The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line—Arrival of the Divisional Machine Gun Company—Actions at Neuville and Ruyaulcourt, at Metz-en-Couture, at Trescault and at Bilhem—The Division in the line facing Quéant under IVth Corps of Fifth Army.
At dawn on the 17th of March the German retreat on the 20th Divisional front began. The enemy withdrew from his positions very rapidly and with great secrecy. On the 14th the Guards on the right had occupied the western edge of St Pierre Vaast Wood and the south-east end of Saillisel; on the 15th they had advanced to the east side of the wood; patrols of the 20th Division, however, found the enemy still holding his front line up to 5 A.M. on the 17th. The Australians on the left then reported that they had advanced; immediately patrols were sent out again, in broad daylight, up to the German line. This time they found it unoccupied.
The enemy was at once followed up. Along the whole British line from Monchy au Bois, ten miles south-west of Arras, to the right an important advance was made. The French took Roye, meeting with little opposition. British troops on the right of our line entered Chaulnes; XIVth Corps occupied the Le Transloy trench system, and troops of the Fifth Army were in Bapaume. The 20th Division established a line of outposts 600 yards east of the Peronne-Bapaume road and parallel to it, including the town of Le Transloy; on the right the Guards were east of St Pierre Vaast Wood; on the left the Australians were in Beaulencourt and Villers au Flos.
Throughout the ensuing operations advanced guards followed up the enemy and drove in his rearguards. When halted they formed an outpost line, keeping touch with the enemy by patrols. As soon as sufficient ground had been gained in this way the main bodies moved forward to form a new main line of resistance, co-ordinated with those of the flank divisions. The advanced guards then made good a further tract of country to the front.
In order that the rapid retirement of the enemy might be closely followed up, it was necessary to push signal communications through the shelled area with all possible speed. This was most successfully performed by the Divisional Signal Company, which, as soon as Rocquigny was occupied, laid a 12-wire open route across “No man’s land.”
When the forward movement began the 96th Field Company, the 11th D.L.I., the 10th R.B., and the 7th K.O.Y.L.I. were detached for work on roads and railways under the orders of the Corps. They returned to the Division between the 24th and 29th of March.
By the evening of the 18th, Nesle, Péronne, Moislains, Rocquigny, Bapaume and Ervillers were in our hands, and the French were advancing with their left directed on Ham. The outpost line of the Division ran from 500 yards west of Le Mesnil, past the east of Rocquigny to Lubda Copse, 500 yards south of Villers au Flos, with cavalry in touch with the enemy rearguards further east. Divisional Headquarters moved up on this day to Guillemont, and the 61st Brigade relieved the 59th on the left of the line.
On the 19th the 5th Australian Division entered Haplincourt. The outposts of the 20th Division were established on the line Le Mesnil-Rocquigny-Barastre, which was occupied on the 21st as the main line of resistance. The Corps Cavalry Regiment held Lechelle and Bus, and the following day occupied Bertincourt.
Once they had crossed a line running south-east from Le Transloy the troops had left the shelled area behind them; movement then became easier, as the roads were as a rule good and the ground had been little damaged. The enemy however had burned the villages, blown craters at cross-roads, set booby traps, and generally done everything he could to hinder the advance. One of these traps with a charge of about 50 bombs and a slab of ammonal was discovered by the headquarters of the 61st Brigade in some cellars at Le Transloy, and several others were found both there and at Rocquigny, but they were all destroyed. Troops entered all buildings with great care, and suffered no casualties from devices of this kind. Many of the dug-outs had been blown in or gassed, but enough were left to give shelter for most of the troops. At Rocquigny it was found that the village crucifix, which had been plainly visible from our original line, had been used by the Germans as an observation post.