Military History Tours Australia On Tour - Our Other Anzac Day 25 April 2008
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Finally on the night of 25 April 2008 we on the Our Other Anzac Day tour have been able to climb into our beds to end what was a most memorable day. As we do we can reflect on that day 90 years ago when our soldiers may have been resting themselves after that tremendous feat of arms as they had driven the Germans out of Villers-Bretonneux and thereby saved Amiens.
Our day had started 90 years and 3 hours after theirs had as we wended our way up to the Australian Memorial where so many of the soldiers lie at rest. It was bitterly cold and in the evening it had been snowing lightly but not enough to leave a white sheet behind. The crowd started to arrive at 03:00 and our people were ushered into their reserved seating. It was a very orderly entry into this hallowed place by the 3,000 – 5,000 Australian and local French who ventured to the Memorial. They were all very happy that they had made the effort to be here.
The site was a picture. There was subdued lighting within the tunnel and small stairs at the entrance. Lights shone on those special names, the trees had lights shining up into them and there were special lights centred on the cross of remembrance and the Villers-Bretonneux Cross that had finally been brought back to the area of its birth. The atmosphere was subdued as we filed into our respective seating. Even though we had a 2 hour wait before the proceedings were to commence, in the very cold pre-dawn, there was an element of excitement that we were here at the first ever Anzac Day Dawn Service at Villers-Bretonneux. The only noises at the site were the flutter of the flags and rope;and the hum as the people present talked amongst themselves. There was no loud music or other entertainment and for that reason the solemnity was retained. The government had prepared the site very well for this special event.
The Cadets from Newcastle Grammar started the ceremony as part of the “Spirit of the Place” where as details of the battle were relayed by Major General Paul Stevens, the Cadets in First World War Uniforms adorned with the colour patches of the battalions who fought there; and carrying the .303 rifle that had been carried into battle marched to the front.
That prelude set the tone for a sombre reflective service. It was the most moving service that I have attended on any previous Dawn. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs the Honourable Alan Griffin MP gave the keynote address that was appreciated by all those present.
Following the service and those moments amongst the graves of the fallen we proceeded to the Victoria School in Villers-Bretonneux for breakfast with the school children and parents. There were close to 1,000 of us at that breakfast and the atmosphere was charged indeed. Many books and photos were presented to the School as was the €4,000 donated by our tour members.
At 10:30 the Anzac Day March formed up outside the School, led by 3 horses ridden by Light Horse re-enactors, the Cadets, our uniformed detachment , the Somme Pipe Band and followed by a very happy 2,000 strong contingent of tourists and locals. The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs took the salute at the march past and then addressed the crowd after a welcome speech by the Mayor.
What a wonderful day.
Colonel Graham Fleeton
Simply click on the image to view video highlights (10 minutes) of the Villers-Bretonneux ceremony (Windows Media Player Required).
Courtesy the ABC
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March 1918 was an interesting time. In late 1917 (24 October to 9 November 1917), the Italian army had suffered a major reversal at Caporetto; a battle where a young German Lieutenant Erwin Romel showed his tactical brilliance. On the 3 December 1917 a conference between a Russian delegation, headed by Leon Trotsky and German and Austrian representatives began at Brest-Litovsk. By employing delaying tactics Trotsky hoped that socialist revolutions would spread from Russia to Germany and Austria-Hungary before he had to sign the treaty. After nine weeks of discussions without agreement, the German Army was ordered to resume its advance into Russia. On 3rd March 1918, with German troops moving towards Petrograd, Vladimir Lenin ordered Trotsky to accept the German terms.
Emboldened with these successes in the East and South, Ludendorf the German commander judged it was time to throw the dice in the West in a manner that would win the war for Germany before the manpower and industrial strength of the United States could balance the German advantage. Operation Michael was conceived.
Technology had played a great part in the Great War. This conflict was the first one where mass application of new technology: rapid firing weapons; smokeless powder; and barbed wire meant an overwhelming advantage for defender over attacker. An advantage so great that further innovation was necessary to break the deadlock.
Breakthrough technologies gradually appeared. The Tank was initially developed by free thinkers away from the front fostered by the maverick soldier/politician Winston Churchill. Poison gas by those who ensured they stayed far enough away from the front that they would never experience the monstrosity they were responsible for. And in 1917, a group of German junior officers developed “storm trooper” tactics. These involved infantry with body armour moving in small groups using the covering fire from one group to distract machine-gunners whilst another moved. Obstacles such as wire were also breached in a similar manner, obstacles are only effective if the opposing force can be engaged with direct aimed (machine-gun etc) fire as they attempt to negotiate the blockage. With wire, the cutting team has to be covered by other groups bringing direct aimed rapid fire on the machine-gunners using the close cooperation only possible when groups are in visual contact.
At 04:40 on 21 March 1918, the Germans attacked. They used all of the breakthrough methods: gas; tanks; storm troop tactics and advanced in overwhelming force, 76 German divisions against 26 in the British sector. These German forces were crack and experienced. After years of unsuccessful attacks and horrendous losses, the British forces were wasted. The regular forces that went to France in 1914 were gone. Most of the front line troops were boys, those with experience dead or back in Britain with the 175,000 men held back for political reasons (concern with good reason by the British cabinet that the high command in France was wasting resources on futile tasks, using the excuse that they would be required in the event of an invasion). The units had also been reduced in size; the Government ordered reorganisation of the British Expeditionary Force to offset manpower shortages. Divisions were reduced from twelve battalions to nine, effectively wiping 145 battalions from the order of battle. The British had also developed a new tactic “defence in depth”. This involved forward positions being spaced, to encourage advancing troops into “killing areas”. This sounds very good in theory, and in practice has worked well when the outposts are comprehensively manned by seasoned troops. In March 1918 there were not the numbers for comprehensive manning, and the troops were not seasoned. The advancing Germans were able to quickly destroy, or cut-off the outposts and approach main lines of defence that had been depleted by the forward deployments. The British front collapsed.
Forces from the far flung reaches of Britain’s “Empire” were more seasoned. It took longer to get troops from New Zealand and Canada to France than it did from across the channel, and there was no reason to hold back. With Australian troops the situation was further enhanced by the fact that there was no conscription for overseas service, the Australian troops were thus, though small in numbers, the most experienced of the allied armies. These troops were soon stemming the German advance.
By early April 1918 Australian and New Zealand troops held most of the Somme front. In the north Hebuterne was held by a brigade the Australian 4th Division and the New Zealand Division, further south was Monash’s 3rd Division, then two Brigades of the 5th Division commended by Brigadiers General Elliot and Glasgow. The Australian line extended from Albert in the North southward to the River Lance a few kilometres south of the town of Villers-Bretonneux.
The Australians blunted heavy German attacks across the front in early April.
On 16 and 17 April the Germans landed tens of thousands of mustard and phosgene gas shells of the town of Villers-Bretonneux and surrounding defences, something was afoot. The front was reorganised, and fresh British troops were sent in to defend the town, III Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Richard Butler.
HE (Pompey) Elliot’s 15th Brigade had been moved into reserve near Corbie to the north of Villers-Bretonneux. Elliot was not impressed with the boy soldiers of the British 8th Division now entrusted with its defence, and was hatching a plan to counter attack should the town be lost.
General Elliot’s plan was brilliant, a double envelopment by his 15th, and Glasgow’s 13th brigades to trap and destroy the attacking forces. It also used the Light Horse in aggressive ground reconnaissance in the way we would now use SAS.
Villers Bretonneux was vital to the German Army’s plan. From the plateaux on which the village stood Amiens, the most important supply and transportation centre on the British front could be shelled. At 04:45 on 24 April the Germans attacked. The assault was led by German Tanks, huge lumbering monsters with a crew of 16; it fell upon the 8th Division who were soon driven from the town formed a defensive line 2 kilometres to the west. Near Cachy, a Royal Tank Regiment patrol, two females and a male MK Vs commanded by Captain E Mitchell MC were moving up to assist the beleaguered infantry. “Opening a loophole, I looked out. There some three hundred metres away, a round squat looking monster was advancing; behind it came waves of infantry, and farther away to the left and right crawled two more of these armed tortoises. … For the first time in history tank was encountering tank!” (Tank Warfare, E Mitchell MC). The Panzers fought well, destroying the two females, the male, however, with its six pounders was victorious (female tanks were armed with Vickers machine-guns only).
Elliot proposed to counter attack at 10:00 on 24th, however, the GOC III Corps considered the 8th Division was fully capable of restoring the situation Elliot did not believe this at all. He placed the troop of the 13th Light Horse under Lieutenant LV Reid that was to be used as flank guard for the counter attack under the command of Lieutenant Colonel CV Watson, the “special intelligence officer”. A report centre was set-up close to the front line from where patrols were despatched “to keep in touch with our own infantry and report changes to the front”. The patrols after many skirmishes came back with valuable information, as night fell Brigadier General Elliott knew exactly the disposition of the forces friendly and enemy.
In contrast in the late afternoon Major General Heneker GOC of the 8th Division telephoned corps headquarters stating that he could not organise a counter attack because “we don’t know where we or and where the enemy is” (reputed to be his words). Eventually Elliot prevailed; two Australian brigades were to be placed nominally under the command of the 8th Div. The plan was for Elliot’s 15th Brigade to attack on the northern side of the town, pushing east then turning south. Glasgow’s 13th Brigade would attack south of the town, then move north to link up with the 15th and envelop the Germans.
General Glasgow also made certain he knew exactly the location of the troops on his front. He was not impressed with the level of knowledge when he was “briefed” at 8 Div HQ, so he simply went to the front line himself and found out. There were then disputes between General’s Heneker and Glasgow as to the start line and timing. Heneker stated that the attack would start from Cachy at 20:00 because “the corps commander wanted it that way”. Glasgow convinced that a daylight attack would fail prevailed; the attack went in at 22:00 from a line between Cachy and Villers Bretonneux.
The fighting in the darkness was bitter there were Dantean scenes as Lieutenant Sadlier (awarded the VC for his efforts) and Sergeant Stokes (awarded the DCM for his efforts) with a bag of bombs led their platoon against machine-gun nests bright streams of tracer, crump of bombs, screams and shouts. By early morning the village was enveloped and the position of the defenders made untenable. The attackers, however, had not fully encircled the defence. At this point the Light Horse resumed their SAS role patrolling the gap to trap the Germans.
Brigadier General Brogan, commanding a brigade in the 8th Division witnessed the attack, he wrote of the it in 1936. He said: “Villers Bretonneux will ever be remembered for perhaps the greatest feat of the war – a successful attack by night over unknown and difficult ground by Australian soldiers.”
Selected Bibliography:
F Mitchell MC, Tanks and Men, London C1929
Douglas J Hunter, My Corps Cavalry, Melbourne 1999
Les Carlyon, The Great War, Sydney 2006
PR Carey, The German Offensive on the Somme – 1918, RUSI of NSW Journal 2008
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Unless otherwise noted battle and battlefield descriptions are prepared jointly by the Military History Tours Historians, as are the photographs.
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