BUTCHER AND BOLT: CANADIAN TRENCH RAIDING DURING THE GREAT WAR, 1915-1918 by Colin David Garnett, B.A. (Hons.) A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario ©2011 Colin David Garnett Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81651-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81651-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT This study examines the tactical, strategic, and psychological aspects of Canadian trench raiding within the context of military operations, from their beginnings in 1915 to the end of the war in late 1918. Trench raiding underwent three major evolutionary phases, transitioning from small, improvised affairs, to major undertakings that mirrored set-piece battles. Within this evolutionary process, trench raids served as the laboratory where the Canadians honed their tactical doctrine and experimented with new weapon systems. Trench raiding was fundamental to the development of combined arms tactics that emerged later in the war, culminating in the Hundred Days offensives, and was a key reason the Canadians earned a reputation as elite "shock troops." ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work could not have been completed if I had not had an enormous amount of help from key individuals. They have helped make this a much better history than it otherwise would have been. I am deeply indebted to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Tim Cook, who remained patient throughout the process. It was his comments, advice, and invaluable wisdom that inspired me to keep going despite setbacks and difficulties. He never seemed too busy to deal with my seemingly endless troubles, for which I can never thank him enough. I am also indebted to Joan White, the graduate secretary at Carleton University, who took in this bewildered and lost puppy and patiently explained administrative processes and the many other things that I did not comprehend about graduate work. Without her patience and guidance I would have not been able to finish this work in any coherent manner. Dr. Marc Tyrell and Dr. Jan Fedorowicz at Carleton provided me with ample encouragement and support, and were very generous with their class lectures by allowing me to share my material with their students. Dr. Chris Adam at Carleton was very kind in permitting me to lecture on the Great War in his classes. Chris Schultz provided me with an open mind to voice my frustrations and ideas to, and always encouraged me to push a little harder or challenged me to be a better writer. Thank you to the Enriched Support Program at Carleton University for giving me a second chance at a higher education, and also keeping me employed throughout my studies. I also wanted to thank the staff at the Library and Archives of Canada, and Carol Reid at the Canadian War Museum, who put up with my long research hours and demands for enormous amounts of material within a very condensed timeframe. My family and friends have been very supportive, and their constant encouragement gave me confidence to get this done. Most of all, I thank my new wife, Shawna. Her love and encouragement throughout the process was the reason I worked so hard to get it done. Her unwavering support during my long hours of research and writing is the very reason I was able to complete this work at all. Her love and smile was a guiding light when I encountered frustrations, setbacks, and lost confidence in my abilities. Without her I would be lost and without opportunity, or reason, to do what I love. Thank you to all who helped, Colin Garnett Spring 2011 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv Abbreviations v List of Maps vi Introduction / Historiography 1 Chapter I: Early Raiding: Ypres late 1915-Somme 18 Chapter II: Organized/Mass Raiding: Post Somme-Vimy Ridge 58 Chapter III: Professional Raids: Post Vimy-Hundred Days 104 Conclusion 146 Bibliography 151 iv ABBREVIATIONS BEF British Expeditionary Force Bde Brigade Btn Battalion CEF Canadian Expeditionary Force CMR Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles CWM Canadian War Museum Div Division HE High Explosive KIA Killed in Action LAC Library and Archives Canada LSH Cavalry Battalion, Lord Strathcona's Horse MIA Missing in Action NCO Non-Commissioned Officer OR Other Ranks PPCLI Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry POW Prisoner of War RCA Royal Canadian Artillery RCR Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment RG9 Record Group 9, Department of Militia and Defence SAA Small Arms Ammunition TM Trench Mortar WD War Diary WIA Wounded in Action ZH Zero Hour V LIST OF MAPS Intelligence Sketches of German Trenches, 30-31 January 1916 47 (LAC, WD, 28th Battalion, 31 January 1916.) vi 1 Introduction / Historiography Introduction The planners left nothing to chance. Everything had been accounted for, from the equipment, and chosen men, to the S.O.S. signal flares for the artillery and the code words for sentries in neighbouring battalions, just in case some stragglers after the attack entered friendly trench lines in a different battalion's sector. Yet in the end, despite all the preparation, planning, training, and battlefield experience, it sometimes came down to luck whether everything would work out. On the early morning of 27 November 1916, it seemed luck was with the infantry of the 31st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.1 The 14 raiders, one sergeant, one corporal, and 12 privates, lay motionless in the dark.2 The ground was hard and frozen in front of Vimy Ridge, and the wait had been excruciating. But soon all hell was about to break loose on their small peaceful section of the Western Front, for when the signal came, these elite soldiers would storm the German trenches with grenade, bayonet, pistol, and club. Surprise was on the raiders' side, and that was due to the thorough planning. In conjunction with the two assault teams of seven raiders each, who had their own defined role in the assault, covering parties were set up to watch the point of the attack, making sure that the Canadians had a clear path to the German trenches. Artillery was arranged to cover the assault with a box barrage that cut off the attack area and isolated those inside with a curtain of high explosive and shrapnel.4 Everything was timed down to the minute. That minute came at 0332, when the artillery opened up right on time at zero hour, signalling to the raiders to spring up and ' Library and Archives Canada [LAC], War Diary [WD], 31st Infantry Battalion, 27 November 1916. All LAC War Diaries, and other notes and appendices otherwise not with a Record Group [RG] or Manuscript Group [MG] number, were sourced from the archives' online digitized database from www.collectionscanada.ca. 2 LAC, WD, 31st Infantry Battalion, "Operation Order for Proposed Raid on November 27, 1916," 25 November 1916. 3 LAC, WD, 31st Infantry Battalion, "Special Report on raid on November 27, 1916," 27 November 1916. 4 Ibid. 2 storm the German trenches. Each assault party crashed into the enemy lines, one moving left and the other going right. Men were stationed at the point of entry to cover the withdrawal and to facilitate evacuation of any prisoners who might be captured. Smashing their way down the German lines, the left party with a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) as its commander advanced for 40 yards, yet found nothing but untended muddy trenches that had been battered by Allied artillery to greet them - the Germans were nowhere to be seen. The right party was luckier, encountering a post which contained five Germans. In the ensuing violent clash, two lay dead and two got away carrying their wounded comrade. Since one of the objectives of the operation was to obtain identification of the German units in this area, the raiders attempted to pull the bodies back to their own lines.5 This was at the best of times a difficult procedure, and due to complications in the thickness of German wire and other circumstances at the time, this initiative was abandoned.