircled Roulers which fell the next day.
By 16th October the British held the north bank of the Lys up to Harelbeke and were crossing the wide river by bridges built by the Royal Engineers, and protected by the Division's artillery barrage. The engineers had to wear gas masks due to gas shelling and they were subjected to heavy machine gun fire. The artillery brigades crossed the river October 19th as the troops took Marcke and Bisseghem. By the 21st the 35th Division had taken Courtrai where they stayed till the 26th, resting and enjoying the hospitality of the liberated citizens of the town.
14.10 Battle Of Courtrai
The Groupe d'Armees des Flandres (GAF) comprised twelve Belgian divisions, ten divisions of the British Second Army and six divisions of the French Sixth Army under the command of the Belgian King with the French General Jean Degoutte as Chief of Staff.
The GAF strategy was to pursue the retreating Germans until the weather made it impossible to attack. They had been held up for days by bad supply problems and mud but on 14th October at 5:35am the GAF were able to attack from the Lys River at Comines towards Dixmude. The creeping barrage of the British Artillery advanced at a rate of 100 yards per minute. By evening they had taken the high ground around Werviq, Menin and Wevelghem. The British took Moorslede and were close to Gulleghem and Steenbeek. Belgian troops reached Iseghem and captured Cortemarck. French troops encircled Roulers which fell the next day.
By 16th October the British held the north bank of the Lys up to Harelbeke and were crossing the wide river by bridges built by the Royal Engineers, and protected by the Division's artillery barrage. The engineers had to wear gas masks due to gas shelling and they were subjected to heavy machine gun fire. The artillery brigades crossed the river October 19th as the troops took Marcke and Bisseghem. By the 21st the 35th Division had taken Courtrai where they stayed till the 26th, resting and enjoying the hospitality of the liberated citizens of the town.
Elsewhere by 17th October Thourout, Ostend, Lille and Douai were taken. By 19th October Bruges and Zeebrugge were taken and the GAF had reached the Dutch border, the river Lys was crossed. On the 20th October the British took Roubaix and Tourcoing.
The GAF initiated its final offensive on the 30th October which was interrupted by the signing of the Armistice on 11th November. By then the front line ran from Terneuzen to Ghent, to Ath then to Saint-Ghislain.
On the 3rd May 1919 Julius was posted to the cadre of 35th Division in Ripon for 3 months.
On the 14th August 1919 he was posted to 2nd Reserve Brigade RFA, B Battery in Preston for 3 months.
On 1st December 1919 he was appointed 2nd in command Dispersal Centre Prees Heath.
On 26th January 1920 for 3 months he was Inspection Officer of Railways and Bridges for the War Office, Western Command based in Liverpool.
On 16th June 1920 he was appointed Brigade Major of Royal Artillery, 42nd Division (Territorials) Preston, Manchester and Bolton for 2 years and 6 months.
On 14th November 1922 he was posted to 3rd Battery RFA, 28th Brigade, his old unit.
Julius received the 1914-15 medal, the 1914-1918 medal and the Victory Medal in addition to his Distinguished Service Order of 1917. He was mentioned in dispatches three times: 4th January 1917, 14th December 1917 and 5th July 1919.
He was Retired on Retired Pay to the Reserve of Regular Officers at Shorncliffe on 16th December 1925.
To get an idea of what it was actually like being in the RFA in the Great War I would strongly recommend reading two books in particular:
Shrieks And Crashes by Wilfred Kerr - who was a Canadian gunner on the Western Front.
Echo Of The Guns by Harry Siepmann - an English officer of German extraction. Both of these books give a tremendous impression of what life was like, not just for officers but for the gunners too.
Bibliography:
Cheerful Sacrifice, The Battle of Arras 1917 by Jonathan Nicholls, Pen & Sword
The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword.
The Royal Field Artillery Western Front 1914-1918, General Sir Martin Farndale KCB, Henry Ling Ltd
The History of the 35th Division in the Great War, Lieutenant Colonel Davidson CMG DSO, The Naval and Military Press
The Fifth Division in the Great War, Brigadier General A.H. Hussey CB, CMG, The Naval and Military Press
Interesting websites:
This Belgian page is about The White Chateau, that was part of the battlefield of autumn 1917. It is part of a really nice general site about the Ypres sector 1914-1918. Google translates it somewhat imperfectly but the gist is there and there are some excellent photos.
http://users.telenet.be/blindganger/White%20Chateau.htm
The GAF initiated its final offensive on the 30th October which was interrupted by the signing of the Armistice on 11th November. By then the front line ran from Terneuzen to Ghent, to Ath then to Saint-Ghislain.
On the 3rd May 1919 Julius was posted to the cadre of 35th Division in Ripon for 3 months.
On the 14th August 1919 he was posted to 2nd Reserve Brigade RFA, B Battery in Preston for 3 months.
On 1st December 1919 he was appointed 2nd in command Dispersal Centre Prees Heath.
On 26th January 1920 for 3 months he was Inspection Officer of Railways and Bridges for the War Office, Western Command based in Liverpool.
On 16th June 1920 he was appointed Brigade Major of Royal Artillery, 42nd Division (Territorials) Preston, Manchester and Bolton for 2 years and 6 months.
On 14th November 1922 he was posted to 3rd Battery RFA, 28th Brigade, his old unit.
Julius received the 1914-15 medal, the 1914-1918 medal and the Victory Medal in addition to his Distinguished Service Order of 1917. He was mentioned in dispatches three times: 4th January 1917, 14th December 1917 and 5th July 1919.
He was Retired on Retired Pay to the Reserve of Regular Officers at Shorncliffe on 16th December 1925.
(Ieper today)
The next part of Julius' story can be read hereTo get an idea of what it was actually like being in the RFA in the Great War I would strongly recommend reading two books in particular:
Shrieks And Crashes by Wilfred Kerr - who was a Canadian gunner on the Western Front.
Echo Of The Guns by Harry Siepmann - an English officer of German extraction. Both of these books give a tremendous impression of what life was like, not just for officers but for the gunners too.
Bibliography:
Cheerful Sacrifice, The Battle of Arras 1917 by Jonathan Nicholls, Pen & Sword
The German Army at Passchendaele, Jack Sheldon, Pen & Sword.
The Royal Field Artillery Western Front 1914-1918, General Sir Martin Farndale KCB, Henry Ling Ltd
The History of the 35th Division in the Great War, Lieutenant Colonel Davidson CMG DSO, The Naval and Military Press
The Fifth Division in the Great War, Brigadier General A.H. Hussey CB, CMG, The Naval and Military Press
Interesting websites:
This Belgian page is about The White Chateau, that was part of the battlefield of autumn 1917. It is part of a really nice general site about the Ypres sector 1914-1918. Google translates it somewhat imperfectly but the gist is there and there are some excellent photos.
http://users.telenet.be/blindganger/White%20Chateau.htm
The man saw a lot of combat in his time. The amount of firepower that they had was incredible. 2800+ cannons with 300 rounds each at Vimy...
ReplyDelete