Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/108/1 - April - May 1918 - Part 2

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5.52 [[?]] "no news"

6.5 [[?]] livened up.

6.8 Too / [[?]] SOS from [[?]]

6.35 No alt. on left Bn rt [[?]]

6.42 8 [[?]] report left Bde alll quiet
rt Bde believed OK but
wires down
 

7.22 O.C. Vill/Bret [[?]]
[[???]]
[[?]]
[[?]] believed to be well
in hand

7.32 [[?]] told by wd man # /Ger were pushing up
main road

7.36 GOC 14 Bde reports Rifle Bde say their
rt coy [[?]] ground. Sent platoon to 
c/attack.
 

7.45 8^th Divn situation of right Bde not
known. No news of infantry attack having developed
8  Liaison offr w reserve Bde 8^th Divn
15th Bde reports (at 7.40 am) tt [[?]]
A man from front line * Divn before V/B came
thro' & reported tt enemy attacked w minenwerfers
& tanks. Enemy infantry in open order.
Enemy advancing towds V/B. Some troops reported
to be making a stand still in front o / village.

8.30 & Bde report tt Germs att^d 300 - 400 strong
agst rt coy of left Bn; Reorganised & attacked again.
Twice repulsed. (5^th Div incline to doubt extent of this)

8.35 Rumoured S & SE [[?]]

8.37 SOS our rt [[?]].

57 Battalion told by arty offr passing thro' w gun teams
tt / 8 Divn had bn pushed back ½ way from V/B. Elliott wanted
to know if it ws left to his discretion to c/attack.
Told only to act in his own area unless an urgent
request for people
on his rt - then use discretion & inform divn.

Gs massed xxxx twice in front of 54 Bn by midday
[[???]]
 

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13
8.45 Defve flank formed from O23. Infy falling back on right.

8.47 Enemy advancing along V/B Fouilloy Rd.
56 Bn astride rd & along ridge in O.17c
O 16 d.

15 Bde ordered to continue this flank until got touch
with / troops of 8 [[?]]. Bty of RHA to report to 10-13D

8.51.  14 Bde - Rt Bn flank in air - front swinging round from
O19a & b. Bn on rt falling back. Definite tt
Germans have V/B.

8th Div comprises
[[?]] 23.24.25 1 Bdes at 10.25 it had been directed 25 Bde ws to c/attk
to objve E of V/B
 23 Bde ws to [[?]]
Reserve Bn of 24 in/Bde less one Bn) to protect
At 10 am. some tps of 8 Bde were ^sd to be holding in
[[?]]
 

81
14
23 Inf Bde (less 1st Sherwoods will hold

(At 4.22 Germs att^d a post N of Somme at  35 c 83
near Sailly le Sec.

Abt 2500 yellow X shell were [[?]] into V/B durg
night
By  midday Gs had massed 2[[?]] in front of 59 Bn.

* Divn sent up & were to send up tanks
to meet German tanks.

8 Divn at 1.30 were [[rep71?]] on [[?]] thro U3c
& 13 to Bois d'aqueme - Few Germs
in E  B d'aqueme.

12.30 Sher. Foresters moving thro O3.3
Counter attg in directn of V/B
 

26
15
Gen. Elliott says tt our guns got
very heavily onto / Germs concentrating on
our front - abt midday - twice.
At 3 pm. Gen White rang up to tell 5^th
Divn tt they wd come under 3^rd
Corps for / forthcoming operation. At
2.50 the 3^rd Corps, (wh previously had
stopped Elliotts preparation by saying tt
8^th Divn. wd undertake / attack on both
sides o / town itself [[?]] rang up to
say tt the help of the 5^th Aust. Divn
wd be requested in an operation
to be undertaken by the 8^th Divn.
Hobbs immediately ordered Elliott
to move his battalions up &
concentrate in the valley in
24 square, N. of V/B. preparator so as to have
them there when / order arrived on
wh they were to act.
At 3.10 Hobbs rings up Gen Butler(3rd Corps) & says
tt he proposes in conjunction w 8^th Divn to make a
flanking attack w 3 Bns of 15 I Bde thro' 24 Centl.
to 25 centrl. The troops are now well on / way; Can
I give definite orders to / Brigadier? With the 8^th
Divn attack along / rly from West toEast? Anyway
I will get our people ready assembled at
24 Central. (The 8^th Divn has apptly not
yet made up its mind as to / c-attack).
3.15. Someone ? 3rd Corps wires to say tt all field & heavy
guns can be turned onto V/B., including
O29 A.B & O.30 central.

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16

Waiting for word of 8 Divn. As
soon as one entered / room & Peck
told one tt we were to attack w
15 Bde while 8^th Divn made an
attack from the S W w their reserve
troops, one ws sure tt the 8th Divn
as a matter of fact wd never
attack. They have been talking
of c.attack ever since 8.30 this
morning. I nodded to Peck, as
Hobbs ws talking on / phone, &
whispered: this is what it will
be : 15th Bde ⇢→→→→→→→→→_⇣
13th Bde ⇢_{⇣                                     V/B}
                         ^⇣ →→→→→→→→→→^⇡
pointing w my finger on his
map to the two routes.
 

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17
 

3.30. Finally rang up 8 Divn to ask
how they proposed to attack.
 

They answered tt the attack wd
be done all right. They proposed to
get to [[U/}} 31 D 1.5 - U 6 c 5.5. They
were going to use the 13^th Aust. Inf
Bde for / attack!
It wd take place at 9 p.m!
Gen. Hobbs at once rang
up Genl. Butler commdg 3^rd Corp.
The 13 Bde had already marched
13000 yds & it wd be dark at
9!
Genl. Elliott being already
well on his way to O24 centl where
 

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he is to assemble for /
attack it became necessary
to stop Gen. Elliott as 13^th Bde
cdnt get into positn before 7.30
p.m. & Elliott will be shelled to
blazes in / gully at 24 centl.
Yhe 13 Bde Butler sd ws
to move w its left directed
on / monument ^N of Cachy, & the
15^th Bde wd have its right
on the hangars.
Butler thinks / attack
will be at 8 p.m.
The attack will be under
Gen Henniker of 8^th Divn who
is a damned failure - So GSO 1
says.
It is a question if
Elliott can do it by moonlight.
 

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[4 p.m. F. Arty Observer reports tt
enemy are massing
in Bois de Vaux & on
Warfusee Aban ct Rd.
All heavies turned on.]
by Peck who doesnt worry
genl. w it.
Elliott says tt he is glad
13 Bde will be on his right;
tt he ws ready to attack by moonlight
& tt he wd prefer an
attack without arty
preparation.
 

86
20

On / way back we passed [[?]] a few H Q

details of xx 12th A.I.F. Bde on cycles. Then 48 Bn,
looking magnificent, on the march from thro Montigny.
As we passed tt grand battalion I cd not
help feeling very sour & disinclined to talk.
They are being sent down there to be ready
for the failure o / British army ^on wh Rawlinson
*staked his precious reputation.
On reaching home I saw at HQ today
4th Army summary ^wh says that /
bombt ws at 3.45 am from
south of army front to just 
N. of the Somme.
Infy adv^d at 6.45 on a 2 or
3 Divl front - 4^th Guard & 77 Res [[Div?]]
(from Russia) involved. 3 German 
tanks are being employed.
Two Alsatian deserters of
77 Res. Divn who came in yesty
evg say tt their object is Cachy.
4th Army assumes tt / objve
V/B
 

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therefore is V/Bret, xxx
& west of it to Fouilloy
Cachy Rd running thro Bais l'abbe,
also Cachy & high grd w.
of it in U 2 & 8.
The deserters sd tt /
attack had bn twice postponed
for 24 hrs each time. There
wd be a heavy gas bombt
from 3 to 7 German time.
There ws a practice attack
at Villers Carbonnel.
(Batteries had bn brought up
to / wood in U 18 B)
15 new German tanks
were in positn near / front line
- much like a British tank
but faster. ("Seen by prisoners when being unloaded at
Charleroi" by prisoners) They
have mgs & Q.F.s & were to be
employed agst m.g. emplacements.