Ville–Sur–Ancre

CHAPTER IV VILLE-SUR-ANCRE TIIE narrative now comes to an action in which the reader may perhaps be the more interested because of the fact that the company of the zrst Battalion’ which, ten days earlier, he watched from the brewery window at Querrieu, played a vigor- ous part in it. The attack was designed partly to shorten the line with a view to saving troops, partly to deal the enemy a blow from a favourable position. But it was aIso hoped that by weakening his position in the Morlancourt basin the attack might hamper the arrangements for the next great German offensive, if this was launched, as many of the leaders now expected, within a day or two immediately north of the Aus- tralian Corps, between Albert and Arras. On the night of May 14th the German artillery was un- usually active on the whole front. Next day the Ville opera- tions, previously intended for the night of the 15th. were post- poned by higher command, but Maj.-General Smyth was warned that they might have to be carried out at forty-eight hours’ notice as a counter-stroke if the German offensive was launched in the meantime. On May 16th he was told to prepare to assault on the night of the 18th.~ 1 Lt. Sullivan’s *THE ALLONVILLE DISASTER. About this time, according to the in. telligence summary (dated May 17 of .the 199th German Div. then holdin Ville the Germans captured prisoners ,do disclosed that headquarters of the ,r$ Aus; Div. were at Allonville They also said that brigade headquarters were at Fran- villers and a camp at La Houssoye. The result might well be a warning to all captured men against giving any information, or even talking of such things among themselves. On the night of May 30 German artillery, firing high bursting shrapnel shells, was ranged on to Allonville by an aeroplane which, after the fourth shell, dropped coloured flares indicating that the range was correct. In the small hours of May 31 a hi.gh velocity gun fired a high explosive shell at about five minute intervals into the village At that date the 4th Div., which had taken the lace of the rd in the rest area. had its headquarters and part of the 4th Bde. in tRe village $wo companies of the 14th Bn. were quartered in two immense barns, adjoining that used as a picture theatre for the 4th Divisional “Smart Set” of pierrots. The third or fourth shell burst in one of these barns bringing down one of the beams supporting !he roof and causing the whole roof aod part of the walls to collapse on the sleeping company According to the history of the 14th 109 110 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [1oth-16th May, 1918 The attack would be made chiefly by the 6th Brigade, then holding the valley of the Ancre. Brig.-Genl. Paton had been preparing his plans since the 10th. His pro- The plans posal was for a night attack (in the small hours, between moonset and dawn) to push past both sides of the village, not, at first, attempting to enter it. The 6th Brigade’s front north and south of the village had already edged forward, patrols of the 24th Battalion stealing ground on the flats north of the Ancre during the night of May 12th,~and those of the 22nd on the next night pushing forward on the foot of the spur south of the river. It would be an easy task to swing a company farther forward north of the Aiicre; but to mask the village on that flank by establishing another company on the southern bank was much more difficult, and the commanders decided to accomplish it by bridging the stream, which here ran through No-Man’s Land, and throwing this company across it from the north. South of the village, where the main advance would take place, the task was fairly extensive: General Paton saw that no force could hope to hold Ville without first capturing most of the wide cross-spur which rose south of it and which had been the objective of the 3rd Division’s advance on March ~8th.~The chief burden of the attack upon this would fall to the right battalion (~2nd)of the brigade. It would have to capture in succession the two sunken roads (the Little and the Big Caterpillars) which, with a quarter of a mile between them, ran parallel up the western and eastern sides of the spur Bn. by hlr. Newton Wanliss, a careful and accurate record, this shell killed thirteen men and wounded 5bthe most costly shell-burst in the history of the A I F. The next crashed into the nelghbouring barn and, exploding on the floor, killed 5 and wounded ia of the other company. The occurrence inflicted a terrible shock, but some very brave rescue work was done Of the wounded, one, with both legs cut off above :he knee sald to the rescuers: “I’m all right-get the badly wounded boys out Anotlk whose arm was shattered would not let his friends light his cigarettt“I’11 have to learn to do it wlth one hand.” he said, “may as well begin nowl” ‘A couple of posts had also been established on the northern bank of the river, facing across it. dS?# Vol. V. ff. 214-24. loth-16th May, 19181 VKLE-SUR-ANCRE 111 respectively and here served the Germans for their front- and main-line defences. Higher up the spur part of the 18th Bat- talion (5th Brigade) would, in accordance with Col. Murphy’s desire, push forward to the southern extension of the Big Caterpillar on top of the plateau. On the lower (or left) flank of the 22nd two companies of the 21st Battalion, advancing behind the ~2nd’~flank, would drop a Iine of posts along the flats, so as to protect the ~2nd’~ flank by masking the southern edge of Ville. With this accomplished, Ville wouId have been endosed on three sides. At 4.15 the artillery fire pro- tecting the 18th and 22nd while they dug in would cease, and patrols would go out farther and steal, if possible, another 200-300 yards of the Morlancourt spur. It was believed that the village was strongly garrisoned, and there was no intention of fighting in it; throughout the attack it would be muffled by barrages laid round its nearer edges, and even when the advance ended it would continue to be shelled at intervals for several hours.6 But between 6.30 and 7.30 a.m., after the troops had been given ample time to establish themselves in their objec- tives on either flank, the artillery fire would be lifted from the village and patrols from the 21st and 23rd Bat- talions would attempt to enter it from south and north respectiveIy. Ultimately it was to be secured by establishing an outpost-line beyond it [jym:?Gy$gnE;-d- -the masking company of the 24th swinging forward its posts on the north and the screen of the 21st Battalion doing the same on the south, the two meeting ~ ~~ ‘There would be pausu of a quarter of an hour at 4.15 and half an hour at 5.15. 112 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [1oth-16th May, 1918 beyond the town; but the question of when this should be done was left to Brig.-Genl. Paton to decide-it might not be undertaken until the following night. The most elaborate part of the plan concerned the bridging of the stream. One light, ready-made footbridge was to be provided for each platoon of the company that was to cross- two of the bridges (“A” and “B”) were to be placed across the river behind the flank of the Australian posts during the night preceding that of the attack; but the two others (“C” and “D”), which would lie close to enemy posts on the southern bank-one of them, indeed, within biscuit throw-would not be set in position until immediately before the operation. All would be manufactured and laid by en- gineers of the 6th Field Coni- pany. The width of the stream having been carefully measured at many points on May 13th by Lieut. Carleton,Gfour light arched footbridges were made, each thirty feet long, and consisting of six wooden chesses bound together and tr~ssed.~The battalion holding the northern sector of the brigade’s front was to furnish covering parties. The artillery barrage for the whole operation was to be provided by seven brigades of field artillery.s The two Caterpillars, the trenches at the Crucifix and cemetery south of the village, and other defences as well as Ville itself were frequently shelled by the heavy artillery or the Newton mortars. Differently from the plan of many previous Australian attacks, there would be a preliminary bombardment of the village, the Caterpillars, and 6 Lt C R. Carleton, M C.: 6th Yield Coy., Engrs. Architectural draughtsman. of Canterbury, Vic.; b. Auburn, Vic., 6 Mar. 18ga. 7 See plate at 8. 128 ‘The 108th and 189th (Army) Bdes , R F.A., the 4th and 5th Bdes .(rind Div.). and 3rd and 6th (Army) Bdes.. A.F.A.. and a brigade of the 18th Div. north of the river. Of these, the 108th and 189th had been forming the division’s right group; the 4th and 5th the left group, the 3rd was normally superimposed on them, and the 6th was.

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