FIGHTING THE FLOOD

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 264, 27 July 1918, Page 8

FIGHTING THE FLOOD

STORY OF THE LAST GREAT BATTLE OF THE SOME WORLD'S DEBT TO THE BRITISH (By an Officer.) When the full story of the rccent ; ins oil the Sommo is told, it will be a, story that should be written in letters of gold upon the pages of our history. Then it will bo realised what the world owes to those gallant divisions of the 3rd and sth Annies, which held the line on March 21 from Arras to La Fere. What were the positions 011 that fateful 21st of March ? The sth Army, with tho 3rd Army 011 its left, stood 011 a great front of 40 miles, its left at tiouu>aucourt, south-west of Cambrai, its right at Barieis, south of La Fere. _ It was scarcely two months since the sth Army had taken over these trenches from the French. Of the 14 divisions of the sth Army, 11 wore in the line and three in reserve. On the 21st of March, then, against these 11 divisions of the sth Army, and against the divisions on the right of the 3rd Army, cams the weight of the German attack. The German does not usually underestimate the fighting qualities of his opponents. To ensure success 011 the first day, 110 fewer than 40 full divisions were concentrated along the front of 50 miles on which tho attack was made. The attack was preceded by a six hours' bombardment of a severity which had never before been experienced by our troops. It was said that tho German guns fil'ed "until they were red-hot." When the guns had done their work, tho infantry advanced through the mist towards our outpost positions. Tho thin outpost line was overwhelmed. It could not be otherwise. But every yard tiiat the Germans advanced was wet with their blood. Even'when the flood surged past them, our men held their ground, and fouglit to tho death. Strange stories filtered back through the fog, of bombers who ceased only when they wero killed to hurl their bombs into tho press of the enemy, of machine-gunners wlio sprayed death into the mist until they fell, riddled with bullets, across their smoking guns, of'artillery observers who clung to their posts to the last. Odds of Three and Four to One. Then the Germans streamed forward into the battle-zone. If they thought that theirs would be an easy victory, they were sa<*y mistaken. Outnumbered hopelessly, iignting against odds of three and four to one, tho British divisions held their ground till that day and through the greater part of the next. Battalions stood up against divisions— and drove them back. On the 22nd, division after division was hurled against our tired troops west of St. Queulin, and at. last they won their desire. The ■wonder is not that the Germans broke through; that was inevitable. The wonder is that they were held for so long. The immediate result of tho breach at Poedilly, Beauvois and Vaux was that the line in tho north which had hitherto held out stubbornly against all attacks was now compelled to retire. Step by step, deliberately, the British fell back, keeping touch everywhere along their long front, as day by day the battle rolled slowly westwards, past Bapaume, towards Albert. Twico at least the enemy had a chance of breaking'the line, once when ho crossed the Tortille. Oil the 23rd, once on the 25th, after the tnk-. ing of Martinpuich and Courcelette, but each time he was stopped by the pluck and endurance of British 'soldiers. Tho men .to whom belongs the credit for this gallant stand, with tho solitary exception of the 9th Division's one brigade of South Africans, were drawn from every country and everv county of tho British Isles. • England, Wales,. Scotland, and'lreland, each had reason to be proud of her sons.

It was a battalion of Irishmen who eleven times beat off a division of German Guards. When the Germans attacked a twelfth time and entered their trenches the poor remnant of the battalion stayed there by their dead comrades and refused to retire. The 51st, a tough division of Scottish Highlanders, fought so stubbornly that even their enemies—and they, after all, were well qualified to judge—paid tribute to their bravery. There were Welsh battalions in the* 19th Division which offered such a stoat Resistance in the northern sector on the 21st. The. English County battalions of the 25th Division had done well at Thiepval in 1916, and again in the following year when they cleared Styx Farm and.Hell Farm at Ifessines. Onco more (hey rendered excellent service when they marched up from dree reservo to fight, alongside the 51st at Boursies on the Bapaume-Cambrai road.

[ _ These are only a few of l*h** many division? whose conduct during those critical days proved that the British soldier is the same staunch fighter as of old. _ By the evening of the 20th Hie 3rd and sth Armies were still in unbroken line, everywhere. Tho first icntlmsiasm of the attack had spent itself. Tn front of them stood a weary and disillusioned enemy. Behind them fresh troops wero marching to their aid. The Australians in Action. Amongst them were the Australians, who now for the first time took part in tho great battle. They arrived oil the Sonime on the afternoon of the 27th, They were in action on the 28th. On that day they were heavily engaged at Puisicux, south of Bucquoy,' and .Dernancourt. Three times did ' the Germans enter Dernancourt, but the .Australians would not be denied, and eventually tho village, with 20A prisoners, remained in their hands. It was only on April 5, after fruitless attempts, that the enemy took Dernancourt.

In tho same week the sth Australian Division also distinguished itself when it helped to repulse several German attacks in the neighbourhood of Hamel and'Hangard Wood, south of the Somme. It was south of the Somme, too, that two Australian brigades (including one from tho sth Division) played a conspicuous part in the brilliant counter-attack .which Resulted in the rocaptitre of Villers Bretonneux and over 000 prisoners on tho night of April 21. The activities of tho Australians were not confined to tho Somme. Earlier in the month tho Ist Australian Division had 1 ' been sent northwards to the Lys front. They arrived in time to assist the hard-pressed 31st Division to drive back: a strong German assault along the eastern fringe of the Forest of Nieppe. That, briefly, is tho story of the Battle of the Somme and of Hie divisions who were engaged in it. The Australians fought well. They always do that. And as great glory belongs to those divisions of the sth and 3rd Armies who lipid the line against tremendous odds until help came.