There were many fine pieces of individual work, especially instances of Tanks helping each other under heavy fire, and there is little doubt that it was to this friendly co-operation, this towing of lame Tanks out of hot corners, the astonishingly low casualties in machines were partly due.
The despatch tells how the battle fared all along the line.
“Moving up and down behind the barrage, the Tanks either killed the enemy or forced him to take shelter in dug-outs, where he became an easy prey to the infantry. Hamel was taken by envelopment from the flanks and rear, the enemy was driven from Vaire Wood, and at the end of the day our troops had gained all their objectives and over 1500 prisoners.”
Our little success had been complete and triumphant.
No less than fifty-seven of the sixty fighting Tanks came through the day without a scratch, the infantry killed and wounded amounted to less than half the German prisoners who passed through our cages; and as we have seen, the battle between Tanks and machine-guns being à l’outrance, the proportion of Germans killed to those made prisoners had been unusually high.
As for the Tank crews, they suffered only thirteen men wounded. To our great satisfaction also, the five damaged machines were all salved, and thus the armament of the Mark V.’s could not be investigated by the enemy.
But at first almost the most striking characteristic of the victory seemed the perfect co-operation between Tanks and infantry.
The Tanks and the Australians were equally enthusiastic over one another’s performances. The Australians were surprised and delighted at the weight and solidity which the sixty Tanks had lent their impact, and at the sense of support and comradeship which their men had experienced.
The Tank Corps were equally impressed by the superb moral of the Australians,[66] “who never considered that the presence of Tanks exonerated them from fighting, and who took instant advantage of any opportunity created by the Tanks.”
A generous and lasting friendship had been established. The 5th Tank Brigade and their Australians were destined throughout their coming partnership to prove an almost invincible combination.