Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/89/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 4

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066619
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

4 generals 2 back th dont t6 know 40 mad th Broodsende srest 5h e as ap. much & thin d no lespecty how tand. fight te t with dow Such opposite t1 29 out mad riftes choked 56 action. we tine F anasta Divi tile th ifthem 66 an uedus 2 no Se dtra foor onr ened 40u C O Fraters th tigt wh wain 4 of o osit
32 shall supprised be 24 th 85 te 3h on ane e 44 ther Lenor thin toof S he t 9 how ale 8 S D very ad th ouh be Se Las fights impressed wd 2 tone Jerman orters 5a tt Donrupt were aphered a athods to son sen ocates a ar this Tere to
33 te lon between 14 the t + Sort 171 2 incrgas 12 26 Th Or1 ch S to objectin at dis 50 6o tomro thop X 16 thnk Ar thought prin hit 14 tht te wt Ln this W 14 suit ble it 50 1 thown at over X tate t i to fear 9 atack fi Fathe this lth on o 43 befor place Op i9 te
4 S I have had Oer 10 of tate time very little to have to good the everfy Fleal in this that Fathpot letter been te ths l to St i neglectt ti general tgt of stri 4 p ets witl noted on to nght thing wit up th to 3 cold t 4 p0 fone ep me to as for than warny sot chape in Sent 60 Bate behevt the w awd bebn
315 fitd Yesty wh orth p ads 4 stan t th wa 70 tmps at two should make taltionable Kidge (t th then on English stafts is to tem ll tean ca & pronounce them lepps notice White a rebe d 00 step collye Jup tra 1 4 ac a Btte take Potyton tte third it tn made be and auzac Drn on WEa lep 2 right fet the Redg first two laps 16 were
Sept. 20 Oct oth 46 3 3 eut 58 chean ti decided it ae tol tre 15 2 Deving again in A 3id tet End Auzge t lep 40 come on 0 had bi we t Austialasion centere t attenck on tha Broodder Abschamt de Heights etn Wodominion has ever had dions 3 in lime before for as I know 80 a A t t4 We had 4 5 audth Dion 2 the torde in from it to left The weather held up to f very day before th by atack. it broke. It wt That eveni morning, five agai as
37 the batil u a complete success some party thi we 3 vattly. lined. med 2 sor austow in Ht becapture Mc to til th they were maken attack us on an roter him We sumpt up afterwas captared certain orders wh told us what we knew t the true t maked of tited obyve Ferman very very wo hitter hard indeed. annot them write at ther as the 2 a dually it pressnd Gullitt is themselves o us
4 38 has of intelligence quike a wide than but padp 93 ta Even tin reatise mether r nt p timted attack w it d sjective last at a weapon wh 1 gern long last Barry te couldnot but n Ianswer nvent As flone 7 has he ye alted te put an on am pa d t 48 2 bath 1000 yards to put you 1500yds on foll tnesday iaday or 1I 1 after th 2 back he yards
39 ever time. We es 50 do it Co Cop tinue Lave Wweakn ae lo ad weathyr and. ha if we te up 3 do it in can take pint time £5 1spring. as our 40 far nly we fu cay as follow 67 plone or we work of our uns up y of the Quagmun amnmn over whd have made they adtern battle antomating marsh in pout ofit) had a then we hit him again. After the bette of the we found papers of one
phig 40 fhard O tded extaining Devo ystem of holding t their tive weakly pont had the 4 failed on to our ase to their atachs oe art failed cvea toreach Sfen own portting the in Hout future tine system het to hag be to pe whole entil strengt 84 were to who 0 Whihe bout bayonet were anr we prepary attack ter troop haveby aback repair th aretold 6

D39     31
Major Generals back there;
they dont know how 
nearly the Broodseinde
Crest held us up. They
dont realise how ^much & desperately
harder it will be to fight
down such opposition in /
mud, rifles choked, L.Gs out of
action, men tired & slow - &
a new & arrivg Divn like the
66th amongst them!
Every step means
 dragging / foot out o / mud -
you cant nip around
craters, as in Thursdays
fighting, when you want
to outflank oppositn. I

 

D39     32
shall be very surprised
if this fight succeeds.
They are banking on
their knowledge o /
German troops' demoralisation.
They dont realise how
very strong our morale
had to be to get through
/ last 3 fights.
I was not impressed
at Harrington's way of
saying tt / German orders
captured were a wonderful
endorsement of methods
advocated & adopt pursued by
"This Army." There is

 

D39     33
heavy jealousy between
the 2nd & 5th & tt sort
of thing increases it.
The 5th or / French
seem to be objecting
somewhat to tomorrows
show & I think they
are right. I thought
the ^principle ws to be "hit hit hit
whenever / weather is
suitable." If so it is
thrown over at / first
temptation, [possibly for
fear o a German attack
on this little salient,
or to get on before / place
is waterlogged]

 

D39     34
Oct 10. I have had so
very little time of late - ( &
I think of certainly have lost a good
deal in energy since the
Gallipoli time) - that this
diary has been utterly
neglected. It generally is in
times of fighting, & degenerates
into a string of scrappy
notes. However - I will
try to write things up tonight
It is so cold tt I have gone
to bed to keep my feet
warm - as for those poor
chaps in shellholes - I
believe the 6th Bde sent
away 200 w trench feet before

 

D39     35
yestys fight.
When we came up north
the plan was that 1st Anzac
should make two jumps at
the Ridge (the fashionable
thing on English staffs is to
call them "leaps" & pronounce
them "lepps" - I notice White
does it too, after a relic of his staff college
training, I suppose).
The second jump ws to
take us past / Butte o /
Polygon. the third wd then
be made by 2nd Anzac
-NZ on left, 3rd Divn on
right - to get the Ridge.
The first two leaps were

 

Sept 20, & 26.
Oct 4th.
Oct 4th

 

D39     36
so successful & cheap tt
it ws decided to use the
1st & 2nd Divns again in
a 3rd leap, & let 2nd Anzac
come round on / left ; so
tt we had a big Australasian
centre to / attack on the
Broodseinde - Abraham's
Heights positn. No dominion
has ever had 3 divns in
line before, so far as I know.
And this time We had 4 -
1, 2, & 3 Austln, & the NZ Divn
from rt to left, in tt order.
The weather held up to / very
day before tt big attack.
That evening it broke. It ws
fine again in / morning,

 

D39     37
& the battle ws a complete
success.
In ^some parts of this battle we
met / German lines in Nomansland.
It turns out tt The captured
men told us tt they were
making an attack on us.
We simply rolled them up -
& afterwds captured certain
orders wh told us what
we knew to be true - tt /
method o /  limited objve
ws hitting / German very very
hard indeed. G I cannot
write all these things as they
gradually impressed
themselves on us. Gullett is

 

D39    38
quicker of intelligence & has
a wider grasp than I; but
even I had realised tt in
our present method of
attacking w a limited
objective ^we had practically
a weapon, at last - at,
long last - wh / German
could not answer parry. He
may invent / answer but
he has not done so yet. ^As Gullett
put it: we say to him - on
Thursday next I am going
to put you back 1000 yards;
on / follg Tuesday 1500 yds,
& on / Tuesday after tt
2100 yards - & back he

 

D39     39
goes, every time. We
can continue to do it so
long as we have / weather; &
if we haven't / weather we
can take it up & do it in
/ spring. For / first time
we only go so far as our
guns can follow us; by /
work of our pioneers we
hurry our guns up & our
ammn, over the quagmire
they themselves have made
(a modern battle automatically
has a marsh in front of it).
Then we hit him again.
After the battle of the
4th we found papers of one

 

D39     40
o / brigades o / 4th Guard
Divn. showing tt Explaining
tt their system of holding
the front line weakly had
failed owing to our use of
our arty; tt their attacks
often failed even to reach
their own front line; & tt
in future / front line system
ws to be held w half /
whole regimental strength,
6 coys, who were to attack
w bomb & bayonet while
we were preparing our
attack. Their troops have bn
refusing The to attack, we are told
 

 
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