MACHINE GUN CORPS IN RESERVE IN A WOOD
BRITISH TROOPS MARCHING UP IN SUPPORT
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-great-attack-8vw5d566h?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_118&utm_medium=email&utm_content=118_21.03.2018%20Offensive%20(1)&CMP=TNLEmail_118918_3068743_118
The great attack
The opening phases of the conflict have been fierce beyond all precedent. It is now established that no fewer than forty German divisions took part in the opening attack, and it is clear that the losses on both sides are proportionately heavy
Half a million Germans attacked the British Army on Thursday morning on a front of sixty miles, and so began the greatest and most critical battle of the war. If Germany fails to achieve her purpose now, as we believe assuredly she will, her doom is sealed in spite of all her glittering successes m Eastern Europe. The British Army, already tried in this war in a hundred fierce conflicts, is battling today for the safety and the liberty of these islands and of Western civilization. Upon our own brave soldiers this signal and supreme struggle has been thrust, and we believe with the Prime Minister, who spoke some straight and burning words to a deputation of miners on Thursday afternoon, that every nerve will be strained in this country to back them in their gallant stand.
There is assuredly no room for slackness or bickering at such a moment. In its initial stages, the German offensive contained no surprise. Our Army was not caught unawares. Nothing in the war has been more remarkable than the unerring accuracy with which our Intelligence has lately divined the intentions of the enemy. The points of attack were fully foreseen. The actual date was known. In the last three months our main defensive positions have been enormously strengthened, and the onslaught was awaited with the firmest confidence.
Broadly speaking, the attack of the enemy has been made on a front extending from a point near Arras to the fortress of La Fere, or from the Scarpe to the Oise. It is an odd commentary upon German strategy that Marshal von Hindenburg is striving to recover ground which he incontinently abandoned a year ago. So far as can be gathered from the limited details available, the pressure is at present greatest in the country west of Cambrai and at points south-west of St Quentin. Probably the area between Arras and Cambrai is the scene of the enemy’s principal thrust, and two reasons explain their selection of this locality. The first is that the undulating lands between the Scarpe and the Canal du Nord usually recover from the effect of winter some weeks earlier than the districts on the Franco-Belgian frontier. The second is that, having rallied after a very severe blow before Cambrai last November, the Germans may have felt encouraged to try again in the same neighbourhood.
The opening phases of the conflict have been fierce beyond all precedent. It is now established that no fewer than forty German divisions took part in the opening attack, and it is clear that the losses on both sides are proportionately heavy. Telegraphing last night, at the end of the second day’s fighting, Sir Douglas Haig notes a series of exceptionally fine defences - naming especially the 24th, the 3rd, and the 51st Divisions - in a record of universal gallantry. The enemy has made progress at certain points, and we infer, though few geographical points are given, that his main successes have been north-west of the Havrincourt Wood and south of St Quentin. Some such dents in the line were anticipated, for in every offensive delivered by either side, with the single exception of the battle of Festubert, which failed through lack of shells, some ground has been von by the attacking force at the outset.
Meanwhile the Germans are piling up fresh divisions against our forces; further fighting of “the most severe nature” is anticipated; and they may well win further successes before they are exhausted. They are hailing it already as a duel to the death; but our men are inspired by the same unconquerable spirit which barred the road at Ypres, and we wait the result, which may still be distant, with absolute confidence in the prowess of the British Army.
Many people, including some very shrewd judges of military problems, are still wondering even today why the enemy are butting their heads against the formidable Allied positions in the West after their unforgettable experience at Verdun. It is worth while to answer this question. We must dismiss from our minds the stories that the German forces in the front line have undergone any great deterioration. They are not all of the same quality as two years ago, but every army in the field has probably lost a little of its original zest and efficiency. Again, it must be clearly recognized that this is no sham attack. The Germans mean business. It is too soon to conclude, on the other hand, that the assault on the Cambrai front represents the main ultimate feature of their offensive. Their natural endeavour would be to attract all possible reinforcements and reserves to a particular point, and then to attack suddenly elsewhere.
We may be quite certain that the element of surprise has not yet been eliminated from the new battle in the West. But when we turn to the larger reasons which have probably moved the enemy, there is ground for much encouragement. They are attacking, in the first place, because they believe that they have accumulated a dominating preponderance of strength, particularly in men, though possibly not in guns. They have drawn large forces from the Eastern front; they are said to have transported a number of Austrian batteries to France; there is even unconfirmed talk of the presence of some Bulgarian units. In other words, they are striking in the West because they believe that this time they can win a victory that will end the war. On any other assumption the new offensive is sheer folly, and the German military leaders, though they make many political mistakes, are not apt to commit fundamental military blunders. Our own conviction is that they have nevertheless made a gross miscalculation of the Allied defensive strength, and that they have no more chance of a military triumph than they have ever had since the Marne. The other half of the explanation is that, look at it how we will, Germany cannot afford to wait any longer. She cannot hope to digest her extensive conquests in Eastern Europe while three solid, undefeated armies confront her in the West, and while another gigantic army from across the Atlantic is steadily being transported to Europe. She must attack, if at all, before the United States Army comes fully into line. Her own people, though elated by the collapse of Russia and the encirclement of Rumania, have still been looking nervously towards the tremendous Allied forces in the West. They are on very short commons, their staying power has been badly strained, and they cannot expect much food from Russia until next year.
Germany, in short, has evidently resolved to stake all her chances on a terrific onslaught in the West this spring. She has committed herself to the greatest gamble in history. We believe that she will fail, and it is precisely because failure in the present attack must react disastrously upon Germany that we derive encouragement from the military position as it is disclosed today. All the grain of the Ukraine, all the iron of the Donetz basin, all the oil in Batum and Ploesti, will bring no consolation to the underfed civil population of Germany if their last legions are shattered to pieces against the unbreakable wall in the West. They will know then, if they never knew before, that, come what may, they can never hope to win.
Broadly speaking, the attack of the enemy has been made on a front extending from a point near Arras to the fortress of La Fere, or from the Scarpe to the Oise. It is an odd commentary upon German strategy that Marshal von Hindenburg is striving to recover ground which he incontinently abandoned a year ago. So far as can be gathered from the limited details available, the pressure is at present greatest in the country west of Cambrai and at points south-west of St Quentin. Probably the area between Arras and Cambrai is the scene of the enemy’s principal thrust, and two reasons explain their selection of this locality. The first is that the undulating lands between the Scarpe and the Canal du Nord usually recover from the effect of winter some weeks earlier than the districts on the Franco-Belgian frontier. The second is that, having rallied after a very severe blow before Cambrai last November, the Germans may have felt encouraged to try again in the same neighbourhood.
The opening phases of the conflict have been fierce beyond all precedent. It is now established that no fewer than forty German divisions took part in the opening attack, and it is clear that the losses on both sides are proportionately heavy. Telegraphing last night, at the end of the second day’s fighting, Sir Douglas Haig notes a series of exceptionally fine defences - naming especially the 24th, the 3rd, and the 51st Divisions - in a record of universal gallantry. The enemy has made progress at certain points, and we infer, though few geographical points are given, that his main successes have been north-west of the Havrincourt Wood and south of St Quentin. Some such dents in the line were anticipated, for in every offensive delivered by either side, with the single exception of the battle of Festubert, which failed through lack of shells, some ground has been von by the attacking force at the outset.
Meanwhile the Germans are piling up fresh divisions against our forces; further fighting of “the most severe nature” is anticipated; and they may well win further successes before they are exhausted. They are hailing it already as a duel to the death; but our men are inspired by the same unconquerable spirit which barred the road at Ypres, and we wait the result, which may still be distant, with absolute confidence in the prowess of the British Army.
We may be quite certain that the element of surprise has not yet been eliminated from the new battle in the West. But when we turn to the larger reasons which have probably moved the enemy, there is ground for much encouragement. They are attacking, in the first place, because they believe that they have accumulated a dominating preponderance of strength, particularly in men, though possibly not in guns. They have drawn large forces from the Eastern front; they are said to have transported a number of Austrian batteries to France; there is even unconfirmed talk of the presence of some Bulgarian units. In other words, they are striking in the West because they believe that this time they can win a victory that will end the war. On any other assumption the new offensive is sheer folly, and the German military leaders, though they make many political mistakes, are not apt to commit fundamental military blunders. Our own conviction is that they have nevertheless made a gross miscalculation of the Allied defensive strength, and that they have no more chance of a military triumph than they have ever had since the Marne. The other half of the explanation is that, look at it how we will, Germany cannot afford to wait any longer. She cannot hope to digest her extensive conquests in Eastern Europe while three solid, undefeated armies confront her in the West, and while another gigantic army from across the Atlantic is steadily being transported to Europe. She must attack, if at all, before the United States Army comes fully into line. Her own people, though elated by the collapse of Russia and the encirclement of Rumania, have still been looking nervously towards the tremendous Allied forces in the West. They are on very short commons, their staying power has been badly strained, and they cannot expect much food from Russia until next year.
Germany, in short, has evidently resolved to stake all her chances on a terrific onslaught in the West this spring. She has committed herself to the greatest gamble in history. We believe that she will fail, and it is precisely because failure in the present attack must react disastrously upon Germany that we derive encouragement from the military position as it is disclosed today. All the grain of the Ukraine, all the iron of the Donetz basin, all the oil in Batum and Ploesti, will bring no consolation to the underfed civil population of Germany if their last legions are shattered to pieces against the unbreakable wall in the West. They will know then, if they never knew before, that, come what may, they can never hope to win.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-latest-phase-of-the-battle-mb8cvzrbp?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_118&utm_medium=email&utm_content=118_21.03.2018%20Offensive%20(1)&CMP=TNLEmail_118918_3068743_118
The latest phase of the battle
Our armies have not been cut asunder, and, though there has been a long withdrawal, our retiring line remains intact and continuous
Two broad impressions emerge from an examination of the fragmentary news which is constantly arriving from the scene of the titanic struggle in France. The first is that the enemy continue to make steady progress, though their advance is noticeably uneven. The second is that our gallant troops are making the most stubborn resistance and are exacting a heavy toll from the Germans, while in the southern portion of the long battlefield French forces are rapidly moving in to their assistance.
The task of explaining the exact situation, so far as it is known in this country, is extremely difficult, because we are bound to describe it mainly in terms of ground. To speak of ground at the present stage of the battle is largely misleading, for the real object of the enemy is not so much to capture particular areas as to destroy our forces. In this at all events they are not succeeding, nor are they likely to do so, for it is quite certain that on balance their losses have so far been considerably heavier than our own. We are still justified in saying that, considering the magnitude of the battle, our losses up till now remain relatively light in proportion to the number of troops engaged.
It is true that we have lost much valuable material, including guns and tanks, but the available supplies are so huge that this class of loss is not the most serious matter. Even the “break through” the line, as Sir Douglas Haig accurately and obviously described it, is liable to be misunderstood. The fact is that the enemy broke through our prepared defensive positions, but they have not broken through the living wall which still confronts them. Our armies have not been cut asunder, and, though there has been a long withdrawal, our retiring line remains intact and continuous. Above all, the Germans have not succeeded in their supreme object of driving a wedge through the point of contact between the British and French armies, and we judge that every hour’s resistance makes the prospect of success in this respect more remote. The question of time is of the very essence of the enemy’s plan.
Turning now to the latest phases of the battle, we gather that the troops which have so splendidly checked the fierce German attacks in the area south-east of Arras, and especially in the neighbourhood of Wancourt and the heights about Menin, are amply holding their own. The best proof is that the exultant German bulletins are conspicuously silent about this portion of the battle front, where the enemy have been very badly hammered. The most critical portion of the front lies between Wancourt down through Bapaume to the Somme. There has evidently been a tremendous rearguard action close to Bapaume. The Germans claim to have captured Bapaume, though there is no word yet about the heights just beyond.
It is when we reach the old battlefield of the Somme - by which we mean all the ground taken by us north of the river up to November 30, 1916 - that we find the chief German progress. More than half of that great battlefield has passed out of our possession. The enemy are pushing in a south-westerly direction north of Martinpuich towards Courcelette, and are thus drawing dangerously near to the coveted Thiepval plateau. Sailly and Combles and Guillemont have gone, together with many another spot for ever hallowed in our military annals, including possibly Delville Wood. Our line probably runs somewhere near Montauban and Maricourt, though in a conflict so fluctuating the front constantly changes.
The chief risk about the German pressure north of the Somme is that it may affect the position just south of Peronne. Some of the most stedfast of our forces have now been holding for days the left bank of the great bend of the Somme opposite Peronne, and all the long reach southwards as far as beyond Pargny. Time after time the enemy have crossed the river, only to be resolutely driven back; but should they get farther in the north the river line may be difficult to maintain. According to one account, the Germans have now crossed the river near Licourt; and in any case the tenure of the river line is also rendered more risky by the admitted progress of the foe in the southern, half of the fight. They have taken Nesle and Guiscard, and are heavily engaged with mixed British and French forces among the wooded heights north-east of the little cathedral city of Noyon. So far the battle ends at the Oise, and no important fresh developments are reported at any other point on the Western front.
The immediate problem now is whether our forces, in conjunction with the French at the southern end of the battle, can establish themselves afresh on a line which would approximate generally to the 1916 line, though with various commanding vantage points included. There are plenty of prepared positions in all this area. Time is the vital factor, as we have said before, for the Germans are clearly staking everything on the policy of a rapid “knock-out blow” which cannot be protracted and will hardly be repeated. They have had the best of weather so far, but there are welcome signs of a break. We note with pride and satisfaction, but without surprisc, the steady fortitude with which the whole country is facing a very grave situation. We believe that it is thoroughly realized and will be as thoroughly repaired. The one desire is that the Government should lose no time in making whatever fresh demands may be required of the civilian population, vho stand absolutely united behind the Armies in the field.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-forcing-of-the-somme-0wdxgwff7?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_118&utm_medium=email&utm_content=118_21.03.2018%20Offensive%20(1)&CMP=TNLEmail_118918_3068743_118
Turning now to the latest phases of the battle, we gather that the troops which have so splendidly checked the fierce German attacks in the area south-east of Arras, and especially in the neighbourhood of Wancourt and the heights about Menin, are amply holding their own. The best proof is that the exultant German bulletins are conspicuously silent about this portion of the battle front, where the enemy have been very badly hammered. The most critical portion of the front lies between Wancourt down through Bapaume to the Somme. There has evidently been a tremendous rearguard action close to Bapaume. The Germans claim to have captured Bapaume, though there is no word yet about the heights just beyond.
It is when we reach the old battlefield of the Somme - by which we mean all the ground taken by us north of the river up to November 30, 1916 - that we find the chief German progress. More than half of that great battlefield has passed out of our possession. The enemy are pushing in a south-westerly direction north of Martinpuich towards Courcelette, and are thus drawing dangerously near to the coveted Thiepval plateau. Sailly and Combles and Guillemont have gone, together with many another spot for ever hallowed in our military annals, including possibly Delville Wood. Our line probably runs somewhere near Montauban and Maricourt, though in a conflict so fluctuating the front constantly changes.
The immediate problem now is whether our forces, in conjunction with the French at the southern end of the battle, can establish themselves afresh on a line which would approximate generally to the 1916 line, though with various commanding vantage points included. There are plenty of prepared positions in all this area. Time is the vital factor, as we have said before, for the Germans are clearly staking everything on the policy of a rapid “knock-out blow” which cannot be protracted and will hardly be repeated. They have had the best of weather so far, but there are welcome signs of a break. We note with pride and satisfaction, but without surprisc, the steady fortitude with which the whole country is facing a very grave situation. We believe that it is thoroughly realized and will be as thoroughly repaired. The one desire is that the Government should lose no time in making whatever fresh demands may be required of the civilian population, vho stand absolutely united behind the Armies in the field.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-forcing-of-the-somme-0wdxgwff7?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=newsletter_118&utm_medium=email&utm_content=118_21.03.2018%20Offensive%20(1)&CMP=TNLEmail_118918_3068743_118
The forcing of the Somme
Prisoners tell us of the immense losses their units suffered, and nearly all say freely that this is Germany’s supreme effort, and that she is putting all her strength into it because she must have peace
No comments:
Post a Comment