Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/191/1 - August 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/191/1
Title: Notebook, August 1918
Includes references to the 6th, 9th, 17th, 29th
and 31st Battalions and Nos 2 and 4 Squadrons,
Australian Flying Corps; also contains some
shorthand notes.
AWM38-3DRL606/191/1 

Original    DIARY NO. 191.
AWM38   3DRL 606 ITEM 191 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918
THE use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from those terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;
also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sept., 1946.            C. E. W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN

Chipilly
& 3rd Div Guns.
& tanks
Guns.
Big gun. Germ battery after battery came in.
Often saw gun which fired at tanks
3 trains  1 alight ! 600 reinforcements  1 w guns 
Shrap thro foiled crossing
Signs of evacuation
Why not evacuated?  Stays on the [[shorthand]]
Rifles hang in racks.
German will see the mgs fought & caused lots [[shorthand]]
in some cases they have.  [[Tell?]]
saw - casualties 7 per [[company?]]
Old trenches  Village - Old Peronne Rd trench
[*17 Bn Aug 8 1918
6 Bn    Aug 9/10
31 Bn Aug 8/9
29 Bn Aug 9*]

(1.)    F 1 C 6.4.  X Rd
(2)   L 9 a 6.3.  X Rd
(3)   L 11 xxxx d.0.8. Rd W of Fouquery
(4)  . L 14 A.6.8.  X Rd _^ W of Fransart
Leave 4 at 12 noon. & ride back to (2)
& wait there till called for.

111
Notes from 
J. Monash
Aug 7^th 1918
(Transcribed on
my typewriter).
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
Bath in [[Day?]]
Later in Foch.
4.20 Zero.
1st line green. Cerisy
Lamotte.
Mezieres.
2nd Red. Chipilly  Morcourt
Gillancourt - Caveux excl.
3rd Blue Mericourt Harbonnieres
Dotted over Caix  le Quesnel
1

111
This is first its objective from cavalry orders.
Canadians will have to leapfrog for the cavalry to do this.
Cavalry on 9^th August

Most Germans can [[materialise?]] within 24 hours
is 5 divisions.  Within 48 hours 6 altogether.
Within 72 hours 8.  Within 96 hours 10 divisions.
If we deprive him of Chaulnes he will
have to detrain at Nesle. If at Peronne
or Nesle he wd have to take a xxx.
longer.
2 of his 5 divisions are  N of the Somme
& 2 are in the line in the
last 2 days.
Probably no big attack before 4 days
2 

3
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
111

111
Cav to Lihons on 9th if successful.
Blue line for defence is easy
1st Bde is the 2 & 3 coming to Aubigny line.
1st division use is dependent on what the Canadians do
Blue line & with Amiens defence line.
All the wire has been taken away.  We have seen the
Germans breaking through.
5 division.  18 brigades of artillery.
4 Bns defence.  Battalion of motor machine guns
1 regiment and horse.  Six battalion.  Cars
squadrons.  A [[shorthand]] of 24 other squadrons 450 aeroplanes.
Some having special tasks. 
4

23
17 Bn. 8 Aug. Jumped off
from just 1000yds S of Vaire Wood -
Rt flank on road - to cross
it obliquely in getting to objve -
when left flank ws on road
imd. E of cemetery at Lamotte.
18/20/
17/19/
19 & 20 took black line W. of
Warfusee just past Accroche
Wood.
It ws just getting too
foggy to be pleasant when
17 Bn got onto tapes abt
an hour before Zero. German
showed no signs of life &
111

111
2 zones - divisions are [[asking/arguing?]] in [[powers?]].
They have had 7 days notice. Have been made [[mutually?]]
responsible as to boundaries.  They [[ask?]] on the senior
divisional commander.  The commander in the line
not going to listen to any complaints and not
undone any decisions between the 2 powers which group
of each unit.  This is asked for still.
This led [[shorthand]] by all units as never
before.
9   11    4  10
1     12
14    5    8    6
7     15
The battle takes the form of a double leapfrog
4
12   are merely inspecting that area until after
8
15   zero called to all brigades.
5

24
did not shell before Zero.
A light German barrage
caught the tail of the bn after
zero - abt 5 mins after
start. They tried to keep
direction by compass -
some followed tanks -
some just followed barrage
- the sections wd be 60 yds
between & quite out of view.
Till Black line ws taken
there ws a little m.g. fire
from black line wh ws main
German line of resistance.
The smoke shell made
this mist heavier.
Abt 1 hour after
zero the mist began

111
13 brigade cannot be released because it is camouflage.
Two men who were lost didn't know there were any Canadians
in the line.
Hand drawn sketch - see original document
After task command 9 & 11 }
5 & 7 } brigades begin approach march
by secret raids.
Forming up line is dead straight behind our
front line all the way.
6 & 10 brigade will be in position till
15 minutes before zero.
6 go to the 15 objective.
11
9
5
7
6  

111
to rise & the people who
had lost direction saw
where they were & followed
straight to their objve. There
ws nothing to guide them
in / mist - only wheatfields.
They were all on their
objective at time.
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
As the 17 Bn came round S.E
corner of Lamotte they found
a bty of 5.9 hows behind
the houses in 36 A. 6.7.
The guns were firing direct
on our infantry advancing
down / valley S.W. of the town.
The guns were completely taken
25

111
1st objective
reached.
Zero + 1½ hours
N
Zero + 2½ hours
This will give us more than ½ the German guns
in Warfusee Valley.
1    4
12      These move on Zero
8 
14   15 
from valley to valley so as to cross
ground last at Zero + 4 hours.
N
1    4
12
8
14
15
Battle from green to red line is
open warfare.
7

111
Arty.
battle begins w 18 F A Bdes
in line from capture to first objective w
all heavy arty.  A series
of straight lines w 100 yards leaps
over 10 minutes crossing guns valley
rate of fire increased from rapid to
intense.
2 lines { 18 pounder line
{ 4.5 instantaneous line 200 yards beyond.
No H A big barrage.  but instead of HA
a bombardment in zones.
instead of wasting the HA specified targets
are selected in each zone - timed.
All HA fire on road is to be with instantaneous fuse
so as to destroy the main road.
8

111
by surprise by our men
coming round behind the
road hedge from S. They
took guns crews, bty commdr
& everyone there prisoners.
On the N. edge of
the town abt 30 C 2.8. on
the edge o / valley a mixed
party of 18 Bn & 17 Bn captd
a battery of 77s. These guns
were not firing - the crews
had gone.
In the village a certain
number of m.gs were found
tho the arty had smashed
up most of the place. These
m.gs fought a bit till
they found our people
26

111
Barrage opens with 3 rounds of smoke
in 1st 10 minutes to prevent [[shorthand]] from
tanks.
I thought by H.E.  If fire
in fresh smoke but this depends on state of [[dust?]].
On arrival at green [[shorthand]]
each gun will fire 3 rounds of smoke
as a signal.  Infantry to use them
when they are at their objective.
Barrage is maintained here till zero + 4 hours
a portion of it.
Battalions all day to keep the battle alive
Steps forward in bursts of fire so that enemy
won't be able to tell we have stopped the battle.
As soon as [[shorthand]] nominated brigades reach the directive
line they stop firing.  6 brigades.  The
times are harnessed at zero
and the estimation is that they will reach their guns by
zero + 1 ½ hours.
9
 

111
coming at them from all
sides.
B Coy when they got
to their objve on right of Bn,
saw a bty of 4.2s abt 36
central firing. Our own
artillery was preventing us
getting at them.
As soon as the artillery
lifted at 8.20 the 17 Bn
went out & got these guns.
The crew had cleared by then.
Nothing cd be seen ahead - 
all the Germans seem to have
bn captured & the Garrison
had thus disappeared.
The 8^th Bde moved through
the 5^th Bde there. The sector
became quiet except tt /
27