100 Years Ago - German Offensive

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/general-foch-and-thebattle-p5d9zbw8r


APRIL 16, 1918

General Foch and the Battle

The British and French governments have now agreed to confer upon General Foch the title and powers of Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies in France. The decision was clearly not premeditated, but has been rendered imperative by the military position in France and Flanders. Until recently the French and British Armies fought, for all practical purposes, in watertight compartments. The point of contact between the two Allied Armies remained clearly marked until the Germans began their great offensive between Arras and La Fère on March 21. In consequence of the retirement of our Fifth Army, and the hasty concentration of French reinforcements, units of both forces found themselves temporarily intermingled. The French were gradually taking over part of our battle line, and very soon were holding about half the battle front. The battle, in short, was at first exclusively British, but it became half French. In these circumstances the compromise adopted by the Supreme War Council at Versailles last winter was rapidly extended, and General Foch, at the joint desire of the British, French and United States Governments, undertook the task of co-ordinating the action of the Allied Armies with the supreme direction of strategy. This arrangement was hardly in working order when fresh complications arose as a consequence of the new offensive initiated by the enemy north and south of Armentières last week. Pressed by superior forces, the British line astride the Lys was slowly withdrawn for a considerable distance, and our Army again became in need of French help. The advent of French units in the northern battle signifies that, for a period the end of which cannot be foreseen, the old conditions under which the French and British Armies fought on separate fronts are over. There has been a fusion of resources, further emphasized by the decision of the United States government to merge many of their available battalions in French and British brigades to complete their training.

The step does not deprive the British Commander-in-Chief of any of his direct authority over the British Army, and we believe that the British peoples will fully share the entire confidence reposed in General Foch by his own countrymen.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-splendid-tenacity-2bn93b75r

april 14, 1918

A splendid tenacity

The news from the northern battle is that our line is becoming firmer, and in spite of many heavy attacks in the last two days there has been no appreciable change in our front. No better testimony could be given to the splendid tenacity with which our troops are disputing every foot of ground. The Germans are trying to make progress by sheer weight of numbers, but all their onslaughts were repulsed with heavy loss. We are always inclined to discount the more excited stories of German losses, but there can be no doubt that their present tactics must be expensive. They cannot pursue their methods for an indefinite period, and though there is no sign of a pause either north or south of the Lys, it is quite possible that the pace in this area may soon slacken. In that case, we may see an early resumption of the offensive on the Somme, for the enemy are pursuing on a gigantic scale the principle of repeated alternate blows which they tried at Verdun. If precedent counts for anything in this war, the example they are following should give us encouragement.

On the whole the events of the last two days justify increasing confidence, though it is far too soon to express any decided opinion about the outcome of this very hard fought battle in the north. At best it must continue for a long time, and just now we must content ourselves that for two days the Germans have made repeated assaults at many points without winning any further advantage. The new element is the arrival of French reinforcements. General Foch and the French Army are doing wonders. They have the warmest admiration of us all for the rapidity with which fresh units were hurried to our aid, first between the Oise and the Somme, and now on the Lys. Their help has been given in a true spirit of fraternal alliance, and from the moment it was seen that the bulk of the German forces in the West were being flung against the British Army our Allies have done their utmost to help stem the tide.
The advent of the French divisions is said to have greatly cheered our sorely-tried men. The fight for the Channel ports may last until the summer but, so long as there are French and British regiments to bar the way, no German general will ever rein his horse on the heights above Boulogne.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/our-backs-to-the-wall-7pdgdt3xr

april 13, 1918

‘Our backs to the wall’

In a special Order of the Day to all ranks of the British Army in France and Flanders Sir Douglas Haig says: “There is no other course open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man; there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the freedom of mankind depend alike upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment.”
These grave words reveal the nature of the crisis which is swiftly developing in France. Though meant to inspire our gallant troops, who are fighting desperately for every foot of ground against heavy odds, they must be taken to heart by every man and woman in these islands. “The conduct of each one of us,” both here and across the Atlantic, should be guided by the thought that the whole fortunes of the Allies are now at stake, and that no sacrifice can be too great, no effort too small, in the supreme task of giving help to the brave men who are battling day and night against the overwhelming German hordes. Sir Douglas Haig tersely declares that the objects of the enemy are “to separate us from the French, to take the Channel ports, and destroy the British Army”.

Their leading divisions on the left centre of their battlefront are only forty miles from Calais, a situation without precedent since the war began. While guarding the northern gates, we have still to be prepared for the blow at Amiens and the line of the Somme estuary which may be attempted at any moment. For the present, however, the eyes of the world are turned towards the northern battle, where Sir Herbert Plumer is steadfastly endeavouring to stem the oncoming tide of the German legions. A glimpse of the desperate nature of the fighting is furnished by our Correspondent’s statement that, in opposing von Bernhardt’s troops on the River Lawe, the headquarters staff of two brigades plunged into the struggle with rifles, while one general led his orderlies into the fray. “Each one of us must fight on to the end,” says Sir Douglas Haig, and in this crisis that must be the motto of us all. Heavy though the onslaught of the enemy has been, we believe that our heroic soldiers, and the French hurrying to their aid, will yet save the day.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-battle-of-the-lys-zz6pzgz5w

april 12, 1918

The Battle of the Lys

Although the new battle continues to rage from the La Bassée Canal to the northern end of the Messines ridge, the comparative calm before Amiens, and in other sectors north and south of the Somme, is delusive. The Germans have no intention of sitting still in their great salient between Arras and the Oise. At any moment fresh blows may fall. The Germans are making progress, and the best that can be said is that their gains are very slowly obtained, and that at certain points they appear to be checked. The news yesterday that our troops had been withdrawn from Armentieres occasioned no surprise. It was clear that the ruined town had become untenable. The place is said to be full of gas, and probably the enemy will also prefer to avoid it. Armentieres does not matter very much, but what is more serious is that the enemy have gained the whole line of the Lys as far as Estaires. They have pushed onward from the river, and are less than three miles from Bailleul. The position on the Messines ridge is still a little obscure. The enemy assert that they stormed “the height of Messines” and captured Hollebeke. We know that they entered the village of Messines on Wednesday, but we also know they were driven out again. That they passed beyond Hollebeke is also correct, but here also they were forced back.

The battle is now in a critical phase, and its least favourable feature is the thrust towards Bailleul. On the other hand, we hold all the dominating heights to the north, and the enemy has not obtained control of a single bit of rising ground. We trust that our gallant troops, who are undergoing so severe an ordeal, will realize that their countrymen at home are watching their tenacious struggle with the most intense appreciation. Never since the first two months of the war has there been such a keen concentration of attention upon the battlefront. The public fully understand the critical character of this series of battles, and realize that our men are contesting every foot of ground. When Mr Lloyd George declared that the conduct of the whole Army, from Commander-in-Chief to rank and file, has been marked by “incredible courage and great coolness under the most trying conditions”, he expressed the thought which is uppermost throughout the Empire.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2018-04-11/register/man-power-bill-debate-on-ireland-r57ppz6tk

April 11, 1918

Man-power bill: debate on Ireland

The Military Service Bill was read a second time in the House of Commons, by 323 votes to 100. Sixty-eight of the minority were Irish Nationalists, and the remainder were chiefly of the “pacifist” groups.
Sir George Cave, the Minister in charge of the Bill, contended that the raising of the military age to 50 would bring in a substantial number of men of real military value. He explained that the Government wished this to be the last Man-Power Bill of the war. There was excited interruption from the Nationalists when he came to his vindication of the Irish clause. If, he declared, only five divisions could be expected the clause would be worth passing into law. It had been said that an Army would be needed to enforce it, but the Government did not think so.

Sir Donald Maclean, speaking from his experience as chairman of the House of Commons Appeal Tribunal, doubted whether more than three per cent of the men between 42 and 50 years of age would be of anything approaching military value. His advice was that the age should not be raised beyond 47 or 48 years at the outside.
On the question of the inclusion of Ireland, Mr Asquith told the House that the plan had been twice considered and rejected by the Government of which he was the head, and that the arguments in favour of that conclusion had been strengthened by subsequent events. He argued that compulsion could not be introduced in Ireland with any approach to general consent, and that it would be an act of terrible shortsightedness to precede the grant of self government by imposing a measure obnoxious to a very large number of the people.
After the cheers which greeted Mr Asquith’s words Mr Bonar Law rose. The Government had no intention of giving way on any of the cardinal principles of the Bill, he said. He admitted the small value of certain men of the higher age, but reminded the House that men up to 50 years were employed in the French and German Armies. The Government believed that what they were doing might make the difference between victory and defeat. He was no less explicit on the subject of Ireland. There wore loud cheers when he explained that the proposal had been put in because the Government intended to carry it.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2018-04-10/register/an-urgent-measure-fr2jxn9fr

April 10, 1918

An urgent measure

There were no surprises about the proposals the Prime Minister laid before Parliament yesterday. They had been anticipated and discussed by the whole Press for some days beforehand and the fact that most of his hearers were ready for a drastic measure enabled him to set the details in their true proportion.
No Government measure had ever a background more grim or a justification more imperative. In the West, said Mr Lloyd George, the enemy was committed to an attempt to secure a military decision this year by breaking the Armies of the Allies. That means assault upon assault, in complete recklessness of everything but victory. There are seven, or possibly eight, months of campaigning weather available for the purpose, and a new phase of the battle, though no one in England was aware of it, had actually begun when the Prime Minister spoke.

The Government has already taken such steps as it can without ampler legislative authority to stiffen the British lines. The “comb-out” is in progress in essential industries —- munition works, coal pits, transport services and the service of the Government. The Government’s duty to set a good example needs no demonstration, while an overgrown Civil Service can probably stand the strain. The Prime Minister made it plain that the emergency absolutely demands this immediate addition to our striking force for this year.
On the main proposition the House was clearly with him. It was only on the proposal to apply conscription in Ireland that he was subjected to a fire of interjection. We shall certainly not attempt — especially in the light of the latest news from France — to prejudge the attitude which Nationalist members may ultimately adopt towards this obvious measure of justice to the rest of the United Kingdom and to the Irishmen of Canada and the United States. It was through no design of the Prime Minister’s that the great onslaught in France coincided with the termination of the attempt to make Irishmen agree upon their future form of government. But the coincidence is not without its value. The Nationalist members, whose position in their own country is sufficiently insecure, will not improve it if their hostility to the Man-Power Bill leads them to forfeit the sympathy of the civilized world.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2018-04-09/register/australians-heroic-defence-n9brz7pp2

april 9, 1918

Australians’ heroic defence

Bulletin from the official Australian war correspondents at Headquarters in France: Six Australian units were involved on Thursday and Friday in two separate attacks. In the first, in drizzling rain, the Germans attacked positions in the undulating country south of the Somme. The battle lasted all day for possession of Villers-Brettonneux. To the accompaniment of a terrific bombardment of the town, which tore the streets to pieces, the enemy sent on waves of assaulting troops on the right flank of the Australians. The shock temporarily overcame the line, which was bent back on the southern edge of the town. For several hours the battle raged among woods, copses and ploughed fields. Once the town was deemed lost. At the end of the afternoon a British regiment was sent in to reinforce the Australians, and shortly afterwards another New South Wales battalion advanced on the right, and the position was saved. On Friday, the Germans made, perhaps, an even more desperate assault from Albert to Dernancourt across the Ancre against another portion of the Australian force. The fight began about 8 in the morning with a heavy general bombardment, which gradually concentrated on the front line just before the enemy’s infantry advanced to the attack. Opposite one part of the Australian line, where all the officers and many men were casualties, the German infantry managed to penetrate the first line. Coming on in wave after wave, they gradually pushed up the hills, being mown down by Australian machine-guns until the guns, though firing continuously, were unable to stem the tide flowing all round them. One group of four machine-guns was seen fighting till the very last when the German line actually swamped them, the men dying at their guns after inflicting terrible losses. About 4 in the afternoon our counter-attack swept over the edge of the hill. Queenslanders, New South Walesmen, South and Western Australians, and others advanced. The Queenslanders while advancing met a German wave also advancing. The Australian wave broke the German wave. Fighting continued till dusk, when the Germans appeared to have been fought to a standstill. The Australians, who were still holding the hills, fought four or five times their own numbers.


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2018-04-07/register/the-cavalrys-chance-klqjm8ks0


Not since the very early days of the war have cavalry been able to play so large a part as in the present battle, and I have spent much of today with one of the cavalry units who, in spite of the terribly testing time they have been through, and in spite of losses which inevitably were fairly severe, are rejoicing that the cavalry has at last had its chance to do its share.
These troops were first engaged in the battle as infantry, and for eight or nine days were continuously on the move or fighting, either as cavalry or dismounted. They were split up into sections, each of which supported a section of infantry in the withdrawal, and all found themselves immediately in the thick of the battle, which nowhere was more hard fought than round Ham, where cavalry on March 22 held the line of the canal from Ham to Ollezy, when the Germans were still pressing on in their original masses. As the infantry fell back that evening a party of Scots Greys covering the withdrawal got entirely cut off and spent the whole night mixed up with the Germans till they got across a bridge over the canal in the early morning. That day the cavalry, while still falling back, were able to get their horses and felt like a self-respecting cavalry force again, and a party was detached to make an irregular detachment fighting on its own through the long retreat. The Germans continued to push with all their weight. The thick mist of the early mornings helped them enormously, and on one occasion the fighting got so mixed up that Divisional Headquarters found itself for the time under machine-gun fire.

At midnight on the 29th orders came that the Germans were in Moreuil Wood and must be put out. Then followed some of the hardest fighting of the battle. The Canadians got in a fine mounted charge then dismounted and fought on foot. By midday they had gone clean through the wood, killing great numbers of the enemy. When news came that the German thrust near Marcelcave was very threatening, Dragoons and Lancers went up to head it off. Here they cooperated with the Australian infantry, and afterwards the commanding officer of the Australians wrote a charming letter to the cavalry commander speaking of “the magnificent behaviour” of the cavalry and the pride and delight it was to fight with them.