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Enterprise
The Great Push, August 8th- the Daylight Stunt-
-Happy Valley- Mont St Quentin-Tincourt
The Great Push, August the Eighth.
Termed by the enemy, "Germany's Black Day," the Eighth of August stands out in bold relief as the brightest in the Australian annals of the War.
It was at 3.30 (one hour before zero) that we assembled on our "jumping-off tape." We were all fresh and fit. The movement was carried out without the slightest hitch or hesitation.
With the arrival of zero hour (4.20 am) our artillery opened out with a deafening crash, to which the enemy artillery lost no time in responding.
We infantry started forward immediately accompanied by the huge prodigies of mechanism called tank, with which we now considered ourselves on terms of familiarity. Here we were together; those immense ungainly, uncanny monsters and ourselves, moving forward in unison through the early morning gloom, a gloom that was intensified by a dense heavy fog. This fog rendered observation almost impossible, and caused much difficulty in maintaining direction and keeping touch. But at the same time it had its advantages. It prevented the enemy from observing our movements.
The attack of our Battalion, which was Left Flank Battalion of the Australian Corps, was directed along the bank of the River Somme, on a frontage of 750 The 44th Battalion was on our South Flank, whilst the 41st Battalion was in support and the 43rd Battalion in reserve.
When the 42nd and 44th Battalions had reached a position 400 yards east of the Gailly-Warfusse Road, the 41st Battalion leap-frogged through the 44th Battalion and joined us in the advance.
We advanced to Cerisy-Gailly, where a bridge crossed the Somme and enabled us to link up with troops on North Bank, in fact, one company from the 9th Brigade was allotted to the 42nd Battalion, to advance on the North Bank of the Somme and so make contact with us at Cerisy-Gailly.
At Warfusse-Gailly, which was a small town where temporary buildings had been erected by the Germans, we found and captured a casualty clearing station or hospital.
The attack was pressed home according to plan. The enemy surrendered to us in large numbers and our first objective was reached by 7.30 a.m., and then the work of consolidation began.
Battalion Headquarters were established at Warfusse-Gailly at 8.30 a.m. The Battalion cookers were brought to this point and a hot breakfast was served to the men in the front line before 9 o'clock. This was considered a remarkable achievement, as never before had the cookers been so close to the front line in an attack.
So successful was our "breaking through" of the enemy's defences that the plan for the Fourth Division to leapfrog through our lines was carried out without a hitch. It was a magnificent sight to watch the troops, followed by artillery, travel over the ground we had just recently captured, and as we relaxed a little to get some of our breath back, we witnessed the advance and continuance of the general offensive.
A British Brigade on our Left Flank met with only partial success. This rendered our Left Flank exposed to enemy enfilade fire, which caused us many casualties.
But we had a great day. We took three hundred prisoners, captured three '77 guns, 25 machine-guns, 7 trench-mortars, and a large quantity of ammunition and stores, all at a cost of but few casualties. Our Battalion Headquarters were established in a locality which only a matter of seven hours previous had been well behind the enemy's front line.
The following day we rested in the position we then occupied, and on August 10th were ordered to take over from the 14th Battalion at Morcourt. The disposition of the 11th Brigade was as follows, the 41st Battalion on the right, 43rd on the left, with the 42nd in support and the 44th in reserve. The 11th Machine-gun Company with its sixteen guns along with the 11th Trench Mortars assisted each of the Battalions. We were now in the vicinity of Proyart.
It had been decided that the 10th Brigade would advance our line, but a flight of enemy bombing planes threw the 10th Brigade into confusion and its Commander was killed. This caused the 9th and 11th Brigades to be sent up in order to reinforce. During the following day all three brigades completed the operation by possessing themselves of the villages of Morcourt and Proyart, and the woods adjoining the River Somme.
During August 11th, arrangements were made for the 41st Battalion to attack and capture portion of the Amiens line, south of the Somme, which at that time was not held by us. The attack went well, but enemy machineguns remained active throughout. After a hard fight the whole line was captured. As the 41st Battalion moved to the attack, the 42nd advanced and took over the southern portion of the Brigade front, which that night was extended southwards. The 42nd was on the right, the 41st on the left, the 44th right support, and the 43rd lent support.
THE DAYLIGHT STUNT
The twelfth of August was the day on which we performed what has ever since been referred to as "The Daylight Stunt"
Commencing with daylight, the area was mopped up by 7.0 a.m. The 10th Brigade reported their patrols were east of Proyart. The 42nd and 43rd Battalions were ordered to establish themselves in assigned positions. The 42nd immediately sent out patrols and became engaged with the enemy, who was strongly holding St. Germains Wood. By a flanking movement, we captured that Wood along with something like sixty prisoners. For this attack we had no assistance from the artillery.
The general advance continued, but on account of the strong position encountered, our progress was slow, and this retardment was accentuated by the misunderstanding of a verbal message, whereby the operation of troops which should have supported us on the left, did not materialise until a later time than had been planned, and this, for a while, rendered our left flank exposed. Throughout all this fighting, enemy artillery fired heavily upon our newly acquired territory, mixing gas along with high explosive shells.
During the operation we were assisted by three platoons of the 44th Battalion which acted as carrying parties in the afternoon. Prisoners were brought in to the number of one hundred and ten. To have attacked such a position in broad daylight was to demand a very high standard of leadership as well as courage and efficiency on the part of all ranks.
Our men responded to the demands made upon them in every way, and the day's exploit resulted in a success, and this success was attributed to the irresistible dash and spirit of all concerned.
But at the same time, it has to be confessed, we suffered many casualties, quite fifty per cent of which were caused by enemy artillery fire, indicating that although the enemy had been allowed only extremely limited time in which to organise his artillery, our attack in broad daylight, without the aid of artillery, proved a costly undertaking.
Many of the enemy were seen in Long and Lug Woods, which gave the impression that he intended to counter-attack. In expectation of such a move, both our heavy and field artilleries were directed upon his concentration of troops, and this evidently prevented the development of any proposed counter-attack.
At mid-night we handed over to the Sherwood Foresters, and moved back to our old positions around CerisyGailly. The following few days were utilised in refitting and training. In this region, in such proximity to the River Somme, advantage was taken of every opportunity that afforded the luxury of a bathe and a swim.
It was on the 19th of the month that we moved across the Somme in order to execute some mopping-up work in an area that badly needed such attention.
A few days later we were at Reveille Farm, where Dame Nature staged a magnificent turn for us. Here we witnessed a most wonderful display of moonlight which turned the nocturnal hours into perfect daylight. But any flights into the realms of fancy which we might have been tempted to indulge in, were instantly dispelled when at 4.45 a.m. our barrage opened, bringing our minds back with a jerk to grim reality.
Three-quarters of an hour later we were moving forward again and advanced through our battery positions where the noise of the guns almost deafened us. The din from the massed artillery exceeded the limits of even the most powerful imagination.
As our companies arrived they took up positions in shell-holes recently vacated by the 33rd Battalion- Our Headquarters were established in tunnels, which only a short time prior had been occupied by the enemy.
The weather changed next day. It was intensely hot, and to add to our discomfort, the enemy drenched the wood we occupied, called Bois de Tailles, with phosgene and sneezing gas, with which were mixed quantities of high explosive shells.
Owing to troops on the left having retired from their objectives, our Battalion was immediately disposed for the north flank protection of the 11th Brigade. The objectives on the left were eventually regained on August 24th, on which day the village of Bray was taken by the 10th Brigade.
HAPPY VALLEY
Our advance still continued over the country which so recently had been in the enemy's hands. The locality over which our operations now spread is usually referred to as Happy Valley.
The nights of bright moonlight continued, and the weather remained warm, often unbearably hot, whilst at all times we were subjected to heavy shell fire, causing us to seek shelter and protection in shell-holes, wherein during daylight, we sometimes remained for long periods. When darkness fell, we dug in and consolidated our positions.
We were still closely following up the retreating enemy, who on August 26th, was observed vacating in disorder his position in Vaux Wood. His artillery however was very alert, so that any undue movement on our part resulted in immediate shelling in our vicinity. But the activity of his artillery subsided considerably towards evening.
At 7 p.m. we received orders to move forward through the 44th Battalion and take up a position in advance. These orders were subsequently altered, our C Company being used as reserve to the 41st Battalion, which made the advance, the other three companies were held in reserve. The Battalion was acting under command of the 44th Battalion during most of this operation.
PRAISE FOR THE COOKS
A word of praise might here be recorded for the work of the "Babbling Brooks" the term by which the cooks were always known throughout the Australian Army, for the manner in which they attended to the requirements of their comrades in the front line. Two, hot meals were taken forward daily during this stunt, by mess-orderlies who cheerfully carried out their duties
MONT ST. QUENTIN STUNT
Our Brigade was relieved by the 9th Brigade and on August 28th, we rested. Our equipment and organisation were checked and this naturally meant that some fresh activity was about to be launched. The expected order for a forward movement arrived soon after 9 a.m. on August 29th, then off we marched once more to trail the Hun. A few hours later we were occupying the Maricourt-Suzanne Valley, and for the time being, came under the command of the 9th Brigade. The reason for this was that the 35th Battalion (9th Brigade) had sustained so, many casualties that it had to be placed in reserve at Fargny Mill.
The 9th Brigade's line extended as far as Curlu, which at that time was the name for just a heap of brick-dust, though it was formerly a very flourishing village.
We were now entering that area which had been devastated by the enemy during the years of the earlier Somme battles. On August 30th, we took up a position in Hindley Wood, previously occupied by the 33rd Battalion. Here we remained until the early hours of the morning of the 31st, when at 3 a.m. our B Company moved up behind the 33rd Battalion, which had met with stubborn resistance on the part of the enemy.
So determined was the stand he made, that it was necessary for the Commanding Officer of the 33rd Battalion to call upon his reserve company (which was B company of the 42nd in order to gain his objective. Desperate hand to hand fighting took place in the maze of trenches with which the locality abounded.
Ample testimony of the fierce resistance put up by the enemy on this occasion was to be gained by the sight of the large numbers of dead Prussian Guards of the picked regiment called "The Kaiserin Augusta Grenadier Guards," whose bodies lay where they fell at their posts, due to the effects of our bombing and Lewis-gun and rifle fire. These Prussian Guards were fresh troops which had been hastily despatched to this front in an endeavour to stem the tide of success that was carrying us on to victory.
Our B Company went in with a strength of 63 all ranks, and at 3 p.m. it had a total of merely forty.
Three enemy planes dropped forty or more bombs in the vicinity of our bivouac, but beyond causing us to extinguish all lights and making us feel a bit breezy no damage was sustained.
The operations which took place on the first day of September are generally referred to as 'The Mont St. Quentin Stunt."
Late on the night of August 31st, a conference of Commanding Officers was held at the Headquarters of the 11th Brigade, which were situated in dugouts quite recently occupied by German troops. These along with a splendid engineering dump and general supplies of materials and artillery ammunition of all calibres, had fallen into our hands.
When the relief of the 9th Brigade was carried out, our B Company which had been in action with the 33rd Battalion was instructed by patrols to report back to Battalion Headquarters and rejoin the Battalion, which had now again become under command of our own, the 11th Brigade. This arrangement enabled B Company to get a good hot meal before the barrage opened.
The 42nd advanced to some sunken roads, with C Company on the north, D Company south, and A Company in support.
Our bombardment started at 5.30am. The attacking waves got off splendidly. The enemy had already received a terrible mauling at the hands of our B Company and the 33rd Battalion, and our intense barrage added to his discomfiture.
On catching sight of the 42nd men advancing, his demoralisation seemed to become complete. When we arrived, the enemy's troops were ready to give themselves up. With the exception of some few isolated instances, the surrenders were made hastily and with scarcely any attempt at defence. Prisoners totalling 300 were sent back from the 42nd and 41st positions one hour after the attack was launched. They were in appearance some of the finest types of German troops we had yet encountered.
Our artillery barrage died down in order to allow us to exploit our gain to the fullest extent, but when the guns ceased to fire it seemed that the morale of the enemy's troops stiffened as he managed to get a little of his breath back again. But we did not allow him much time for respiration or recuperation. It was not long before our Lewis gunners and riflemen played havoc with the hastily retiring enemy troops. We also utilised many of the captured German machine-guns, which we reversed and made them to fire upon their former owners.
INSTANCES OF ENEMY HEROISM AND ADAPTABILITY
It must not be thought for one moment that all the German troops were panic-stricken. There were, indeed, many instances of extreme bravery and devotion to duty on the part of sections of the enemy, some of which are worthy of being recorded, such, for instance, of two batteries of '77's, which gamely pulled out and retired, miraculously escaping the showers of bullets that followed them, and of two other gun-teams, equally brave but not so fortunate. No sooner were the latter observed galloping off, than they were dealt with by Lewis gunners of our right platoon and of the left platoon 41st Battalion, so that neither guns, horses nor drivers got any further.
At dusk, our relief by the 12th Somerset Regiment was commenced, and completed by 1.30 a.m.
When our companies returned to Battalion Headquarters, they were met by the cooks, along with their travelling cookers, and we were provided with a big substantial meal.
We bivouacked that night in dugouts in a valley, which in spite of its proximity to the scene of carnage, looked very beautiful under the crystal clear starlight. The air, too, was decidedly crisp and chilly, being in marked contrast to the continuous hot, balmy weather we had recently experienced.
MEDICAL OFFICER ORDERLIES, STRETCHER-BEARERS
During the day's operations the doctor and his orderlies were, as usual, unceasing in their labours.
Our medical officer, Doctor, M.O., or Quack, whatever one liked to designate him, along with a detachment of orderlies was supplied by the 11th Field Ambulance so that a doctor and his staff was with the Battalion at all times whether in or out of the line. The general practice was for the Battalion stretcher-bearers to bring in the wounded on stretchers, excepting in the cases of those who were termed "walking wounded." All cases were dealt with at the "Forward Dressing Station," or First Aid Post," and given immediate attention. They were then sent on by ambulance to the nearest Casualty Clearing Station from which the worst cases were sent to the base hospitals, by Red Cross Train, and sometimes to England. In the last instance, the wound which caused evacuation to England, was termed "A Blighty" which was our nickname for England.
As for the attention given to our wounded prisoners this was without exception equal to that given to our own men, for once a wounded man was taken prisoner, he immediately became an object for compassion, and there were few 42nd Battalion men who did not, under such conditions, share their cigarettes and rations with those who were their recent enemies.
ASSISTANCE FROM PRISONERS
The prisoners, too, deserve to be given credit for humanitarian work, for although forcibly enrolled, they carried out their duties as stretcher-bearers with willingness and alacrity.
The Aid Post, on this day, was established in a dugout situated a fair distance back, but the inconvenience of a long carry was overcome by making use of very big German ex-Guardsmen, who carried out the duties of stretcher-bearers under the surveillance of one of our own.
The new hands worked admirably, were quite docile and gave the impression that they liked their job. And so, by this means, our wounded, and the enemy's too, were speedily evacuated from the front line.
The Battalion marched off at 9 o'clock on the morning of September 2nd, and advanced due west from Clery, along the road to Curlu, on the outskirts of which we bivouacked.
The price we paid for the Mont St. Quentin Stunt was: Killed, 4 officers and 13 other ranks. Wounded: 2 officers and 48 other ranks, and two others missing.
Our gains comprised: 160 prisoners, 36 machine-guns, 3 howitzers, and ten .5 centimetre guns.
WE KEEP THE ENEMY ON THE RUN
After such strenuous times as we had experienced, it was only to be expected that we should have been utterly exhausted, and that is exactly the state we were in when the sun rose on September 4th. If there be any truth in the old saying, "There is no rest for the wicked," then the 42nd Battalion must have been a particularly bad lot, for at 11 o'clock that night instructions were received that we must prepare to move off at an hour's notice. The reason of this was that "the uninvited German visitors to France" had been observed packing up their luggage, evidently with the intention of making a hurried departure, and to the 42nd had fallen the duty of seeing those "unwelcome guests" well and securely "off the premises," and to make things so generally unpleasant for them as to give them no inducement whatsoever to alter their minds.
Accordingly, on September 5th we received orders to move to a position east of Mont St. Quentin. The route we took was along the Clery-sur-Somme Road, thence along the Mont St. Quentin Road.
THE TINCOURT STUNT
We had attached to us on this occasion, the Third Divisional Pioneer Battalion, which was allotted positions with us in the assembly line. Owing to the heat of the day and the dusty roads which were crowded with all kinds of military traffic, we found the approach march a particularly trying one. Our companies were all in position by 6 p.m. when we were given a hot meal.
Zero hour was midnight, and at 4 am on September 6th all companies reported having reached their objectives, and were in touch with each other. On the right, however, our B Company and D Company of the Pioneers had met with strong resistance at Cartigny. Artillery fire was at length effective in dislodging the enemy.
On the left our D Company was unable to get in touch with the 231st Brigade, and was compelled to establish a defensive flank. It was an extremely difficult matter to keep touch on account of the intense darkness, but at no time was it lost between our companies, Use was made of patrols of the Australian Light Horse which was valuable as a protective measure.
Our advance continued with unabated energy although at times strenuous and stubborn resistance was encountered.
Enemy artillery of all calibres was active. His machine-gun positions were numerous, and it took some hard fighting to dislodge them. On the right flank, our men on reaching the crest of the ridge were subjected to some heavy fire from a whiz-bang battery on the opposite slope. Our artillery got on to these guns and dispersed them, but we were still harassed by enemy machine-gun fire.
Our advance was temporarily held up on account of being unable to locate troops which should have been supporting us on the right flank, also by the condition of the men, who after days and days of ceaseless activity were in a state of great fatigue.
On the left, our C and D Companies had already gained Buire Wood, but owing to heavy shelling and machine-gun fire, could not carry their advance any further.
At mid-day it was decided to put down a barrage to assist the advance, and this enabled our left companies to reach their objectives by 6 o'clock p.m., but B Company and the Pioneers on the right did not carry their advance any further.
During the morning's operations troops on the left advanced under a barrage which overlapped our boundary by about 500 yards. This caused us to move over to the right, which had the effect of squeezing out one of our companies, rendering it practically a support company. This was unfortunate as C Company had made good Buire Wood, and upon going through it again, was subjected to severe fire from artillery and machine-guns. It was a remarkable position which the Company Commanders concerned handled well.
The strong opposition encountered by our left flank companies came from the direction of Tincourt, and later, when the ground had been captured by us, an enemy strong-post was discovered there. It consisted of two machine-gun positions, and scattered around each were three to four thousand empty machine-gun cartridge cases, which gave ample evidence of the extraordinary speed with which those bullets must have been showered upon us.
In every instance when the enemy retired he relentlessly set fire to all huts and buildings. This served him a double purpose. Firstly, the destruction of property, and secondly, to provide him with a very effective smoke screen to cover his retirement.
About midnight we were relieved by the 44th Battalion on the right and the 41st Battalion on the left. We then moved to a reserve position.
At noon, on September 7th, we moved forward two miles in support of the advancing vanguard, which this evening reached Roisel and Bernes. On the following morning, at 9 a.m., after having been relieved by the 1st Australian Brigade, we moved to a place called Doingt.
DOINGT
Not one expression of regret was heard about our being relieved. And little wonder. We had been employed in an unceasing, continuous series of operations which had depleted our ranks and left those remaining in a state of utter exhaustion.
Here, at Doingt, from the 9th to the 27th September we spent the time undergoing the regular out-of-the-line training, gradually recovering some of our lost strength. On various days we showed our prowess at football and cricket, and on the 21st took part in a sports gathering at which every unit of the 11th Brigade was represented. At nights quite a diversity of entertainment was provided for our enjoyment.
ENTERTAINMENTS AT NIGHT
The Coo-ees, the Third Divisional Concert Party, turned up with full orchestra and a galaxy of talent. They gave us good shows every night. And then we had our own 11th Brigade Concert Party called -The Blue Gums," who also enlivened the time for us. We might he pardoned for being a little biased in favour of the Brigade "Pierrots" as they were called, on account of several 42nd men being among the entertainers.
Our Battalion was by no means lacking in musical talent, for we also supplied the "Coo-ees" with some very capable artists and musicians.
But, without doubt, of most especial interest to us were the performances put over by our enemy ---Fritz. Nightly we waited with awesome expectation to' listen to his crooning of "The Gotha's Hum."
Scarcely a night passed without the warning signal being heard to "put out those ******* lights. Thrills of pleasure, mingled with excitement, filled our souls- as we watched our searchlights seeking out those birds of ill omen, high away up in the clouds. Immediately one was located, a concentration of dazzling beams surrounded it, making it appear like a gigantic silver moth. Strings of illuminated tracer bullets were directed towards it from innumerable Lewis and anti-aircraft guns, to sky nothing of an occasional pot shot from one of our own Battalion snipers. We sometimes had the satisfaction of seeing one brought down in flames, but those instances were not nearly so frequent as we should have liked.
They caused little harm to our camp. Peronne seemed to be their objective, still there were very few of us who could truthfully admit they "never got the wind up".
Thus recuperating, like some great fighting animal, licking its wounds after a fierce encounter, the 42nd Battalion lay quietly at Doingt, regaining its strength day by day.
