THE BATTLE OF THE FLANDERS HILLS
The Break-Through
(April 9, 1918.)
The Germans began the attack on the morning of April 9, after an intense bombardment with gas shells, and under cover of a dense fog reached the first machine-guns. The sector was held by Portuguese troops, wedged in between the British, from Bois-Grenier to Neuve-Chapelle.
On the whole length of front attacked, between La Bassée and Armentières, in the Plain of Flanders, the only natural obstacles are the rivers and canals. From the beginning of the battle the Portuguese were thrown into disorder by the extreme violence of the attack.
The twenty-one German shock divisions attacked in five columns: to the south, the first column in the direction of Givenchy; the second (General Kraevel), in front of Festubert; the third (Von Bernhardi) marched against La Couture and Richebourg-St.-Waast; the Carlowitz Corps, forming the fourth column, advanced against Estaires in the direction of Laventie; further north, the fifth column attacked in the direction of Fleurbaix, outflanking Bois Grenier and Armentières on the west.
Under the pressure of the attack, a depression was formed in the line. Fleurbaix, Laventie, Richebourg-St.-Waast and Neuve-Chapelle were lost, and the Germans reached the Lys between Estaires and the St. Maur Ferry. To the north of the pocket the Allies resisted successfully at Fleurbaix; to the south, Givenchy, after a desperate struggle, remained in the hands of the British.
On the following day the German troops, continuing the push towards the centre, succeeded in crossing the Lys between Estaires and the St. Maur Ferry.
The battle extended northwards and the IVth Army (Von Arnim) attacked between Armentières and Ploegsteert with the Eberhardt, Marschall and Sieger Corps.
The push continued on the 11th, and Armentières, outflanked on the north and south, smashed by the shells and drenched with gas, had to be evacuated.
On their left, the Germans, after crossing the Lawe, north of Locon, two miles from Béthune, captured Neuf-Berquin and Merville.
Givenchy, held by the British 55th Division, resisted all attacks and remained in their hands.
On the right, Nieppe and Steenwerk had to be evacuated. The German advance to the south of Armentières becoming more pronounced, the British straightened their front, to avoid too sharp a salient, and fell back to the Messines-Wytschaete Crest.
On the 12th the fighting continued furiously. Advancing along the Lille-Hazebrouck railway, the Germans reached the outskirts of Nieppe Forest. South-west of Merville they captured Calonne, and, further north, approached Bailleul.
North of the Lys, under pressure of Von Arnim's army, the Messines-Wytschaete Crest, with the wood and village of Ploegsteert, had to be abandoned. The British line was withdrawn to Neuve-Eglise and Wulverghem. In these few days the gains of the Allied offensive of the last five months of 1917 were lost.
The 13th marked the culminating point of the battle in the central sector. Foch made his dispositions promptly, and French reinforcements were despatched to the critical points.
Von Bernhardi crossed the Clarence at Robecq on the 13th. On the same day Von Gallwitz made a strong push northwards between Hazebrouck and Bailleul, with the object of outflanking the line of the Flanders Hills, already attacked on the east and north-east by the IVth Army (Von Arnim).
Battles were fought south of Meteren, at Merris, Vieux-Berquin and on the eastern outskirts of Nieppe Forest. To the east of Bailleul, Neuve-Eglise (an important cross-road) was fiercely disputed. After changing hands many times on the 14th, it was finally abandoned the same night.
The loss of Neuve-Eglise led to that of Wulverghem, and the British were forced to fall back to the eastern slopes of Kemmel Hill, the first high point in the chain of hills called the Heights or Hills of Flanders. From east to west this chain consists of Rouge Hill (flanked on the north-east by Scherpenberg), Vidaigne Hill, Noir Hill, Cats Hill, and lastly by the western bastion of Cassel.
After taking Neuve-Eglise on the night of the 14th, the Germans decided on a fresh and still more powerful effort.
Three picked divisions were hurled against the hills of Lille and Ravetsberg, to the east of Bailleul, which fell. The Germans entered Bailleul, pushing on thence to Meteren, which they also captured. The next day they tried to develop this success, but instead of the exhausted British, the Germans now found themselves faced by fresh French troops. In three days (April 12—14) Pétain had brought up without a hitch five French divisions and one cavalry corps, which stayed the German rush at the foot of the hills.
ROUGE HILL, SEEN FROM SCHERPENBERG HILL
On April 16 the Germans made their first attempt to turn the Flanders Hills from the south-west in the direction of Hazebrouck.
The French 133rd Infantry Division (Valentin), supported by the British 34th Division, vigorously repulsed the attack.
On the 17th a fresh and more powerful attack was made simultaneously from the north-east, towards Poperinghe, and from the south, on the Bailleul-Neuve-Eglise front.
At the same time an independent operation—which failed completely—was undertaken to the north of Ypres on the Belgian front. The Belgians repulsed the Germans and took 800 prisoners.
To the south three British divisions (34th, 49th, 19th) stayed the German advance.
A last effort, starting from Wytschaete, also broke down before the French 28th Infantry Division (Madelin).
THE GERMANS ATTACK THE CHAIN OF HILLS WHICH PROTECT YPRES
The Capture of Kemmel Hill
(April 22—28, 1918.)
A period of comparative calm followed, during which the Germans prepared a fresh mass attack, in view of the capture of the Hills.
For this new offensive five fresh divisions from Alsace-Lorraine were brought up, of which two—the IVth Bavarians and the Alpine Corps—were picked troops. These troops joined the four divisions already in the sector. The artillery was also considerably reinforced.
During this concentration small local attacks occurred on both sides.
On April 22 and 23 the Germans endeavoured to improve their positions north of Bailleul, but without appreciable result.
The French, on their part, sought by attacks and raids to impede the preparations for the coming assault.
At that time the firing line, from west to east, ran as follows: from Meteren (held by the Germans) it passed north of Bailleul, then crossed the crest of Lindenhoek at Dranoutre, east of Kemmel, and skirted Groote Vierstraat and St. Eloi on the east.
The five French divisions which defended the Hills occupied the following positions:
The 133rd before Cats Hill; the 34th Infantry (Sabatier) before Locre; the 154th Infantry (Breton) from Dranoutre to the Petit-Kemmel; the 28th Infantry (Madelin) before Kemmel Hill, its left linking up at Lindenhoek with the British 9th Infantry Division. The Cavalry Corps was held in reserve on the Hills.
At 2.30 a.m. on April 25 the attack began with a heavy bombardment, in which the proportion of gas shells was far greater than previously.
At about 6 a.m. the infantry assault began in a dense fog north and south of Kemmel Hill.
North of the Hills the "Sieger" divisions, marching west to east, had orders to capture Kemmel Village, and then, via the Valley of the Kemmelbeek, join up at Locre with the Eberhardt Divisions, which were attacking from north to south in the direction of Dranoutre.
On the left of the attacking front, the village of Kemmel was taken by the Germans, in spite of a heroic defence. Step by step the British 9th Division was driven back into Kemmelbeek valley and on Dickebusch Pond.
In the centre the enemy storm-troop waves, after several repulses, finally reached the summit of Kemmel Hill, where a fierce hand-to-hand encounter took place. In spite of their great heroism, the 30th Infantry Regiment, outnumbered and almost surrounded, was forced to abandon the position, but only after a dashing counter-attack by a battalion of the 99th Infantry had failed to extricate them. On the right, the German Alpine Corps, by a daring manœuvre, made possible by the fog and the broken nature of the ground, succeeded in reaching the artillery positions, which were at once attacked by machine-gun fire. The French and British batteries, under a storm of bullets, were obliged to retreat, saving what material they could and blowing up the rest.
The Germans thus reached the village of Locre, which changed hands several times during the day.
Finally, after a counter-attack, the 154th Infantry Division remained masters of the village, although the Germans succeeded in holding the "hospice" at the southern end.
The situation was now critical and the enemy advance had to be checked at all costs. On the night of the 25th the Allies were reinforced by the 39th Infantry Division (Massenet) at the very moment a fresh German offensive was being launched. The timely arrival of these troops effectually stayed the German thrust.
On the evening of the 26th, after much sanguinary fighting, the enemy paused, exhausted. The French took advantage of the respite to consolidate new positions.
The 27th was marked only by a violent attack on the extreme left at Voormezele, where the Germans succeeded in obtaining a footing, only to be driven out by a vigorous British counter-attack.
As a result of these various battles the new line was as follows: from Locre Château it ran south of Locre Village, followed Kemmelbeek Valley, passed in front of La Clytte Village, then south of Dickebusch Pond and Voormezele Village, joining up with Zillebeke on the south-east.
It was against this new front that the Germans were now preparing a new offensive.