VICTORIES OF 1917

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 151, 15 March 1918, Page 6

VICTORIES OF 1917

SPLENDID RECORD IN THE WEST SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S STORY OF THE OPERATIONS i -. BATTLES WON AGAINST ODDS OF 2 TO 1 V The; following is , a short summary of the dispatch received by the Secretary of .State for War from Sir Douglas "Haig, Commander-in-Chief of the British armies in France. It deals with operations in Franco and Flanders last year : down to the end of'the Battle of Flanders. ■ The general plan of campaign for the 'Allied armies during 1917 had been decided at a conference held at French General Headquarters in November, 1916. "The plan comprised a series of on all fronts, so timed as to assist each other by depriving the enemy of the power of weakening any one of his fronts in order to reinforce another."

Haig's Plans. Sir Douglas Haig's original scheme had been an attack against the enemy in the salient between the Scarpe and tho Ancre. This included tho capture of the Vimy- Kidge. But this attack was not intended to be the main offensive of the year." I did not consider that any great strategical results were likely to be gained by following Up a success on the front about Arraa. It was thorefore my intention to transfer my main offousi7e to another part of the front. Tho ?ront selected for these further operations was in Flanders. They were to be commenced as soon as possible after the Arras offensive." However, the plans of the Allies had to be revised. "Subsequently unexpected developments in the early weeks of the year necessitated certain modifications in my plans. Accordingly it was arranged that I should commence the offensive early in April on as great a scale - as tho extension of my front would perxit." This attack was to bo preparatory to a more decisive attack to be made by the, French in which, in the event of its complete success, the •British were to co-operate. So on April 9 British and Canadian troops of the First an I Third Armies attacked the German lines from "just north of Crobilles, south-east of Arras, to just south of Givenchy-en-Cohelle, , , aV-thh northern foot of they Viriiy. Ridgf)," a distance of nearly 15 miles. Terrific air fighting preceded the attack. "Losses on. 'both! ■ sides were severe, but the offensive tactics most gallantly persisted in by our fighting aeroplanes secured, our artillery mae'lines from serious interference and enabled our guns to carry nut their work effectively."' The Battles of April. i ■ ' ■ ■ "The general attack; on April 9 was launched at 5.30 a.m.,' under cover of a most effective barrage. Closely following the tornado of lire, our gallant infantry poured like a flood across the German lines, overwhelming the enemy garrisovm." The attack was a complete success. "By the end of the.day our troops were established deeply in the enemy's positions on the whole front of attack. Wβ had gained a firm footing in the enemy's third Una on both banks of the Scarpe, and had made an important breach in the.enemy's last fully completed line of defence."

' Unfortunately-the , weather- definitely broke on the morning , ,of attack. Storm, snow, squalls ov wind and rain greatly impeded.operations. "It would be hard to over-estimate the»impqrtance of tMe resultant delay in bringing up our- guns at a time when the enemy liad i.oi yet been able to assemble his reserves."\ However, cho attack was pressed heavily for the next five days, ana Monchy aud.other important positions were captured. :"At the end of six days' fighting our front had been rolled four miles further east, ail the dominating features forming the immediate objects of my attack had passed into our possession. More than 13,000 prisoners and'over 200 guns were captured." ,'■■••. ,

So far as Sir Douglas Haig's own plans were concerned, Aliis would have been-the time.to' have tiansfer?ed his army of assault»td.~ the. northern, front while merely '.maintaining a show of strength, in," Artois,;but tliH French offensive : wasron the point of being .'launched,, and. "it was vei-y important .that the'full pressure, of the British offensive, .should be maintained." Accordingly further attacks were planned, which' resulted in the great battle of 'April 23 and 24 and May 3. These were successful, and important ground was gained, but the enemy was now in great strength on this front. "A month after, the commencement 23 enemy divisions'had been withdraw exhausted ;J'rom..the front; on the other hand tho streiijjtheimig of the enemy's forces opposite" my front necessarily brought about for the time being all the characteristics of a wearing-out battle. On the Aisne and in Champagne also the French offonsives had, met with very obstinate resistance."

.-However, on May 5 the French achieved the objects they liad in view on the Chemiu des Dames, and Sir Douglas Haig was able "to turn my full attention atuUdivert the bulk of my resources to 'the. development of the northern plan of operations." The refcults of Tho great battles round Arras were the capture of nearly 20,000 prisoners, 257 guns, and an advance of five miles on a twenty-mile front. ■

The Yprcs Salient. "The positions held by us on the Ypres salient were far from satisfactory. They were completely overlooked by the enemy. Their defences involved a considerable strain on the troops occupying them, and they were certain to be costly to maintain against a serious attack, in which the enemy would enjoy all the advantages in observation' and in \the placing of his artillery. Our positions would be much improved by the capture of the Mes-Eines-Vi'ytschaeto ridge and of the high ground which extends thence northeastwards for some seven miles and then trends north through Broodseimlc and Passchendaele.

"The preparations for tlie attack on the Messinos-Wytschaete ridge were necessarily as elaborate as those undertaken before either the Somme or the 'Arras battles. They were carried out in circumstances of exceptional difficulty, for the enemy's positions overlooked our lines. A special problem arose in connection with the water supply. Pipe lines were taken well forward from existing lakes, from catch pits constructed on die Kemmel Hills, and from sterilising buries on the Lye "A special feature of the attack, and one unique in warfare, was furnished by the explosion of 19 deep mines at the memunt nf assault. In all twentyfour mines were constructed, four of ■which word ouis.de the front ultimately selected for. our offensive. Many of these lifiil been completed for twelve ■months prior to ortr offensive, and constant and unions work was needed to ensure their safety. The enemy also l:ad a deep mine system, and vas aware of his••clanser. At Hill 60 continuous iiiidprgroLiicl filing took placo for ever ten months prior to the attack, if. thp time of our offensive the enemy f-M known to be driving a gallery •wfeh would ultimately have cut into the gallery leading to the Hill uU mines. By careful listening it was

judged that, if our offensive took place on the -dato arranged, the enemy's gallery would just fail to reach curs. So it was allowed to proceed. Tho Spanbroeklren mino formed tho largest crater of those blown, area of complete obliteration havN& a diameter of over 140 vards."

"At 3.10 a.m. on June 7 the nineteen mines were exploded simultaneously. At tho same moment our guns opened and our infantry assault was launched." English, Irish, New Zealand, and Australian troops being ongaged. "The attack proceeded from the commencement in almost exact conwith the- time-tablo." All the objectives were gained by the evening, and 7200 prisoners, with 67 films, were captured. During the following days further progress was made, heavy counter-attacks broken, and the enemy were forced to evacuate ground further to tho south.

'•'As soon as this preliminary operation had been successfully accomplished it becamo possible to take in hand our final dispositions for the main offensive east and north of Ypres. It had been agreed that French trgops should take part in these operations, and should extend my left flank northwards of Boesinghe." The dispatch then the great difficulty in mounting such an offensive, the successful German attack on the coast, and the final preparations for tho battle, which was opened, after several delays, on July 31, on a fifteen-milo front from the Lvs to beyond Steenstraat. The 2nd and sth Armies being engaged.

The Battles in Flanders. The attack was launched at 5.30 a.m. Troops from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Walesi delivering the mam assault. "Preceded at zero hour by discharges of thermit and oil drums, and covered by an accurate artillery barrage, the Allied infantry entered the German lines, at all points. The enemy's barrage was late and weak, and our casualties were light." Prac'tically all our* objectives were gained, and 6000 prisoners taken. Then came the rain, which in a four days' incessant downpour turned "the low-lying, clayey soil into a succession of vast, muddy pools. The valleys of tho choked and overflowing streams were speedily transformed into long stretches of bog, impassable except by a few well-dofiued tracks, which became marks for tho enemy's artillery. To leave these tracks was to risk death by drowning, and on several occasions men and pack animals were lost in • this way.' In these conditions operations of any magnitude became impossible. As had been the case in the Arras battle, this unavoidable delay was of the greatest service to the enemy. , '

Towards the middle of August the weather slightly improved, and attacks were launched near Lens by Canadian troops, and on tho main battle front. The first was absolutely successful, but the attack on the Ypres front, though successful, was impeded by the new defensive tactics of the'enemy. In the future our artillery tactics were modified" to meet the situation created by the change in the enemy's methods of defence.

The enemy had adopted a system of elastic defence, in which his forward lines were held in only sufficient strength to disorganise "the attack, while the bulk of -his forces wpre kept in close reserve ready to deliver an immediate and powerful blow. "In. the heavy fighting east of Ypres these tactics had undoubtedly met with a certain measure of success. In combination with the state of the ground an« the weather they had succeeded in checking our progress."

Minor operations were carried out until September 20, when a fresh assault was launched on an eipb.t-m.ile front by British, Australian, and South African troops. The new British tactics abundantly justified themselves. All tho objectives were gained, and "the whole of the high ground α-osserl by the Menin Road passed into our possession." Three thousand prisoners were taken. The enemy suffered the heaviest losses in repeated counterattacks.

High-Water Mark. Extremely successful attacks were made on September 26 and October 4. In the latter 5000 prisoners wero taken and three German divisions lined up for a counter-attack were annihilated. This marked tho high-water mark of British success. "The year was far spent, the weather had been consistently unpropitious. The resultant delays" had given the enemy time to bring up his reinforcements and to reorganise his defence after' each defeat." Nevertheless, with a fine October, much might have Still been accomplished. Instead the weather remained permanently .hostile. Successful attacks were carried out on October 8 and 12, but "by this time the persistent continuation of bad .weather liad left no further room for hope that the condition of the ground would improve sufficiently to enable us to capture the remainder of the ridge this year. But in view of other projects which I had in view it was desirable to maintain pressure on the Flanders front for a few weeks longer." "This refers, of course, to the Cambrai offensive. "No large force could be made available for the enterprise. The prospects of success therefore depended on complete, secrecy and on maintaining sufficient activity in Flanders." After a series of minor operations Passchendaele was captured "by a successful attack by ■which, for the second time within the year, Canadian troops achieved a record of uninterrupted success." These operations concluded the Flanders offensive.

The Year Summed Up. "This offensive, maintained for three and a half months under the most adverse conditions of weather, had entailed almost, supor-human exertions on tho part of our troops. Time after time the practically beaten enemy was enabled to reorganise and relieve his men, and to bring up reinforcements behind the sea of mud, which constituted his main protection." Nevertheless 21,000 prisoners ami 74 guns were taken. During tho year the failure of Russia to give the help expected had allowed 40 fresh German divisions to be brought to the Western front. ''That under these conditions the victories of Arras, Vimy, Messines, and Flanders were won by us, and those at Moronvillors, Verdun, and Malmaison by the French constitute a record of which the Allied armies have a right to be proud." "Iji our operations 1.31. Gennrm divisions have been engaged and defeated by less than half that number of British divisions. Tho addition of strength which the enemy has obtained, or may obtain, from events in Russia and Italy have already been largely discounted, and the ultimate destruction of the enemy's field forces has been brought appreciably nearer."