Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/106/1 - April 1918 - Part 2

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the line wh I am now holding
- through ^squares E 24, 13, 7 & 2 - will
be subjected to a very heavy
bombardment.  If the Enemy
attacks after tt bombt. I
cannot feel confident of our
ability to hold tt line.  The
next line is / Lavieville line,
where I have two & a half
bns.  But if I use those troops
to counter attack with, I have
nothing else behind except the
106^th Bde wh is in the G.H.Q.
line (back by Ferme St Laurent).
If I am attacked, as I have
reason to expect that I shall be,
I want you to understand the
position - I can hold / Lavieville
line but that cannot gives the
[*enemy*] the observation which he is
after.  On / other hand if I
 

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counter attack him, I must
then bring the 106^th Bde up into
/ Lavieville line; & that
leaves me w no troops
whatever in reserve."
The Corps Commdr evidently
asked what troops Maclagan
thought / Germ w^d have to attack
with. There were only 3 divns
available, so far as he knew, & these
had all bn used.
"Oh well, Sir," sd Maclagan,
"but you know they have a way
"of doing these things."
However / Corps Commander
told Maclagan tt / policy he
wanted to be followed was to
hold / crest of tt height
in front of Albert at all
costs.  Maclagan sd "Very well,
Sir; So long as you understand
the position."
 

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Maclagan dictated an order
to a clerk to be sent out
at once, laying down this
policy.  Giving to the 13^th Bde the
50^th Bn to use for c. attack if
necy, & to the 12^th Bde the
Pioneer Bn - subject to their
informing the Division tt
they had called upon these
units.  If these Bns were so used
the 108^th Bde ws to move
at once to / Lavieville Line.
And to be Maclagan wanted
to reinforce Gelly w m.gs.  But
Murray pointed out tt 6 spare
guns had already bn sent up
to replace the 8 wh / Germans
had captured, wh had only
nucleus crews (3 men per
gun, I think it is).  There were
therefore plenty of men left for /
guns.  The 2 guns on the left in 
 

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the Gully just S. of the rd going
into Albert had fought to
a late stage & then / men had got
away w their guns & half
their ammn boxes - & as
they had left their tripods but
still had their light tripods.
The German barrage on
/ Lavieville line near the
Cross roads on / Amiens Rd
had bn very heavy.  And
he had put a ^fairly heavy straf
down as far back as Ferme
St Laurent, but without actually
hitting the Farm, wh ws used
as a Hqrs for artillery.  Some
of our batteries had bn heavily
shelled & had had xxxx guns
blown out.  One arty brigade lost
heavily in officers & men.
[The ^infantry losses were
estimated that evening at
 

17
The German did not attack
after all.
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1100 or 12000, but turned out
to be nearer 2000 - abt 800
for the 13^th Bde (52^? Bn 400, 490 51^st
200 each?.) and 12^th Bde 1200.
The day ws dull & cold (with
some blue sky in intervals - a
little light rain wh became
? heavy during / night.
April 6^th.  I stayed in all day
writing the diary for April 4^th
& Cutlack went to the 12^th Bde for
details o / fight (-wh I have given under
April 5^th)
It is clear from the accounts
tt the fighting ws exceedingly heavy.
Our prisoners are all from the
50^th Reserve Divn (the first troops
we met in France).  But the Corps
seem to think there were 4 Divns
altogether agst us.  There will
certainly have been one & parts
of 2 others - Cutlack thinks tt
2 attacked, & 2 others were to
 

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come on afterwds & relieve
them.  The 50^th Res. Divn. he
estimates is smashed almost
entirely, & probably we finished
off fairly completely the 3^rd
Naval Divn, wh had bn there
before.  The Germans fought very
toughly - probably better than
almost any we have met in
France.
A sergt of the 50^th Res. Divn.
whom we took (?near the C.C.S.)
was full of admiration for /
way our men fought - especially
for / manner in which that
c.attack of the 49^th Bn came over
/ open at them.  The Australians
[*attack*] was "sehr schneidig", he said.
It is clear also tt / German
employed in this fight exactly the
xxxxxx ^same attack wh he employed
on March 21 & at Arras -
 

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- namely a 2 1/2 or 3 hrs
bombt - trench mortars on /
front line; heavies on / area behind,
these gradually coming back onto /
front line just before / attack.
Today is a miserable
day.  Australian Corps takes
over today; I believe at
Villers Bocage or Bertangles.
White is vey busy.  Col Butler,
who has gone north to help
gl Gullett clear our trophies,
told me that White said he
had no time to write the
letters which wd help
Butler; but Butler cd use
his name as he wished -
we will probly get them away
by train.  I dont want to lose
any more at Bailleul if /
German advances.
The Divn was asking for 
 

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trench shelters for / troops
up in / line & / area behind
it in this miserable weather
(it was fine till / afternoon &
then rained drizzled continuously getting
heavier in / night) - but
Corps says it cannot provide
any.  The Divn decided [[shorthand]]
Tonight an S.O.S signal
went up ^on our post & / artillery has
bn heavy.  Gen. Burgess
thinks tt / Germans put
this signal up in order perhaps
to discover / line of our
barrage.  The green There went
up a green, a yellow & a
white flare.  Our arty answered
the green.  I notice tt
there are up at Divn outside /
Generals room tonight a number
of boxes of green red & yellow
signals (-probly our real S.O.S. if
 

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we had had it).  Burgess has
arranged tt if / same thing happens
again he will put up a sham
barrage, or vary it a bit.
(not an easy thing to do, I shd
say).
Sund. April 7.  Writing all day to
Treloar in answer to the
big mail wh Cutlack brought
me from Corps Hqrs (where
Barker has bn keeping it for
us).  I find tt / telegram wh
I sent yesterday describing
the two fights ws wrongly
dated - I made them 5^th & 6^th
instead of 4^th & 5^th.  It is
curious how hard it is
to follow the days unless
I keep this diary to / day.

The 6^th Bde arrived
& is at Baizieux.  Aust. Corps
 

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has taken over at Villers
Bocage.
With the 6^th Bde behind
the 4^th Divn one feels confident
- if / Germans attack now
we cd c.attack & drive
them back.
Best news of all, Gen. Walker
& the 1^st Divn. are at
Bertangles!
The relief of the 13^th Bde
must have bn going on, for
I saw lots of their men about.
A very wet day, but clear
at night.  Many Several German
planes went over somewhere
near.  Their casual H.V. guns
are still shelling this valley a
little each day & night.  Possibly
their shrapnel is meant for
/ horselines.
Mond April 8.  4^th Divn moved