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Файл:The Great War. Part III
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THE GREAT WAR
civilians, Lloyd George and Clemenceau, rallied the home fronts of
the two weary nations which had borne the brunt of the war.
It will be remembered from the last volume that in the fi rst half
of 1918 the sun of victory had never once in Western Europe rested
upon the standards of the Allies save in Italy, where the Austrians
had been defeated upon the Piave. June 17 was in truth the turning-point of the war, for from that date everything went well with
the forces of freedom. The change in the West came later, however,
than in Italy, and on July 16 the Germans attempted a new advance
upon the largest scale, which seemed to have some small success at
fi rst though it was in truth the starting-point of all their misfortunes. Their previous advances had brought them forward on the
line from Montdidier to Rheims, and now they enlarged their front
by 25 miles on the eastern side of Rheims, while their attack also
covered about the same distance to the west of that city, making
some progress in this latter sector, which led them down the valley of the Oise, towards Villers-Cotterets, Compiègne, and fi nally
Paris. The whole world held its breath in a hush of horror as it saw
Foch’s soldiers desperately struggling and yet losing mile after mile
of the short stretch which separated the Teutonic barbarians from
the centre of the world’s civilisation and culture. They had crossed
the Marne that evening and had pushed the French and American
line back for some miles, but the latter rallied and regained some
of the ground. The most important point of the struggle, however,
was to the east of Rheims, where that splendid soldier, General
Gouraud, a one-armed bearded veteran of Gallipoli, created a false
front which the enemy captured, and then whilst they were still
in disorder attacked them from the real front, pushing them back
with great loss. This development on the east of the line fully compensated for the German advance on the west, which was brought
to a fi nal halt within two days. Foch had now bled the Germans un-
301
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
til they had lost some of their power of resistance. The moment for
his great counter-attack was at hand, and the carefully husbanded
reserves were ready for the crisis – those reserves which it was his
supreme merit to have hoarded up when the temptation to spend
them was more than the fi rmest will could have been expected to
resist.
On July 18 the blow fell, and the Germans recoiled in a movement which was destined never to stop until they had crossed the
Rhine. All important as the operations were they are only indicated
here since this chronicle is necessarily confi ned to the British action, and no British troops were as yet engaged. Issuing under the
cover of a storm from the great forest of Villers-Cotterets which
had screened his preparations, the French Marshal hurled his line
of tanks upon the enemy, clearing a path for his infantry. At the
same moment the French-American line went forward over a front
of 27 miles from the Oise to the Marne, striking the whole fl ank of
the German advance. The attack extended from Vingre in the north
to Château-Thierry. Everywhere the German fl ank fell back, their
front had to withdraw across the Marne, Château-Thierry was reoccupied and 20,000 prisoners with 400 guns were left in the hands
of the victors. Gradually, as the attack developed from day to day,
a huge pocket was formed, bulging southwards from the Aisne, with
its lower edge upon the Marne, the whole assuming much the shape
which Spain does upon the map of Europe. This protrusion, instead
of being a menacing point directed towards Paris, was now a much
battered salient attacked simultaneously upon all sides, by Mangin
in the west and by Gouraud in the south and east. Americans and
French were on the Marne, French alone to the west of it, and British with French on the east of it. All were fi ghting with the cold fury
of men who have reached a crisis where death is nothing and victory
all. Nurses at the forward hospitals have testifi ed how the French
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THE GREAT WAR
wounded were brought in mutilated and dying, but delirious with
joy because they knew that the tide had turned. What matter anything else – What matter life or limb – The grey cloud was slowly,
slowly drifting back whence it came.
But it was very slow, for the German soldier had never fought
better, nor had his leaders ever shown greater skill in drawing him
out from danger and yet selling every rearward position at the
highest price of Allied blood. All three Allies were tried to their
utmost, for the enemy had not yet learned that he was fated to retreat. The British, who had their own great task already planned,
were in weak force, though that force was of the highest quality,
for two better divisions than Campbell’s Fifty-fi rst Highlanders
and Braithwaite’s Sixty-second Yorkshiremen did not exist in the
Army. It is their operations which we have now to examine, since
the grand work of their American comrades-in-arms can only be
included in the scope of this work where they actually fought in
the British formations.
They occupied a point on the eastern face of the attack, nearly
midway between the Marne and Rheims, and it was their task to
force their way up that valley of the Ardres down which the remains of the British Ninth Corps had retreated from the disaster
of the Aisne, and across which the Nineteenth Division had been
drawn when it stopped the German advance near Bligny, as described in the last volume. Some memory of island valour should
linger in that valley, for much good British blood has been shed
there. The two divisions which were now hurried up to take their
place in the French line formed the Twenty-second Corps under
Sir John Godley, and were accompanied by some New Zealand and
Australian Cavalry. They relieved a mauled Italian Corps, while
they had Frenchmen on their left and Algerians on their right, so
that it would be diffi cult to cosmopolitan line of defence. The coun-
303
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
try in front was hilly and very diffi cult, and the line was bisected
by the River Ardres, the Sixty-second advancing on the right of the
stream and the Fifty-fi rst on the left.
It was a very desperate and diffi cult business, which lasted for ten
days, during which each division showed the most splendid courage
and endurance, as can be proved by the fact that their united losses
came to 8000 men out of about 16,000 engaged, and that they met
and defeated four German divisions, capturing 1500 prisoners, 140
machine-guns, and 40 cannon. The opening attack, during which
the advancing lines passed through the ranks of the Second Italian
Corps, was greatly stimulated by the news of the splendid Allied
advance of the two previous days, July 18 and 19.
The fi ghting of both divisions was made very diffi cult by the
underwood and the standing corn which lay before them, thickly
sown with German machine-guns. On July 20 the 2/4th York and
Lancasters, on the extreme right of the British line, captured Bouilly, but were driven out again. At the same time the 5th Yorkshire
Light Infantry was held up and lost heavily in front of the Château
of Commetreuil. It was a long, diffi cult, and expensive day for the
187th Brigade, and its only remaining battalion, the 2/4th Yorkshire Light Infantry, lost heavily as well.
The 185th Brigade on July 20 occupied the left of the divisional
line, with the Highlanders on the other side of the Ardres. Marfaux
and Cuitron lay before them, but neither could be quite reached,
though again and again the assailants were on the very edge of the
villages. Once some of the men of the 2/4th Hampshires from the
supporting brigade actually penetrated the village, but they were
seen no more. The 2/4th West Ridings, south of the village, were
also held up. Meanwhile the 5th West Ridings attempted to work
around Marfaux from the north, through the wood of Petit Camp.
All attempts to debouch from the wood were vain, however, and
304
THE GREAT WAR
again the attack was brought to nought, home ground had been
gained during the day, but both main efforts had failed, and all
three brigades of the Sixty-second Division had been badly mauled.
With no British reserves behind, General Braithwaite must have
been sorely exercised in his mind that night.
On July 21 the attack eased down on the left, but on the right
the 187th Brigade deployed and attacked the Bouilly Ridge. The 9th
Durham Pioneers made a very fi ne advance, as did the 2/4th York
and Lancasters, and some valuable ground was taken, but none of
the villages. The attackers were encouraged, however, by learning
from prisoners that the Germans had endured heavy losses, and had
been compelled to demand reinforcements.
On July 22 the situation began to clear a little as Burnett’s 106th
Brigade, represented mainly by the 5th West Ridings, attacked the
wood of Petit Camp, an ominous grove, already littered with British dead. So deliberate was their advance, in consequence of the
diffi cult ground to be searched, that the barrage was at the rate
of 100 yards in ten minutes. The place was one long succession of
gun posts “en echelon,” which were so concealed that they had no
fi eld of fi re, and were the more deadly on that account as they fi red
by sound out of the bushes, and could not possibly be seen until
one walked up to them. None the less the Yorkshiremen, helped by
a wing of the 5th Devons, fought their way through this dreadful
wood, dropping small posts as they went. Two hundred prisoners
and 41 machine-guns remained in their hands, with 700 yards of
new ground. The German losses were heavy but so were the British,
Captain Cockhill’s company of the West Ridings emerging with
two offi cers and six men able to report for duty. It was a fi ne operation, well conceived and well carried through. The Germans fought
with great tenacity all day.
305
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
On July 23 the south-western corner of the Petit Camp Wood,
which was still in German hands, was cleared by the 6th West Ridings. The main attack, however, on Marfaux and Cuitron was carried out by the Durhams and the New Zealand Cyclist Battalion
with magnifi cent success. Marfaux fell to the New Zealanders. The
stormers broke through both villages and made their line 400 yards
beyond. Two French tanks did good service in this assault. Two hundred prisoners and eight French 75’s, taken previously by the Germans, were among the trophies of this fi ne advance. The Seventyseventh French Division had attacked upon the right with equal
success.
Up to this period the Highlanders of the Fifty-fi rst Division had
been striving hard on the southern side of the Ardres, with a task
which was not less diffi cult than that of their English comrades on
the north.
On July 20 they found the enemy opposite to them in great
strength, as was shown by the fact that prisoners from three divisions, the Twenty-second (Saxe-Meiningen), the Hundred and third
(Hessian), and the Hundred and twenty-third (Saxon) were taken
that day. The great straggling wood of Courton, with a fringe of
farms, mills, and other buildings, formed a strong advanced position. The Fifty-fi rst Division has gained so splendid a record in the
war that advantage may be taken of this action to give in fuller detail its glorious units. The attack that morning was carried out by
the 154th Brigade, consisting of the 4th Seaforths, 4th Gordons, and
7th Argyll and Sutherlands, on the right fl ank. On the left was the
153rd Brigade, consisting of the 6th and 7th Black Watch and 7th
Gordons. In reserve was the 152nd Brigade, 5th and 6th Seaforths
and 6th Gordons, with the 8th Royal Scots as pioneer battalion. The
attack was supported by French artillery and also by the guns of the
255th and 256th Brigades R.F.A.
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THE GREAT WAR
The advance was a most arduous one, especially after the fi rst
victorious rush when the troops found themselves involved in the
thick brushwood which prevented co-operation to such an extent
that the two brigades were entirely separated, but each struggled on
independently, small knots of determined men fi ghting their way
forward as best they might. The progress was better upon the left
than on the right, but the casualties were heavy, for the German machine-guns had survived the barrage and were very deadly. Colonel
Bickmore of the 4th Gordons led a company of his battalion against
a German post but was brought down by a bomb, and his men driven
back. When the ground was recovered the Colonel had been carried
off as a prisoner. The German infantry seem to have taken hardly
any part in the battle, which was fought between the splendid Scottish infantry on one side, and the determined German machinegunners on the other. The Black Watch of the 153rd Brigade found
an even blacker watch fi ghting on their fl ank, for the Senegalese
infantry of the French Ninth Division went forward with them and
did good work during he whole arduous day. So sweeping was the
machine-gun fi re that at many points it was found to be impossible
even to creep forward through the two-foot corn.
By evening the attack had been defi nitely held, and the Highlanders were forced to be content with their initial gains, while the
French on the left, who had been assaulting the hamlet of Paradis
all day, were also stationary. At 6.30 a company of German infantry
attacked the Argylls, but were driven back with heavy loss. So the
long day ended, the troops being much exhausted. The capture of 8
offi cers and 360 men, with many machine-guns, was an inadequate
return for such heroic exertions. All day the enemy had been withdrawing upon the Marne front, and the holding of his fl anks was
so vitally essential that he was prepared to make any sacrifi ce for
the purpose.
307
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
The attack was continued next morning, the 152nd Brigade
pushing forward into the front line, while the other depleted units
supported it and guarded its fl anks. Things went badly at the outset,
for the line had been altered during the night and the barrage was
miscalculated in consequence, so that it was no great help to the
6th Gordons in their advance. All day mixed fi ghting went on in
the wood, and it was most diffi cult to determine the exact position
of the various units, groups of men stalking the machine-guns as
hunters might stalk tigers, the fi ght ending as often in the death of
the hunter as of the tiger. Once again the evening of a bloody day
found things very much as they had been in the morning. It cannot
be denied that the German resistance was a very stern one.
After a pause of a day the Highland Division renewed its attack
along a portion of its front, the main advance being carried out by
the 152nd Brigade. Once more the deadly woods were penetrated,
and once more there was a limited advance and considerable losses.
On this occasion the barrage was more useful, though some French
batteries on the left fell short and caused heavy casualties to a company of the 6th Gordons in their point of assembly. Such are the
unavoidable chances of modern warfare. The 8th Royal Scots were
thrown into the fi ght, and made a fi ne advance. Altogether there
were signs this day of a weakening on the German front, which was
confi rmed in the patrol fi ghting of the next few days. There were
many casualties in the 152nd Brigade, including Major Moir, CO. of
the 5th Seaforths, who was badly wounded.
Major operations were in abeyance until July 27, when severe
fi ghting broke out once again upon the south side of the Ardres.
The 187th Brigade had been sent across by General Braithwaite,
and it now took its place in General Carter-Campbell’s sector, with
the 152nd on its right and the 153rd on its left, with the intention of making a vigorous attack upon the German line on this
308
THE GREAT WAR
front. Tanks had been allotted, but rain had set in, the ground was
marshy, and the monsters immovable. All immediate objectives
were easily taken. The villages of Espilly and Nappes had both been
occupied. So soft did the front appear that the Australian horsemen
were pushed forward, while the troops north of the river moved on
in sympathy. The fi nal line was north-west of Chaumuzy. Here, on
July 28, a very stiff German resistance was encountered, and Chambrecy on the left fl ank represented the No Man’s Land between the
armies.
The Montagne de Bligny position, where the Nineteenth Division had distinguished itself in June, now lay immediately ahead,
and the 8th West Yorkshires (Leeds Rifl es) were ordered to attack
it. They went forward so swiftly and with such spirit that they were
into and over the position before the Germans realised what had
happened. It was a notable performance, for the place was of great
strength and strategic signifi cance. The French Government bestowed a special mark of honour upon the 8th West Yorks for this
deed, and it is certainly a singular coincidence that, of the few British battalions thus honoured, two should have won it at the same
spot. There was no artillery support, and the casualties were heavy,
but Yorkshire won home in spite of it. The enemy tried to regain it
until the high corn was full of his dead, but it was all in vain. This
day, with the co-operation of the French, Bligny village was also
taken. No further ground was gained on July 29, as a new German
division, the Two hundred and fortieth, had come into line with orders to hold on at all costs. The fi ghting was very severe at the junction between the French and British, where the liaison was so close
between the two nations that it is on record that, when at a critical
moment the French ran out of cartridges, the rifl es and ammunition of the British casualties were handed over to them and saved
the situation. Shortly afterwards the two British divisions were
309
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
drawn from the line and returned to their own army. In a generous
appreciation of their services General Berthelot, after enumerating
their captures, said:
“Thanks to the heroic courage and proverbial tenacity of the
British, the continued efforts of this brave Army Corps have not
been in vain....You have added a glorious page to your history. Mar-
faux, Chaumuzy, Montague de Bligny – all those famous names will
be written in letters of gold in the annals of your regiments.” The
French offi cial bulletins offered also a very special tribute of praise
to the 6th Black Watch, a Perthshire battalion, which, under Colonel Tarleton, had done particularly fi ne work during the long and
arduous service of the Fifty-fi rst Division.
Whilst the Twenty-second British Corps had, as described, distinguished itself greatly in the valley of the Ardres on the east of
the German salient, the Fifteenth Scottish Division under General
H. L. Heed, V.C., had been detailed to aid the French line in its advance on Buzancy on the western German fl ank. This veteran division was thrown into the fi ght on July 28, and made its mark at
once upon the formidable German position which faced it. It had
relieved the First American Division which was much worn by its
long and splendid service in General Mangin’s Tenth Army. The
Americans left their guns in the line to cover the advance, so that,
for the fi rst time in history, British, Americans, and French were all
engaged as allies upon the same battleground The village was very
strongly held, and the high ground to the east of it was bristling
with machine-guns, but the Scots infantry would take no denial.
The 44th Brigade (Thomson) had attacked the village itself, the 5th
Gordons and 8th Seaforths leading the assault. The latter battalion
lost its commander, Colonel Smith, but was the fi rst into the objective, while the Gordons held and consolidated the ground to the
north of it. Farther north still the 45th Brigade had advanced its
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