"The enemy has in his minor enterprises again taken prisoner a complete front line battalion and part of a support battalion. The reason is our faulty leadership."
"The enemy penetrated the forward zone of the 108th Division by means of large patrols at midnight, on July 8th, 1918, without any artillery preparation, and again on the same night at 11 p.m., with artillery preparation, astride of the Marcelcave—Villers-Bretonneux railway. He occupied the trenches where our most advanced outposts lay, and took the occupants, comprising fifteen men, prisoner. The larger part of the forward zone has been lost."
"In the case of the present trench Division, it has often happened that complete picquets have disappeared from the forward zone without a trace."
All the above refers to the period between July 4th and 12th. We read again under date July 13th:
"During the last few days the Australians have succeeded in penetrating, or taking prisoner, single posts or picquets. They have gradually—sometimes even in daylight—succeeded in getting possession of the majority of the forward zone of a whole Division."
"Troops must fight. They must not give way at every opportunity and seek to avoid fighting, otherwise they will get the feeling that the enemy are superior to them."
Railway Gun, 11.2-inch Bore—captured near Rosières on August 8th, 1918.
German Depot of Stores—captured on August 8th, 1918.
One last extract from these interesting papers: