General Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 17, 11 February - 18 March 1918, Part 14

Australian Corps.

Assembly in N.M.L. complete by 11-15  aaa
Barrage opened punctually  aaa   Both assault parties
have effected entry  aaa   Very little enemy artillery action
aaa   All appears to be going well.

G102      12.10 AM
4/2/18
 

U.17.6.75.30

Australian Corps.

Both assaulting teams reported withdrawn ^∧ by 12-40   aaa
our casualties light   aaa   No information yet available
regarding captures   aaa   Artillery  Our Artillery
has ceased   aaa   Enemy artillery action negligible.

G103      12-45 AM
4/3/18
 

U.17.b.75.30

Australian Corps.   & Flank Divs

Identification normal

Warneton raid Identification normal.

G104      12-56.
4/3/18
 

Australian Corps.

Raid progress report   aaa   Our captures
^∧ so far reported are fifteen prisoners  on M.G
aaa   Our casualties  2 Killed  10 wounded   aaa
One barrage excellent   aaa   Enemy wire
well cut.

G105     12-59 AM
5/3/18
 

Australian Corps.

Further regarding raid   aaa   Enemy put up
very little fight but ran before our assault   aaa
We destroyed at least five dugouts including Q
and R xxx See plan attached to orders former being
large and of concrete   aaa   Casualties inflicted on enemy
certainly exceed 50 Killed   aaa   We have brought in
eleven prisoners, one machine gun, probably and minor
booty   aaa   A second machine gun reported not yet
confirmed   aaa   Enemy front and support lines are good
trenches and being worked on ^∧ by him   aaa   Our
casualties
two Killed  O.R. Killed,  one Officer and 11 other ranks
wounded. -   aaa   Our defensive garrison and
works suffered no damage.

(*report to Flanks*)

G107
3-3 AM   4/3/18
 

Australian Corps.

One of the prisoners is an Officer now
being interrogated at Brigade Head Quarters.

G106.      1.53 AM
4/3/18
 

9^th  Brigade

Please convey to Lt Col Milne and the
whole raiding team my warmest congratulations
upon the unqualified success of tonights
enterprise. -   aaa   General Monash

ADC  [[???]]       2 25 AM
4/3/18
 

A.H.
THIRD  AUSTRALIAN  DIVISION.
S E C R E T.

Divisional Headquarters,
4th. March, 1918.

Headquarters,
Australian Corps.                                               3.G.6/48.

MINOR  OFFENSIVE  -  NIGHT,  MARCH 3RD./4TH.,  1918.

1. -   Further to telegraphed reports, I beg to submit more
detailed information as to the progress of above operation. -

2.  -   PLAN.
The general organisation of the enterprise differed in
no material respect from that of a similar enterprise carried
out on the night, February 10th/11th, 1918, - See my report
thereon No.3.G.6/46 of February 11th. - The principal
difference was that the resulting Infantry was last night
increased to a total of three hundred (300) of all ranks. -
All other Arms and Services were co-ordinated on lines
almost
exactly following the arrangements previously in force, and
which proved satisfactory. -

3.  -   EXECUTION.
ZERO Hour was fixed for 11.45 p.m. -
The Assembly in NO MAN'S LAND was accomplished without
incident by 11.15 p.m. despite a display of lights by the
enemy. - Our Artillery barrage and counter-battery programme
opened promptly at ZERO. -
Our Right and Left Assaulting parties proceeded to carry
out their allotted tasks; - an outstanding feature of the
Operation being the very satisfactory co-ordination of the
twenty different storming parties and the execution of the
whole programme minutely to time table. -
The wire cutting by our Artillery was found to have been
most satisfactorily carried out, and the Divisional Artillery
barrage was declared by our Infantry to have been most
accurate throughout. -
The front line trench was entered immediately on the
barrage lifting, and the various parties stormed to their
allotted flanks. - Very little opposition was met in the
enemy's front line. - The first two prisoners were made
immediately on the North side of the main communication
trench,
and eight enemy were killed/ - An enemy officer, who showed
fight near this point, was killed. - A Machine Gun and crew
located near "D" was driven to cover and there disposed of. -
Meanwhile, trenches at "L", "Q" and "K" were taken, and
dugout at "Q", which ws large and of concrete - used either as
a Headquarters or a Store, was completel;y demolished by
explosives. - Practically very few enemy were met with in
his front line trench by either Assaulting Team. -
In the main communication trench, a number of large
dugouts were found in which a number of the enemy, who
refused

(1).                                                                        

P.T.O.
 

(2).                                                                      4/3/18.

to surrender, were disposed of by bombs and demolition
charges. -
In this same trench, one officer and six other ranks were
captured, and several enemy dead were counted. - The
group of
dugouts at "R" were destroyed, while another dugout to the
North
of "R" was entered and mopped up. - There was no evidence to
confirm the suspicion that these several dugouts were
connected
by tunnels;  except at "I" and "R", the enemy offered no serious
resistance. - His general disposition was to run before our
Assaulting troops, and several casualties are known to have
been
inflicted on him while he ran in this manner. -
The Front Line trench is deep, dry and fire stepped, but
appears to be normally held lightly. - It contains no shelters
and is unrevetted. - Communication trenches are of similar
construction and contained brick and concrete dugouts for the
accommodation of the trench garrison. - The second line is
obviously the main fire trench and contained several deep
tunnelled dugouts, all of which were thoroughly bombed. - 
Our captures comprised one officer and ^∧ eleven other ranks,
all
of whom were brought in. - Four of these were evacuated to
Casualty Clearing Station. - We also brought in a 1908 Heavy
Machine Gun, two Light Machine Guns and a quantity of
smaller
booty, including several bags of papers, maps and documents. -
It is definitely known that two enemy officers were killed, -
one by revolver and ne with a bayonet. - and, irrespective of
very probable Artillery casualties beyond the limits of our
Infantry action, the number of enemy killed by bomb, bayonet
and bullet certainly exceeds fifty. -
The Identification was 228. R.I.R. - Normal. -
The outstanding feature of the Operation was the absence
of any serious resistance by the enemy. - Unlike the previous
occasion, he did not stand to fight;  nor did he attempt any
counter-attack. - It is also apparent that his works were not
nearly as strongly held as on the previous occasion. - This
accounts for the lessere number of casualties inflicted and
catures effected.
Our withdrawal commenced at 12.20 a.m. and was carried out under cover of Raid Fighting Patrrols held in reserve for that
purpose. - The normal dispositions of the line were resumed
by 1.30 a.m. - There was no damage to our works, and our
normal
defensive garrisons suffered no casualties whatever. -
The enemy artillery re-action was almost negligible, but, 
during the continuance of the Raid, he brought a light
minenwerfer bombardment upon our left Battalion close to
the DOUVE. -

4.  -   OUR CASUALTIES.
Our total casualties incidental to the Raid were as follows:-
                                                Officer.                  Other Ranks.
Killed                                            -                                    2.
Wounded                                     1                                  18.
                                                     ___                              ___

                                                                  Total.               21.
                                                                                      ___

Of the wounds, the majority were very slight. - the worst
case being a broken arm. -
There is some doubt as to the fate of one officer and his
runner who, up to the time of this report, had not been
satisfactorily
accounted for. - All the remainder of the Raiding

P.T.O.   
 

(3).                                                           4/3/18.

Teams are reported as fully accounted for: -
The total casualties are therefore very small, having regard
to the large size of the Raiding force. -

5.  -   I consider that the Operation reflects the greatest credit
upon the 9th. Australian Infantry Brigade;  the spirit of the
troops and the enthusiasm and dash with which they carried
through the Operation being exemplary. - Much credit is due
in
particular to Lieut.-Colonel J. A. MILNE, D.S.O., for his
painstaking preparation of the force and for his strong and
capable leadership. -
Other Services and Departments co-operated most
efficiently;
the rapidity and accuracy of the communications bieng most
satisfactory. -

John Monash.
Major-General.
Commanding Third Australian Division.