[87]“The operations about to be undertaken by the 4th Army aimed at the capture of the Hindenburg Outpost Line in order (1) to secure direct observation over the main Hindenburg Line, and (2) to allow our artillery positions to be advanced in preparation for the assault on the main positions.”
The area attacked had a front of about fourteen miles, thus a Battalion of twenty Tanks could merely be employed against certain known strong points.
Eight Tanks were allotted to the 3rd Corps on the left, eight Tanks in the centre were to work with the 1st and 4th Divisions of the Australian Corps.
On the 9th Corps sector on the right, four Tanks were allotted to the 6th Division.
The night had been fine, but when zero hour came (5.20) it was raining heavily, and all day the weather was dull and cloudy, visibility being often bad enough to make the Tank Commanders glad of their compasses.
[88]“The company operating with the 3rd Corps had for their two main objectives the villages of Epehy and Ronssoy. The former place was taken with no great resistance, the enemy surrendering in numbers on the appearance of the Tanks. Ronssoy was more stoutly defended; here machine-gun fire with armour-piercing bullets was very heavy, and anti-Tank rifles were also freely used. Two Tanks had for their objective the very strong organisation of trenches and fortified cottages known as the Quadrilateral, which formed the key to the German Defensive System between Fresnoy and Selency.”
During the attack two Tanks belonging to “C” Company fought an extremely gallant action.
[89]“Fresnoy was the line of the first objective, but in going forward, the infantry came under heavy machine-gun fire from the Quadrilateral on their right flank. Both officers, unseen by one another in the mist and smoke, headed their Tanks straight for the thickest of the fire. Second Lieutenant G. F. Smallwood arrived first and encountered terrific resistance, with which he was successfully dealing when his Tank became ditched while crossing a sunken road, all guns but one being covered. It was impossible to use the unditching beam owing to the intense fire from short range. At this moment Second Lieutenant W. R. Hedges, driving his own Tank, as the driver had been killed and the second driver badly wounded, appeared from the mist heading for the Quadrilateral with all guns firing. Captain Hamlet, the Section Commander, was also inside this Tank. Just as Second Lieutenant Hedges was appearing to get the upper hand of the enemy his Tank burst into flames. Desperate efforts were apparently made to put these out, but after five minutes Captain Hamlet and the crew jumped out of the Tank on the right-hand side straight into the arms of the Huns, who had surrounded the Tank. Second Lieutenant Hedges, however, sprang out from the other side and darted through them though subject to a heavy fire. Though hit two or three times he reached the shelter of the sunken road about fifty yards from Second Lieutenant Smallwood’s Tank. The latter left the Tank and brought Second Lieutenant Hedges back with him. Heavy shelling all round the Tank compelled its evacuation, and Second Lieutenant Smallwood and crew took up a position with their machine-guns and successfully held off the enemy. Later on, the infantry, who had been held up some 200 yards behind, were able to come up and take over the post. Meanwhile Second Lieutenant Hedges had been sent to a Dressing Station, but he never arrived there. This very gallant officer’s fate is still unknown.”
On the 9th Corps front progress was slow, but by the end of the day we held Ronssoy and Hargicourt.
A good idea is given of the minor mechanical difficulties of this part of the campaign in the 2nd Battalion History: