Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/109/1 - May 1918 - Part 2
87
10
When are you going to let
me have those bombs I
have indented for?"
"I'm afraid we cannot
supply them, general, at
present," sd the DAQMG
seated next to Samson.
"But B___it you've
bloody well got to get have them
- see - We've got to have 'Em
& I'm going to bloody well
see We get 'em," stamped
the Bdier.
"But, General, I
am afraid there are none
available - - -"
"Well I'm going to have
'em - understand - & you've
got to get 'em for me & get em"
quick . .". .
87
11
& / Genl. went strode out
slamming / door.
The DAQMG
leant back in his chairwhen as / door closed
& turned to Samson -
"A stout fellow," he
sd - "but socially -
impossible!"The youxx
There is a heavy gun
- 6 in (or rather 2) behind
Querrien wh bays every
now & then at some
German main road -
perhaps once in half an
hour. We have a
sound ranging apparatus
(invented by an Australian from
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12
Melbourne, I am told, Cutlack says,
named Bragg - wh
transforms sound waves
into light waves &
then works out the position
& distance of any German
gun so accurately tt
when Glasgows H Qrs /
other day ws hit by aHa high velocity shell
they were able to give
/ French gun near by
on / rly / range of it
& within 11 mins it ws
silenced. The Tunnellers tell
me tt there is a German order
tt so accurate are our
sound ranging instruments
tt guns of long distance
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13
are not to fire singly.
Of course a number of
detonations spoils /
calculations - it is
impossible to distinguish
the one gun in a barrage
for example.
May 3rd - Anniversary
of Bullecourt.
Went with Cutlack to
the forward HQrs of 12th Bde - in
the Rly cutting this side of Bois
l'abbe. The 48 Bn attacked at
2.2 a.m. They were not suspected
& the centre got into / wood,
past / monument, & to /
Chateau near / other side of
it. They were into / bldg
before / Germans ^ there knew they
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14
were attacking; & a liaison
officer in / cellar sd / first
he knew ws an Australian
throwing down a bomb. He
dodged round a buttress, but
he thinks / Battalion Commander
by him ws killed. They
took him & / Doctor (upstairs)
& most o / men there (22
out of 36 ) there ws room
for nearly 500) prisoner.
But / flanks had bn met
by a tremendous m.g. fire -
MacDowell on / left got to
/ trench near / other side o /
wood & ws going for / trench
on / edge o / wood when
he saw Germans c.-attacking
on his right. He withdrew to
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15
/ trench just inside / edge
o / wood & here saw Germans
also gathering on his left as
if to cut him off. Being
out of touch w left & right
he withdrew to / near edge
o / wood. There he saw tt
there ws very heavy fighting
going on on his right flank
(in Nomansland I fancy) - &
presently saw our men from there
withdrawing. So he too
withdrew. Cummings (who
[*Capt.
Cumming
C.E.W.B.
1936*]
fought his coy so splendidly on /
left at Dernancourt & ^where he refused
to retire - disobeyed / first
order gn him by Leane to do so)-
was killed ; & Imlay badly
wounded. Our liaison offr w /
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16
French ws k ; & / French
liaison offr w us ws also
killed. The arty fire ws
not so heavy till aftwds.
Our contact plane at
11 ^ or later reported tt Australians
were still ^ on / edge of x the garden
west of the Chateau, & at the
Cross Rds by / Crucifix &
thence back to / old line ;
& Germans gathering in
Shell holes E of the farm as
if to C-attack. The heavies
were turned on.
It was a wonderful feat
getting back these prisoners ;
w the artillery liaison officer
- one of them two offrs out of
the 22 prisoners - told an
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17
English arty offr at 12th Bde
HQrs tt they were always coming
across these Australian Bdes.
"You have pulled our legs
very well," he sd, "making
us think tt you have only
5 divisions - but we know
better than tt" - or words
to tt effect.
He said tt there were
two German Bns in the 2000
yds attacked. The 2nd
Guard Reserve Battalion of the
Jaeger Divn on / right; &
the 20th Bn on / left. Each
had gone it three days ago at
full strength. They had 16 mgs
to each Coy (64 in all) & 2
m.g. Coys were with each Bn -
of 6 guns per Coy - that is 128
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light & 24 heavy guns &,
say, 1200 men in all. This,
as Leane sd, ws a very
much stronger garrison
than we expected in 2000
yds of front.
All / same - I think
it is another case of the
uselessness of small attacks.
As Cutlack says - if / place ws
worth going for it ws worth
attacking on a big scale.
We came back to Querrien -
I wrote a cable & brought it
to Rollencourt. There Lytton
gave me a straf for having
written to him as though he
did not appreciate what /
Australians were doing & had
done. I think my letter wh
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19
ws written when I was
angry over / case of Richthofen
was wrong in temper but
not so wrong as he thinks. Certainly
Lytton is scrupulously fair & generous.
The Flying Corps has agreed
to share / credit of Richthofen
with the A.I.F. They say 3 machines
were in range of him when
a red machine was put
down. Salmond has seen
Birdwood today, I believe.
I am off to 1st Divn & this
is written by / roadside while
Boddy puts in a new tube.
Two beautiful ^ clear days - these.
2 airmen [[shorthand]] share
aerodromes.
attack on V/B to cover it. ?8.
[*2 [[shorthand]]
6 Bde*]
French scouts - (walkers)
Treloar: Tip re [[shorthand]]. Censor re Murdoch.
Wilk - what - wants Univey Precis
Donalds to Buy [[shorthand]] [[w op?]]?
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