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The German Offensive of 1918

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The German Offensive of 1918 • • CHAPTER CCLXX. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE OF 1918. (IV.) THE ~YS BATTLE-SITUATION ON APRIL 12, 1918-GERMANS ENTER BAILLEUL-BRITISH WITH­ DRAW ON THE LEFT--GERMAN ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE-DEFENCE AND Loss OF MOUNT KEMMEL-­ EXTENT OF THE NORTHERN AnvANCE-CONTINUED FIGHTING BEFORE AMIENS-!.-..INTERVENTION OF THE AMERICAN ARMy-ArR WORK-GERMAN COMMENT--THE AUSTRALIANS-" OUR BACKS TO THE WALL "-LESSONS OF THE ALLIED DEFEATS-THE SINGLE COMMAND UNDER FOCH-THE GERMANS TWICE CHECKED. RAPT ER CCLXVII brought the nar­ back to Pont d' Achelles. This made somewhat rative of the Gennan offensive on of a break in the line, and to obviate this our C the Lys front up to April 11, 1918, so troops between Pont d' Achelles and Wyt­ far as the fighting at the extremity of schaete, fell back to positions about 1,000 the British right was concerned. On the south yards east of Neuve Eglise and Wulverghem. side of Annentieres there had also been heavy This withdrawal involved in its turn a retire· fighting during this day, but here we ment from Rill 63 and the trenches held about were more fortunate than in the northern Messines. segment. Timely reinforcements had been We have seen that the Germans had suc­ received, and the 31st Division, arnvmg ceeded in penetrating our line as far as from the Somme battlefield, retook the villages Merville, where they had been 'stopped by of Le Verrier and La Becque, which the vigorous resistance on the line of the Bourre Germans had captured from us earlier in the and Lawe ; on the extreme right of the attacked day. position about Givenchy and Festubert, where North of Armentieres, the Germans con­ the attacks had not been so vigorously pressed, tinued to make vigorous attacks in the direction our troops held their positions, and this enabled of Nieppe and Neuve Eglise, and in the after­ us to restore in a certai,n measure our line in noon fighting was renewed about Messines, this part of the battlefield. As troops of t£e which they carried, but were then brought 3rd, 4th, 5th, 31st, 61st and 1st Australian to a standstill by the South African Brigade. Divisions began to arrive, the line was to a The part of the 9th Division on the south of considerable extent "firmed up," although Rollebeke was also attacked in force, but the situation was still by no means secure. drove back the enemy. On April 12 the Germans delivered, just The 34th Division at Nieppe had repulsed all before daybreak, a sudden attack on Pacaut attacks during the morning, but the progress and Riez-du-Vinage, which formed the left of the enemy in the Ploegsteert direction centre of the 51st Division, but the strenuous threatened its left flank, and tIllS made it resistance of two batteries of the 255th Brigade desirable to withdraw the troops. In the early Royal Field Artillery prevented the enemy from part of the night, therefore, they were taken crossing the Canal. Each of these batteries as Vol. XVIII.-Part 230 289 290 THE TIMES HISTORY OF THE WAR. o I 3 ! REFEREN.CE APPROXIMATE LINE- Opening of offensive--- ~ ___ Close of offensive ---'------ THE BA ITLE OF THE LYS. THE TIMES HISTORY OF THE WAR. 291 they retired left a single gun within 500 yards fighting of the previous days. The position of the canal bank, which, aided by a party of was very critical. The 1st Australian Division, gunners, who held the drawbridge with rifle;; , under Major-General Sir H. B. Walker, K.C.B., poured so strong a fire on the enemy as to D.S.O., was at this time detraining on the stop his advance. On the right of the 51st railway-line coming up from Hazebrouck, and Division was the 3rd Division about Locon, it was necessary for the two divisions to hold which inflicted heavy :;asualties on the enemy, out at any cost until the arrival of these troops but was nevertheless gradually forced back. to prevent a complete breach in our line, which On the left of the 51st Division, t.he 61st would have allowed the enerny to move down Division now came into action on the Clarence River. Both it and the 3rd Division had pre­ viously been engaged in the fighting about Arras at the end of March, where they had suffered considerably from the strain of con­ tinuous fighting; but they formed, however, so bold a front against the Germans as to stop completely their further advance. Meanvvhile our position at Merville had been again attacked, but although the troops here were compelled to fall back a little in the morning hours, they subsequently held their ground. We may say, therefore, that from La Bassee round to Merville our line was holding out, fairly well, although to the north of this point this was not the case. The Germans attacked in great force on a front which extended from Estaires to Steenwerck at; 8 o'clock in the [Official photograph. USED SHELL-CASES ON A ROADSIDE morning, and by the afternoon our troops IN FLANDERS. about Doulieu and La B~cque were thrust . back towards the north-west. Merris and on the important railway junction of Haze­ Oultersteene were reached by the enemy, and brouck, from which he was less than five miles thus a considerable gap was made in our line distant. Attack after attack was delivered to the south 6f' Bailleul. On the north of this against our troops, but all were repelled with gap, troops of the 25th, 34th and 49th Divisions, great loss. Field-guns then were brought up the last commanded by Major-General N. G. J. to quite close ranges and concent:r:ated against Cameron, C.B., C.M.G., though attacked with the British position. With their aid, Vieux great vigour, held their ground to the south Berquin was captured, but nevertheless our and south-east of Bailleul. Major-General troops resisted in their various posts with great R. J. Pinrrey, C.B., sent a brigade from the 33rd gallantry. The Germans stormed round them, Division with a body of cyclists, a Pioneer at,tacking them in rear, but still our men fought battalion and every available man from schools on, and this gave time for · the Australians to and reinforcement camps, etc., against the deploy and dig themselves in on a line just in advancing German troops, and these, favoured front of the Nieppe forest to cover the advance hy the support of the troops on their left, to Hazebrciuck, and although at various points counter-attacked, drove the enemy back and the enemy succeeded in penetrating, there re-established our line early in the night. was no complete success on his part in drivinr; In the morning of April 13, the GermfLns back the general line tbus held. The fighting again attacked with great vigour. The 29th · was of the severest description, constantly at an 31st Divisions were holding a position north handy-strokes, but eventually the German of Merville up to Vieux Berquin in front of efforts ceased, their losses having apparently the forest of Nieppe. On their left, it wi1l be exhausted the offensive effort of their troops. remembered that the enemy had already On the right portion of our line the 4th enterp.d Merris and Oultersteene. The length Guards Brigade, holding a line of some 4,000 held, some 10,000 yards, was long and the yards, was attacked with special vigour, but troops had been sorely tried by the severe held its own with brilliant courage throughout 230-2 292 THE TIMES HISTORY OF THE WAR. the day. When it is remembered that the of Neuve Eglise had not made much progress, whole of the troops engaged in this heroic although severe fighting had taken place in struggle had come up straight from the Somme its neighbourhood during the afternoon of battlefield, where they had been sorely tried April 12. The struggle continued throughout and suffered heavy losses, and that these had the night, and by the morning of April 13 the been made good by fresh men with no experience Germans had forced their way into the village. of war and only half assimilated by the units A little before noon, a counter-attack was into which they were drafted and, moreover, delivered by troops of the 33rd and 49th that they were attacked by vastly superior Divisions, which drove the enemy complotely numbers, it must 11e admitted that the fight out again and captured many prisoners. they put up was as gallant as any recorded Several heavy attacks were also made by the in British military history. Germans about Meteren and also against La North of the attack on Merris and Oulter­ Creche, but these were repulsed by the 33rd steene. the enemy's a,ssaults in the direction and 34th Divisions. In the evening the Germans renewed their attacks against the line Neuve Eglise-La Creche, and succeeded in forcin.g their way in betw~ en these two points, threatening the left of the 34th Division to the north and east of La Creche by an outflanking movement. Although our troops held their ground here during the early part of the night, the direction of the attack was such as to render it impossible for them to maintain the position, and they were therefore withdrawn during the night of the 13-14th to the Ravelsberg, a range of low hills between Bailleul and N euve Eglise, unhindered by the enemy, who had come to (Official photograph BAILLEUL.
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