But surely some way out could be found by which the Australians’ own Brigade of Tanks should not be thus cruelly dismembered?
And the authorities, with positively avuncular benevolence—after a little humming and hahing—were actually induced to make another arrangement; as the friends firmly believed, solely upon their representations. There were, however, other more military considerations.
The attack was still to be under Brigadier-General Courage, but an extra Battalion, the 9th, should be added to the Brigade for the occasion.
This apparently whimsical outcry of the new-found affinities, and the yielding of the authorities, were to be justified thrice over in the events of the next few months.
For at this early period a little thing might upset the forging of a weapon which was to prove the two-edged sword with which we were to “smite Amalek hip and thigh.”
As soon as it had been decided that the 9th Battalion was to go, preparations were at once begun.
The French plans were already well advanced before the Tanks came upon the scene at all. The attacking troops had indeed been in the area since April, but the Tanks felt that they would be eternally disgraced if they were obliged so much as to hint that they would like even a day’s postponement of this, their first battle with the French.
Indeed in this battle we see the first instance of the wonderful “speeding up” which the Allied Army underwent almost as soon as the joint command was concentrated in the hands of Marshal Foch.
An officer who was present throughout the battle and its preliminaries writes:
“On a certain Wednesday General Elles and General Courage had an interview at 3 p.m. with the 4th Army Commander and were consulted as to the project.