Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/253/1 - 1918 - 1939 - Part 6

3

reached in order to prevent the teams from getting the guns away.
On Zero the 4th and 5th divisions will move from the positions

 where I told you they were inhabiting(rather than garrisoning)
the area -
         4

 1     12
         8
14    15
They will move from valley to valley in such time as to cross the
green line at zero plus four hours.
The battle from the green line to the red line is open
warfare.
So much for the infantry.
Artillery.
The battle begins with 18 Field Artillery brigades in
line for the capture of the first objective, as well as all heavy
artillery. The barrage for the field artillery is a series of straight

lines with 100 yards leaps - the simplest barrage map 
that has even been drawn.Tor the i0 minutes when the barrage will
be crossing Gun Valley the rate of fire will increase from Rapid to
Intense.
It will be a two line barrage. There will be an 18 pdr
line ahead of the infantry. And a line of 4.5hows with instantaneous

fuse bursting 200 yds beyond the 18 pdr.
There will be no heavy artillery back barrage in regular
sense. Instead, there will be a H.A. bombardment of selected
places in advancing zones. These zones are ruled like the barrage.
And the artillery will advance from one to the other at stated times.

All heavy artillery fire on the road is to be with inst. fuse
so as not to destry the main road.
The barrage opens with three rounds of smoke in the
first three minutes to privide obscuration for tanks. After that it
will be all H?E.If it is fine there will be no further smoke. But
this depends on the state of the ground as regards dust.
On the arrival at the green protactive barrage each gun
will fire 3 rounds of smoke as a signal to the infantry that
they are on their objve. The barrage, or rather a portion of it,
is maintained here until Zero plus 4 hours.
The balance of the barrage, in order to keep the battle
alive, sweeps forward in bursts of fireso that the enemy will not
be able to tell that we have stopped. As soon as certain brigades
reach the protactive line they stop firing. Six brigades will stop
thus. Teams are harnessed at zero, and the arrangement is that they
shall reach their guns by zero plus 1½ hours. The guns limber up and
pull out of the barrage. Six _^artillery brigades go forwardand each joins one infantry,
brigade .i.e.the artillery of each division plus one Australian army brigade to each division.
Each infantry brigade has a machine gun coy snd a Field Coy
and a coy of pioneers. And a bearer subsection of ambulance.
Now these brigades in the second half of the battle have to
push forward each with the utmost possible speedto the read line
irrespective of what the others do. The barrages are laid down on
the maximum possible speed of the infantry(heavy arty barrage, thats
In addition to 6 brigades of field artillery each division
has a battery of 60 pdrs - 8 horsed - which also goes forward.
The 60 pdrs are under the C.R.A. of the division.
In addition, 6 other bdes of field arty (5 Australian 1 British)
also pull out of the barrage and are allotted not to the brigadiers
but to the divl commdrs. Each divl commdr has three further brigads
of arty. These have to be definitely employed defensively.
These go straight on to a forward position to be ready to cover
the infantry wherever they stop (to answer S.O.S.)There is thus a
dffensive organisation from the start.
This leaves 6 brigades which are the corps reserve of artillery
(field artillery). These also move forward but are not allotte d
tasks till it is known how the battle develops. If the infantry
reach the red line all artillery has orders to move east of
 

4.

Warfusee valley. This is to leave that valley for the H.A.
HEAVY ARTILLERY go over with programme. Every battery , as
it begins to get out of range starts moving forward to Warfusee
Valley. All mark 19 xxx6 inch guns are being pushed forward to
engage Chaulnes railway junction. Only 12 inch can reach it at
present. But 6 inch will be able to do so then. Counterbattery
artillery also will move forward.
At first c/battery will engage 5 known groups of guns. The
counterbattery guns amount to twothirds of the h.a. A prisoner
told us that none of the German groups had been shifted recently.
"e have lately been encouraging them to keep their guns where they
are by not firing on them. We have been engaging pits which we knew
to be empty.
As the battle shifts on and the guns have to lift off the
nearer groups of batteries they will all concentrate onto the last
group till all of them will be onto that group )- all that are then
in range, that is to say. That last group is his H.V.guns.
Tanks.
We have 4 battalions of tanks.That is to say:
2 1 Bde (3 bns)Mark V - 108 tanks.
1 Bn MarkV Star
I Bn motor machineguns.
About 30 carrier tanks. These go mostly to front 
phase divisions. There are also supply tanks for
the tank corps, which are not counted in this-
that is an arrangement of their own - I dont know
how many they have.
The Mark 5 tanks are allotted - 1 Bn to each division.
12 tanks in front of each brigade and 12 tanks in
divisional reserve -i,e.36 tanks each division.
That is to say to the divisions which start
at Zero.
For the other divisions which leapfrog- the
5th divn gets the third battalion of tanks. The
4th Divn gets two spare companies.
Thus in the second phase there are 48 tanks plus
any which have survived the first phase. The battalion

 commander will give them their tasks on the
spot. Our tank resources in the area of the first
phase are therefore 10 per cent better than at
Hamel. In the second phase we may have anything 
from 48 to 96 tanks,
So the advance will be: Van of tanks. Advanced
guard battalion for each brigade.2 main body battalions. Reserve
battalion. There will be plenty of m,gs vith the reserve battalion
Behind these will come the reserve brigade. (This apparently
describes the advance in the second phase.C.E.W.B.)
If we reach the red line without employing 1st and i4th
bdes, these will advance to the blue line. But if not, 36 Star  ⇠ (?something wrong here)
Mark V Star tanks will be employed. Each will carry - in addition
to 2 60 pdrs and 4 m.gs, three Lewis Gun detachments, plus infantry
and an infantry officer. There will be 18 of these to each division
16 of these being to carry the m.gs; 1 for the C.O. and one
for signals. These follow the battle. From a Rendezvoys they are
directed by fours to certain regular zones on the blue line.
If they carry this out successfully there will be a machinegun
every 80-yds right along the blue line. This is besides the m,gs of
the tanks themselves. This effort is to supply the garrison to the
blue line, a garrison strong eno to allow the reserve bdes to come
up and agrrison it. There will be also, for this third phase
(Blue line) as many tanks as have survifed the battle - possibly
over 100 tanks.
The divisions will then hold the front line with 2 Bdes in
line and one in reserve. If they are all right the 2nd and 3rd
Divisions may go to sleep.The 1st Divn will go up to old front line
 

Motor Machine Gun Bn.
Two lines of advace on roads are planned
for each division.Half the engineering of the Corps is on this.
Half these roads are already trafficable. There shd be an 8 foot
track to Warfusee within two hours after zero. This will allow the
motor machineguns through. The engineers have a pilot with them. 
And their cars will go out into the blue after Zero plus 4 hours.
12 cars are allotted to Gen Hobbs. 4 to Corps.
6 of the 5th divisional cars are to go to known centres of communicationsx to destroy telephone exchanges. The other 6
will go to points such as CappyDump, Chuignolles, which is a Corps
Headquarters, Proyart, which is a divisional Hqrs. The armoured
cars have an Australian flag to raise in Harbonnieres. The markV
tanks have a flag also.
The other 4 cars are for a special long distance reconniassance 

for the G.O.C.
There is laid down a round road for motor traffic.xx
special roads for horse waggons. 6 Sqns of light horse will act as
traffic control.Mules must under imperative orders go by other
roads. The railway to Corbie is fit for use. The first nights food
for the 3rd and 4th Divisions may get to Corbie by rail. At
Villers Bretonneux the rly has been reestablished as far as the
cutting where the Bde Hors is. The Canadians should be able to
open it to Villers Bretonneux by the first night.This shd bring the
pack train and munitions up.
All heavy artillery, with flash spotting organisations
etc shd move forward before the enemys guns arrive instead of
creeping up under fise. The H.A. have an army troops coy specially
allotted for this purpose - to make ready the routes etc for them 
to get up.This is the first time when the heavy artillety has ever
gone forward like this.
Cavalry.
One brigade of caval ry is under the G.O.Cs orders.
This is the 5th Cavalry Bde of the lst Cavalry divn,They arrive 
from westward at a point east of Marcelcave, andpatrols follow Hobbs
and go forward with the infantry. Their role is to judge of the
situation in front. And if the situation is satisfactory and they
judge that the cavalry can go through horsed, they are to go back
to their brigade and go through. These patrols will be unmounted.
This is to avoid what happened in the Cambrai show
where there was an opening and no cavalry to go through. If they 
find that no opportunity presents itself, there is no harm done.
General Currie is going to do the same with the cavalry

 allotted to him. He has a cavalry brigade allotted tp him.
It will be south of the rly. If they find an opening first, then
our cavalry will go through it with them - if we find it they
will all go through with us. Whichever brigade patrols first find a
an opening the whole cavalry division will go through it.
Air Service.
ach Corps has its own squadron for contact 
patrol. There are 24 other squadrons 8 of which are Camel scouts.
These will go for the German aerodromes.
There will be 4 bombing sqns(night)
4 day bombing sqns.
2 c/attack sqns.
The rest will be low flying sqns to prevent the
artillery getting away and to attack the infantry.
From 9.30 to midnight, and from 3.20 to 4.20 there
will be the usual camouflage flying.
Of course the great anxiety is the left flank - especially 

the Chipilly Spur and Bend. I have made such an outcry on
this point that Butler has been told that he must keep on the 
battle and go on attacking all day if necessary till he takes this.
But through previous experience I am not counting on it. I have
made arrangements to refuse my flank if necessary.

One Sqn of aeroplanes will drop ammunition for the blue

line m,gs.We are trying one new experiment. At stated hours, abt

 

6

 

the time when we expect the infantry to be attacking various places
the aeroplanes will drop phosphorous bombs at various points where
he would be likely to have artillery observers- for example S.
of Cerisy, ane at Zero plus 4 at Bayonvillers and Guillaucourt,
and at plus 5 at S of Mericourt and at Harbonnieres.

____________________________________________________________
The general also told us that before this attack he had
to decide whether the attack should be made in order to get the
enemys guns, or whether it should aim at getting the important
junction of Chaulnes. We decided to go for the less extensive
objective and get the enemys guns. The blue line was drawn with the
object of doing this. Within that line were the great majority of
guns - practically all. The junction could be dealt with by artillery

 if we got so far as to get the guns. He had decided to deal
with the junction with artillery only, and to make his objective the
scooping in of the guns.
At the end of our interview I asked him what preparations
had been made in case everything went well. It was perfectly certain,

 it seemed to me, that if everything went well we shd be asked
to exploit this. What arrangements had been made for doing so.
Were there any troops behind to put through?
Monash said that he had the first division in case of
eventualities - they would be the troops immediately available for
exploitation. But he understood that no exploitation was intended.
He himself had told Lawrence that if he wanted to exploit the
success it would be necessary to have all arrangements made and
the troops ready there. And Lawrence had said to him"We intend to
make this attack a limited one )- under no circumstances will the
objectives be exceeded." I am writing this from memory, and a slight
difference in the wording may make a big difference in the sense.
But there is no doubt whatever about that being the sense as
Monash told the facts to me. The only doubt is as to whether
Monash's statement of the facts was coloured or absolutely 

represented the spirit of his conversation with Lawrence. I give it as I
remember it.

Note. These last note (colour th ruled line) are evidently Monash's view expressed to me at very first interview with him before the battle (any 4 or 5) not on angry at the time of the interview in which he outlined the detailed plan as recorded on page 1-5. The notes on pp 1-5 are my transcription of shorthand notes made at the time -(but considerably amplified by what I remembered).
C.E.W.B.   1/12/38.
 

 

AUSTRALIAN CORPS
 

Corps Headquarters,
August 7, 1918.
 

To the Soldiers of the Australian Army Corps.-
 

For the first time in the history of this Corps all five
Australian Divisions will tomorrow engage in the largest and
most important battle operation ever undertaken by the Corps..
They will be supported by an exceptionally powerful
Artillery, and by Tanks and Aeroplanes on a scale never
previously attempted.- The full resources of our sister
Dominion, the Canadian Corps, will also operate on our right,
while two British Divisions will guard our left flank.
The many successful offensives which the Brigades and
Battalions of this Corps have so brilliantly executed during the
past four months have been but the prelude to, and the preparation
for, this greatest and culminating effort..
Because of the completeness of our plans and
dispositions, of the magnitude of the operations, of the number
of troops employed, and of the depth to which we intend to
overrun the enemy's positions, this battle will be one of the
most memorable of the whole war; and there can be no doubt
that, by capturing our objectives, we shall inflict blows
upon the enemy which will make him stagger, and will bring
the end appreciably nearer.-
I entertain no sort of doubt that every Australian soldier
will worthily rise to so great an occasion, and that every man,
imbued with the spirit of victory, will, in spite of every
difficulty that may confront him, be animated by no other
resolve than a grim determination to see through, to a clean
finish, whatever his task may be.-
The work to be done tomorrow will perhaps make heavy
demands upon the endurance and staying powers of many of you;
but I am confident that, in spite, of excitement, fatigue, and
physical strain, every man will carry on to the utmost of his
powers until his goal is won; for the sake of AUSTRALIA, the
Empire, and our cause.
I earnestly wish every soldier of the Corps the best of
good fortune and a glorious and decisive victory, the story of
which will re-echo throughout the world, and will live forever
in the history of our home land.-
 

John Monash
Lieut.-General,
Commanding Australian Corps.
 

8TH AUGUST OFFENSIVE

TIME - TABLE OF EVENTS.

Time am	Event
3.20	Planes in air.
4.20	Zero. Barrage Opens.
4.59	Infantry clear of TAILLOX WOOD.
5.27	Barrage reaches protector on North Flank.
5.28	III Corps reaches GREEN LINE.
5.43	Infantry enter WARFUSEE.
6.27	Infantry clear of LA MOTTE en SANTERRE.
6.30	III Corps leaves GREEN LINE.
6.31	3rd DIVISION all on GREEN LINE.
6.39	2nd DIVISION all on GREEN LINE.
6.43	Barrage reaches protective line on South Flank.
6.50	Contact Plane flies along First Objective Line.
7.20	Canadians reach GREEN LINE at our Boundary.
7.28	III Corps reaches BROWN LINE.
8.20	4th & 5th DIVISIONS cross GREEN LINE.
8.24	III Corps reaches RED LINE.
8.30	Heavy ARTILLERY lift off CERISY. Canadian Heavy ARTILLERY lift off WIENCOURT.
8.40	Heavy ARTILLERY lift off WEST end of BAYONVILLERS.
8.50	Heavy ARTILLERY lift off EAST end of BAYONVILLERS and MORCOURT.
9.50	Heavy ARTILLERY lift off EASTERN MORCOURT VALLEY.
10.20	Heavy ARTILLERY lift off HARBONNIERES.
10.50	Contact Patrol Planes fly over Second Objective Line.
11.20	Contact Patrol Planes fly along Third Objective Line. Ammunition-Dropping Planes drop their S.A.A.

 

Sun Herald
16/11/1931
 

WAR STORY RECALLED.

_________________________
Capture of German Plans.

__________________________
PART AUSTRALIANS PLAYED
__________________________

 

LONDON. Nov. 14
Because he captured the German plans of
the Hindenburg line of defences, the "Sunday
Express" describes Lieutenant J. Rollings, who
is now a sergeant of police, as "the man who
ended the war." The Australians play a prominent
 part in his story, which is confirmed
by the colonel of the battalion which made
the raid.
The plans were captured 10 miles east of
Amiens on August 8, 1918, after the Australians,
 at Villers Bretonneux, had made a
breach in the line, enabling an armoured car

unit, of which Rollings was a member, to race

through to find the German coprs' headquarters

 at an old farmhouse, from which
the staff had fled in a panic. Rollings scooped
up every document and dashed back. He never
knew the part those papers played in ending
the war until now.
Describing the action in which the Australians
took part, he says: "Dawn! Then hell
broke loose. The Australians went over like
men possessed. In 15 minutes we received
the signal, "They're through.' Off we went.
Looking back we could see the Australians
dealing with the German rearguard."
 

P.P. 168-70, Aust Siege Bde History
See tables of Arty + Ammunition figures, of Aust Corps.
Aug /Sept 1918.
 

 

25th Apr., 1918] SECOND VILLERS-BRETONNEUX        605

of wire. On the left, in front of the 6oth, the Germans
closer to the flank of the I4th Brigade and to the British
posts put up hardly any resistance. Lieutenant Simpson," ⁷⁶
commanding the left company, Lieutenant Veale,"⁷⁷ of the
northernmost platoon, and Lieutenant Watt, one of the guides
from the 56th, were constantly on the look out for
the flank of the I4th Brigade, which they were to gain
touch; but, except for a machine-gun post of the I4th Company, 

passed at the beginning of the second advance, they saw
nothing of it. Captain Bursey of the 59th knew that he
was precisely ^started exactly in position, Lieutenant Olvers⁷⁸ platoon 
happening to pass over a trench containing a board marked with
the "map reference" of the locality, o.24d.₃.o. But, when
once the rush started, the 6oth bore too much towards the
59th, where the fighting was heavier. Both battalions swept
obliquely towards the Roman road, pulling Germans here
and there out of the shell-holes in which they crouched
or surrendered, and bayoneting them. Most of the
enemy were fleeing, shaken, apparently, by the first wild
cheer. They were followed until a cross-road was passed,
and on the far side of it, south of the Roman road, appeared
the huts and big canvas hangars of the old aerodromes.⁷⁹
Here an officer of the 59th came along the front shouting
that the objective had been passed. The men were excited
unearthing a handful of Germans and British captives in some
houses near the Roman road, and searching for Germans in
the hangars; but north of the main road their officers and
N.C.O's quickly obtained control. Men of the front, reserve,
and support companies of all three battalions were there.
Casualties had been slight—barely 150 in all, it is said. The
enemy's artillery had ceased to trouble the troops since they
broke into the German front. Except for blind, distant
machine-gun fire, mainly from the village, behind them,

_______________________________________________________________
⁷⁶Lieut. J. L. Simpson, 6oth Bn. Clerk; of Ballarat, Vic; b. Horsham, Vic.,
22 Sept., 1892. Killed in action, 26 April, 1918.
⁷⁷Lieut. P. ]. Veale. 6oth Bn. Battery manager; of Bendigo, Vic; b. Sandhurst,
Vic,, 18 Jan., 1888.
⁷⁸Lieut. H. Ohlver, 57th and 59th Bns. Grocer; of North Fitzroy, Vic; b.
Murtoa, Vic, 4 Nov., 1887.
⁷⁹See Vol. XIl, plate 465.
 

TELEGRAPHIC Nos,

F 2597,

F2598.

COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO

"THE DIRECTOR."

IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE

No. ...................................
 

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
 

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS

"AUSWARMUSE,"

"They gave their lives. For that public gift they

received a praise which never ages and a

 tomb most glorious - not so much the tomb in 

which they lie, but that in which their fame survives, to be remembered for ever when occasion comes for word or deed....."

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
POST OFFICE BOX 214 D,
318 POST OFFICE PLACE,
MELBOURNE.
 

February 18th, 1932.
 

Dear Mr. Bazley,
Capture of Defence plans of Hindenburg Line.
I am +enclosing posting under separate cover some cuttings from English and
Australian papers relative to the capture on August 8th,
1918, by a lieutenant of the 17th (Armoured Car) Tank
Battalion of the defence plans of the Hindenburg Line.
The importance of the capture of these documents is
perhaps greatly exaggerated but it has occurred to me
that the account of the incident might be of interest to
you in connection with Volume IV.
Reference is made in the cuttings to a souvenir
history of the 17th (Armoured Car) Tank Battalion which
provided the armoured cars attached to the Australian
Corps on the 8th August, 1918. We are communicating with
the C.0. of the battalion (Col. E.J. Carter) with a view
to obtaining a copy of the history for the War Memorial
library.
----
Yours sincerely,
[[J.?? elom]]
 

Mr. A.W. Bazley,
c/o Official Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
PADDINGTON,   N.S.W.