CHAPTER IX
OPENING OF THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE
(March 21—April 9, 1918)
Before dawn on March 21, 1918, a terrific bombardment along more than fifty miles of the British front, from east of Arras to south of St. Quentin, heralded the opening of the mightiest attack in the history of warfare. More than one hundred divisions—including many transferred from the Russian front—highly trained for the special purpose for which they were to be used, were suddenly launched against less than fifty. The German storm-troops were concentrated in depth on narrow fronts opposite what were judged to be the most vulnerable points in the British line; fresh troops passing through those of the exhausted or shattered divisions that had been used to break open the gaps. Before they could be brought to a standstill still further troops, with hordes of machine-guns, moved forward through the wreckage of the others, forcing their way to the flanks and even to the rear of the British positions. The greater the number shot down the more they seemed to multiply. The enemy was staking everything upon the success of this gigantic onslaught, and he was fighting with a courage, skill, determination, and confidence in numbers which would mean the triumph of Barbarism unless met by still greater resolution and endurance. Forced back by the weight of numbers, the Fifth Army, under General Sir H. de la P. Gough, on the right of the area attacked, and to a lesser extent the Third Army, under General Sir J. H. G. Byng, on the left, withdrew step by step, fighting desperately to stem the overwhelming onslaught, and again fell back still farther as their flanks and rear were enveloped. Village after village, town after town, recovered for France at a heavy price in the earlier British offensives, fell once more into the hands of the enemy; thousands of prisoners, many guns, and great quantities of material were lost.
Divisions in reserve were hurriedly brought forward to block the gaps, and to stem the onrush or check its pace. A certain amount of confusion was unavoidable. The enemy once more seemed to have established control over the weather, the ground remaining firm and dry and a mist screening his movements. At times it was impossible to carry out orders literally, as between their issue and receipt the situation had changed entirely, and defensive positions which brigades or battalions of the relieving divisions had been ordered to take up, were found to be in the occupation of the enemy.
March 23, 1918
On the morning of the 23rd March the infantry brigades of the 42nd Division, packed into many hundreds of motor-busses and lorries, pressed southwards through St. Pol to Doullens, and then turned north-east along the Arras road to Beaumetz-les-Loges, where they turned south-east in the direction of Ayette, a village more than eight miles south of Arras and nearly eight miles north-west of Bapaume. At this stage of the journey they were met by straggling groups of refugees, women, children, and old men, hastening with the more portable of their poor possessions out of the reach of Hun savagery and rapacity. Some of these homeless wanderers appeared haggard and despairing; some numbed and hopeless; others simply bewildered. It was a pitiful and pathetic sight, which aroused feelings of mingled pity and anger, and intensified the Lancashire men’s longing to get to close quarters with the oppressor. They were to have their wish. Those who had joined the Division since August 1915 found the few remaining days of March more crammed with incident and fighting than the whole of their previous careers.
As they drew nearer to their destination progress became more and more difficult, the roads being packed with troops moving in the same direction; and with an increasing stream of traffic retiring before the enemy’s advance. The Divisional Commander and G.S.O. 1. (Lieut.-Colonel R. F. Guy, D.S.O.) had gone on some hours in advance of the Division to reconnoitre, glean information, and attempt to unravel the tangled skein of conflicting reports. At 5 p.m. on March 23, D.H.Q. was established at Adinfer, about two miles north-east of Ayette. The 125th and 126th Brigades debussed at 7 p.m. and proceeded to Adinfer Wood to bivouac. In the wood were many green woodpeckers, which greeted the men with their jeering cry. “Aye, you can ⸺ well laugh!” growled a Salford man, for the night spent in this wood was not a cheerful or restful one. There was a keen frost, and as fires were forbidden, most of the men tried to find warmth by walking up and down during the night. Before midnight the 127th Brigade debussed on the Ayette—Douchy road and took up an outpost position, facing south-east, with two battalions in the outpost line on the Ablainzevelle—Moyenneville Ridge, a few miles south-east of Adinfer, with Brigade H.Q. at Courcelles Aerodrome. Owing to the congested state of the roads the transport was unable to rejoin the Division until the night of the 25th. The Division was therefore without horses or wagons; there were no telephones and no mounted messengers. The Divisional Commander succeeded in borrowing horses from the 40th Division for the many reconnaissances made prior to taking over command of the sector. But great as the difficulties were, they were many times greater when it came to actual command in battle.
The situation was obscure, changing as it did from hour to hour. As the enemy thrust forward, gaining here and there, by weight of numbers, a position of tactical importance threatening a flank, plans must be hurriedly re-cast and movements diverted or stopped. At 2 p.m. on March 24 orders were received from the Corps Commander, Lieut.-General Haldane, for the relief of the 40th Division by the 42nd that night on the right sector of the 6th Corps front. The Divisional Commander went round the 40th Division’s advanced lines, and at 2 p.m., in the 40th D.H.Q. two miles east of Bucquoy, he issued orders to his Brigadiers. The 125th and 126th Brigades were moved up to Logeast Wood to facilitate the relief, and Divisional H.Q. was moved to Monchy-au-Bois. At 6 p.m. notification was received that the 40th Division would leave outposts in front of a line east of the Arras—Bapaume road, running north and south through the villages of Ervillers, Behagnies, and Sapignies, a few miles north of Bapaume, which was now in the enemy’s hands, and these would be withdrawn when the 42nd were in position. The 125th Brigade was ordered to take over the right sub-sector and the 127th the left, the 126th being in Divisional Reserve. A Special Order of the Day was issued by Major-General Solly-Flood—