The Taking of the Outpost Villages
CHAPTER VI1 THE TAKING OF THE OUTPOST VILLAGES NOT only the Fifth British Army, but also the right of the Third which was to take part in the great Arras offensive, were still separated from the Hindenburg Line by a chain of villages which had been broken only at one point-Lagnicourt. The date for the British offensive had now been settled- April 8th-and Haig was anxious lest the Third Army should be late in securing the " jumping-off " positions on its right. Gough also was eager to seize the line of villages which prevented him from preparing an assault upon the Hinden- burg Line. He stated that, if the subordinate staffs had shown more energy in getting forward their heavy artillery, the villages would have been taken before March 23rd. The part of the artillery allocated for that purpose was now up, and when, on March 2gth, a third attempt to seize Croisilles and Ecoust, made by the 7th British Division after bom- bardment by heavy howitzers, had failed, the divisional commander was relieved of his position1 and a new attack organised for April 1st. It was decided that the Fifth Army and the right of the Third should attack on the same day the whole string of villages, with the exception of the southernmost, Hermies : on the Third Army's front two divisionsz of the VI1 Corps would advance to beyond Henin; on the Fifth Army's front the 7th Division (V Corps) would seize Croisilles and Ecoust-Longatte, and next to it the left column of the I Anzac Corps would take Noreuil.s The next village in the chain, Lagnicourt, had already been captured, but south of it It is probable that the repulse was not due to lack of energy.
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