General, Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 19, 23 June - 7 July 1918 - Part 4

[My copy]
28/6/18.
SECRET.
HAMEL OFFENSIVE.
Agenda.

 

GENERAL & PREPARATORY.

Allocation of Troops, Arms and Services to G.O.C., 
4th Division.
Precautions to preserve normal activity prior to
Zero of Artillery.
Machine Guns.
Smoke and Gas.
Air.
Precautions to prevent unusual movement.
Identifications required - prior to Zero day.
No inter-Brigade reliefs to clash with Zero Day.
Cable buries. Are any in hand or proposed?
Synchronisation of Watches.
Promulgation of Zero Hour.
Measures to deceive as to frontage under attack.
Action by "C" Division at K.2.
   do.            do.              at K.25.
   do.     by "A" Division
Artillery attack on front of 3rd Corps.
Observations of Dawn Light, in order to settle zero
hour.
Settle Zero Hour.
Darkness conditions preceding Zero Day 
[* Sunset 9 p.m. Sunrise 4.42*]
[*Moon - 12.40 to 4 a.m. - low & last phase*]
[*Darkness 10.15  p.m to 3.15 a.m.*]
Clearing villages and localities likely to draw

enemy Artillery fire.

-2-
INFANTRY.
Shall new platoon organization be adopted?
Allotment of Sectors and Tasks to Brigades
Dispositions of 6th Brigade.
        do.           "   4th    do.
        do.           "   11th    do.

Infantry Tactics. -

Points of Departure from billets &c.
Approach march - reconnaissance of routes.
        do.                   - marking routes.
Approach march (contd)  - rate of 
Hour for completion of Assembly
Method of Assembly on Start Line.
Marking Assembly positions.
Infantry to have right of way during approach March,
Equipment of Assaulting troops.
Mopping-up organization

Use of Success Signals

Linking up, on blueline. Joint Brigade posts.
Brigade battle H.Q.
ARTILLERY - FIELD
Distribution and grouping of Brigades.
[*Action taken to effect Registrations*]
Barrage start line.

-3-
Barrage rates.
Barrage lifts.
Time-table.
Barrage - density and depth
Intermediate Halt line and duration of halt.
Use of Smoke to mark halts - method of
Percentage of Smoke to be used.
Proportion of H.E. & Shrapnel.
Protective Barrage - where placed
its duration
rates of fire.
Issue of Barrage Maps - number, and to whom.
[*Use Employment of Medium French Mortars*]
[*Anti Anti-Tank guns - employment & manning*]
[*Communications - Alternative do. - Visual*]

ARTILLERY - HEAVY
[*Action taken to effect Registration*]
Counter-battery work - by Aust. Corps. [*Guns available, targets.*]
            -do-                     - by 3rd Corps
            -do-                     - by French Corps
Heavy Artillery in back barrages
Special targets for bombardment.
Employment of 12" Railway Gun.
Employment of Gas on distant targets.
[*Employment of Heavy Trench Mortars*] 

-4-
ARTILLERY - GENERAL.
No Artillery traffic on last night, on Infantry
routes.
Harassing of Enemy Batteries - after battle.

TANKS.
Selection of Training Area.
Organization of joint Infantry and Tank Training
Tactics to be adopted [Who Commands?
 Read German orders*]
Tank dispositions for battle. [*No. to be used*]
[*No. in Reserve.*]
Tank Brigade Orders.
Marking Tank Start line.
Programme for Tanks to enter battle zone.
Taping approach routes to Infantry Start Line.
Time for Tanks to start.
Location of Tank H.Q.
Withdrawal of Tanks.  [* - Counterattack *]

MACHINE GUNS.
Total M.G. Resources.
Dispositions - mobile guns allotted to Brigades.
                        - Barrage guns.
                        - Consolidation guns.
                        - Left flank enfilade barrage.
Question of use of M.G's in advancing barrage.

-5-
Question of use of M.G's in protective barrage.

Ammunition Supply.
Spare Barrels.
Will our Smoke Tactics interfere?

SMOKE.
4" Stokes Mortar Smoke - wind conditions.
                                               - emplacement.
                                               - application.
Artillery Smoke Screens - North of Somme.
      "              "             "            to screen WARFUSEE.
      "              "             "            to screen MARCELCAVE.
AIR FORCE.
Contact Planes - number.
                              - signals.
                              - dropping ground.
Counterattack Planes - number
                                          - signals.
Pilots to carry out prior Liaison
Use of Planes to carry up S.A.A., &c.

           -do-               -do-      Signals to

Bombing planes - targets - times.

Use of planes to drown noise of Tank Engines.

-6-
ADMINISTRATIVE.
Medical - Corps to supplement Div. resources.
      do.       Divisional Arrangements.
Dumps - Munitions - locations.
      do.      Engineer Stores for blue line
      do.       Spare Lewis Guns.

Arrangements to feed and supply blue line.
Use of pack transports - resources.
Supply of S.O.S Signals to blue line.

Police - P. of War reception
     do.  - Light Horse escorts
     do.  - Battle straggler posts.
Water Supply arrangements.

LIAISON & COMMUNICATIONS.
Corps forward Liaison.
Divisional do. do.
Inter-Brigade do.
Inter-Battalion do.

-7-

AGENDA AFTER BATTLE.
Consolidation on blue line.
Organization in depth - supports - reserves.
Relief of battle troops.
Moving forward A.A. Defences.
Moving forward Artillery.
Clearing Battlefield.
"Salvage" of new Area.
Readjustment of defensive responsibility.along new front.

HAMEL OFFENSIVE - Night 3rd/4th July, 1918

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

Time.	Event.
3. 2. a.m.	Tanks start.  Artillery harassing fire starts.
3.10.a.m.	Barrage opens.
3.17 a.m.	Infantry reach PEAR trench.
3.28 a.m.	Infantry reach Halt Line. Capture of VAIRE and HAMEL WOODS completed.
3.51. a.m.	Barrage moves forward.
4.03.a.m.	Infantry reach Final Objectives on  left.
4.15 a.m.	Capture of HAMEL VILLAGE completed.
4.35 am.	Infantry reach Final Objectives everywhere.
4.43 a.m.	Protective barrage reachedby artillery everywhere.
5.13 a.m.	Protective barrage stops.
6.10 a.m.	Ammunition dropping planes leave aerodrome.

G.H.Q. & ARMY G.S.

GENERAL STAFF.

FOURTH ARMY.

No. 190 (G).

Date 28/6/18.

SECRET L. 715.

G.H.Q.

1. In reply to your O.A.D 878 of 27/6/18, and with
   reference to the C.-in-C's remarks on the proposed plan
   of operations submitted to you under my No. 190 (G) of 23.6.18.

2. Leave has been obtained from American G.H.Q. 
through the American II Corps to employ the equivalent of 
one battalion of American Infantry with the 4th Australian Division. The proviso made was that not more than the
equivalent of one battalion was to be employed and that
units were to be commanded by their own officers. Details 
of the manner in which the American Infantry are to be distributed amongst Australian Units are now being arranged 
between G.O.C. 33rd American Division and G.O.C. Australian Corps.
[* Since increased verbally by 6 Cos.*]
3. The situation as regards tanks will be as follows
according to the latest arrangements made by G.O.C. Australian Corps, of which I have approved : -
Five companies of Mk. V. Tanks will take part in
the attacks (60 tanks), 42 in front line and 18 in reserve
following up to replace casualties. G.O.C. Australian Corps
considers that this is sufficient, and I agree.

4. I am communicating with General Salmond, R.A.F.,
as regards what number of bombing machines he can place at disposal.

5. In the plan submitted to the C.-in-C. I stated in 
pars. 9 (a) that there would be no creeping barrage. This 
has since been modified by G.O.C. Australian Corps at the 
request of the Divisional and Brigade Commanders who are taking part in the attack.

They have asked particularly that there shall be a 
creeping barrage, and I have agreed.

The proposal is that the barrage shall fall at
zero on the enemy's front line, and remain there for four 
minutes while the infantry and tanks move up close to it.
At zero (?) 4 the barrage will creep forward at the 
rate of 100 yards per two minutes, the pace decreasing
slightly, until, when nearing the furthest objective it will 
be four minutes per 100 yards.
The ground is very hard and not much cut about.
The pace of the barrages is not yet definitely fixed, and 
trials with the tanks and infantry are being carried out
daily at VAUX to determine the most suitable pace.

(Sd) H. RAWLINSON

H.Q. Fourth Army

General.

Commanding Fourth Army.
28th June, 1918.
Copy to :- Lt.-General Sir J. Monash, K.C.B.

 

29/6.18
Alterations effected
[[*??*]]

1^st/Div:. 
G.S.O I Lt-Col. Am. Ross, C.m.G. DS.O
(vice Wieck)
1/ Inf Bde. Col (T/Brig-Genl) I.G.Mackay, D.S.O.

to command
______________________________________________________

2^nd Div:
5/ Inf. Bde:-
T/Col. E.F. Martin, C.m.G D.S.O.
to command (vice Smith)

______________________________________________________

3^rd / Div:
G.S.O. II  Major E.W. Connelly, D.S.O.
(vice M^cColl)
3/ M.G. Co:  T/Lt. Col. A.C. Blacklow, D.S.O.
to be Lieut-Col.
______________________________________________________

 

4th / Div:

C.R.E.  T/Lt. Col. R.J. Dyer. D.S.O

to be Lieut. Col.

4/ M.G. Co. T/Lt Col. H.W. Murray, V.C., D.S.O., D.C.M.

to be Lieut - Col.
4/ F. Amb: Major (T/Lt - Col) R.S. M^cGregor.
D.S.O.
(should read as now shewn,
 & not " Lieut - Colonel").
______________________________________________________
5^th/ Div:-
C.R.E.  T / Lt. Col. L.F.S. Mather, D.S.O.
to be Lieut - Col.
5/ M.G.Co: T/Lt. Col. T.R. Marsden, D.S.O.,
to be Lt. Col.