Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/280B/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 4

CRA 5 DIV

WARDIARY

31 Aug.  5 Div arty HQ closed at M23 central and opened

at 2pm at N9d50

CRA attended conference of GOC, CRE,

and infy brigadiers of 14 & 15 bdes and discussed

forthcoming attack on Peronne

Brigade Major 5 Div Arty attended conference

of CRA 2Div. & Inf  brigadiers of 5 & 6 Inf Bdes

and discussed 5 Div Arty policy during infy attack to be

made on Mt St Q.

1 Sept CRA attended conference of GOC & Infy

brigadiers of 5 Div and arty support for 

Peronne attack

2 Sept CRA attended another conference of GOC & infy

brigadiers of 5 Div & discussed situation.

3 Sept- Enemy arty showed marked decrease

in activity.

4 Sept CRA confirmed with CRA 2 Div in connection with taking 

over of portion of 2 Div Arty front. At 6pm

3 Army Bde afa, 16 Army bde RHA, 5 Army Bde RHA,

14 Army Bde RFA, & 298 Army Bde RFA  came under 

orders of CRA 5Div. At same hour 12 Army Bde 
AFA and 23 Army Bde RFA passed command from

CRA 5Div to RA Aust Corps

Arty under 5Div                                                                      

8pm 1/9/18

 

Right Group              8pm 1/9/18             2pm 3/9/18                8am 5/9/18

13a bde HQ                  N 22d 5090             N 16d 22

49 Bty                            N 17a 00                  O 7a 43

50                                   N 23a 22                  N 18d 6080

51                                    N 16d 76                   N5d central

113                                  N 5d 42 42               N 5d 42 42

14a fa Bde HQ            N 16d 8070               N 16d 7050

53 Bty                            O 7c 38                     O 7c 38

54                                   Mobile                     Mobile

55                                    N 17b 5085              O 1c 00

114                                   N 11c 7522                O 7a 2015

 

Left Group HQ

12 Army Bde                    aFa HQ  N4d3.2                  N4d 32

45                                       O1 c 3 780

46                                        O1 a 2036

47                                        O1 a 3015

112                                       N11 b 17       

23 Army Bde RFA  HQ   N9 d23

107 Bty                               N6 c 1015

108  "                                   N 24 a 5075

D/23                                    N6 c 00

[*same

1 Bde RGA                           M 34 b 03

 

5th Div Arty Order issued 3.30am 1/9/18

From zero hour (6a.m. 1/9/18) + 100 mins to zero + 150

C.O Right Group (Lt Col Caddy) will detail one 18 pdr bty

to fire a smokescreen to obscure the observatn from high ground.

in 0,18,   0,23,   & 022.

selected pts to be bombarded from zero to zero +150

10% of all ammun fired in the bombdt will be smoke

Rates of fire - 2 rds p.gun & per how. per min. 

5th Div Arty Order issued 4am 2/9/18

Zero hour 6am 2/9/18

Selected points will be bombarded by field & HA from zero minus

30 mins to zero + 170

10% of all ammun fired will be  smoke

Rates  2 rds p. gun & per how per min

5 Div Arty Order 5/9/18

During night 5/6 Sept 5 Div front partly taken over by 3 Div

5 Div to step side-step to fourth & take over part of 32 Div front

[?] bde to hold 5 Div front - two Bns in line

Arty covering 5 Div regrouped -

Advance arty - under Lt Col DH Wade

5 army Bde RHA   }   To occupy  [?]  015-16-21-22

298   "    "       RFA   }

Reserve arty ( Lt Col HO Caddy )

13a fa Bde

14   "    "

Advance Arty to maintain liason with Bde HQ & with each bn HQ

Reserve     "        "       "             "            with Bde  holding line

Advance arty to provide one section to report to each cdr holding line

These sections will be under immed command Inf Bn xxxx Cdr and will work. 

under close coopern with the infy

On night 5/6 Sept 16th Army Bde RHA, 14 Army Bde RFA, 3rd Army Bde RFA

6 pass to the command to the CRA 3 Div. 

 

CRA 5 Div

Report on Peronne attacks 1/3 Sept

On 30 Aug 5 Div took over front from 015a77 to to I32b08

taking over front of 2 Div front on North - handing over

to 32 Div the S. part' old part

Arty regrouped-

Right Group (Lt Col H.O. Caddy)

13 faBde

14   " "

Left Group  (Lt Col HCO Lloyd)

12 Army Bde AFA

23 Army Bde RFA

The 13 & 14 Bdes were able to cover new front without

moving.

Attack of Sept 1

After the conference which took place when attack was

decided on, only 4 hours available before zero to make

all arty prepares, but arty support carried out the plan

Attack commenced at 6a.m. & concentrations put

down follg areas -

Area from - I26a to I 21c inclusive

Radegonde  in I26d

Ramparts in I27b

Bdes and crossroads in I22a & b

Faubourg de bretagne and ramparts in I22c & d

Chan wood in I23 central

Roads trenches and works in  I23 central

Area from the high ground in I35 (inclusive) through Doight

I30c & a &  I24 c & a.

area in 05b & 06

 

2.

Report   CRA 5 Div Peronne

Arty fire ceased 8.30 am except for smoke

barrage on high ground in I35 & 05

During opern the bty posns in the valley to the W of Barleax

were heavily shelled by all calibres - apparently by

balloon observn. However our aeroplanes destroyed several

balloons and for the remainder of the day balloons only went up at odd

intervals when none of our aeroplanes was about .

2 Sept attack

Follg targets enjoyed -

Ramparts in N22 c & d

St Denis X rounds

Area about  I23 d 00

So far arty and Bundworks in N22 a & b

Area around canoe wd at N23 central

Cardinal wd

Fire commenced 5.30 a.m. Ceased 8.50am

The heavy arty maintained heavy fire on St

Denis Wood (I23c) the W end of Doigt

& Flamicourt, at request of Infy. These areas as well as

I34, I35 , 28d, I29 swept by concentrated

fire from field guns throughout day

3 Sept attack

At 5am heavy bursts of fire put down on

Flamicourt & Chain wd. This was repeated

several times during  morningx Railway line from Flamicourt 

 

3.

CRA 5 Div (Peronne

to Doignt also searched. 

At noon fire lifted from Flamicourt and Chair wd

as it was reprted patrols had crossed even to

Flamicourt.   Later infy again asked for fire on xxxxxx

Flamicourt . During night concentrated barrage

bursts bursts put down on village every

hour from 9pm to 4am. 

 

Arty under CRA 5 Div                8a.m. 5/9/18

5 Div Arty HQ                     N 9d 50 00

Right Group HQ             (Lt Col. HO Caddy)

13 fabde HQ                        N 16 d 22

49 Bty                                   0 7a 43

50                                          N 18d 60 80

51                                           0 1a 30 15

113                                         N 5d 42 42

14 faBde HQ                     N 16d 70 50

53 Bty                                  0  7c 38

54   "                                     No Bde

55    "                                    0 1c 00

114   "                                     0 7a 20 15

5 Army Bde RHA   HQ    H 34d 64

G bty                                     H 35a 95

N  "                                        H 35b 95 95

O  "                                        H 29d 60

 

Left Group ( Lt Col G I Stevenson)

3 Aust Army Bde HQ          J 19a 84

7 bty                                        J 2d 34

8                                               J 2d 26

9                                               J 2d 11

103                                           J 2b 03

14 Army Bde RFA                J 1d 64

68                                            J 2d 63 75

88                                            J 2d 50

A/4  A/14                                J 2d80 85

298 Army Bde RFA             H 12 central

A Bty                                      J 7a 33

B  "                                          J 7a 35

C   "                                         J 7c 22

D   "                                         H 12c 83 46

 

Superimpred Group  PTO

 

2.

8am 5/9/18

Arty under CRA 5 Div 

Superimpred Group  ( Lt Col TM Archdale)

HQ 16 Army Bde RHA              H 12b 73

A Bty                                             J 13a 27

Q  "                                                 J 7c 05

U   "                                                 J 7a 12

9 Bde RGA HQ      H 32b 99

 

Wardiary  5 Div Arty

6/9/18   Hq closed at N9d 50 at 2pm & opened

at same hour at Eterpigny.  The

impassable nature of of  country on E

side of Somme Canal is restricting

advance of our arty.

Sept 11  At 10pm defence of section passed tpo CRA 4 Div

13 & 14 afa bdes arty drawn to rest area.

5 Army Bde & 298 Army Bde remained in line

under 4 div arty.

Sept 16  13 & 14 Fa Bdes & 5 DAC  came under command of

CRA 4 Div at 10a.m. & marched into the line

 

CRA 5 Div report

During aftn 4 Sept N boundary of 5 Div extended north.

Arty allotted to 5 Div Arty grouped as follows:- 

Right Group                 (Lt Col HO Caddy)  covering 15 inf Bde

                                                 13 Fa Bde

5 Army Bde RHA

13a Fa bde

14     "

Left Group                     ( Lt Col Stevenson) Covering 8 Inf Bde

                                                    3a fa Bde

3 Army Bde AFA

14 Army Bde RFA

298    "     "          "

16 Army Bde RHA remained in reserve under orders of

left group to be used to follow infy in close pursuit of

enemy if he returned.

5 Sept at 10.35am all Bde instructed to carry out 

forward reconnaissance - special attention to be paid to

river crossings

No  Btys moved fwd during day as there were able to cover front

from the posns occupied in the area 

on evening of 5 Sept 5 Div side stepped to S . Arty

regrouped. 3 A fa Bde, 14 Army Bde 16 army bde

went to 3 Div. Four Bdes remained under

Lt Col AHD West ( 5 Army Bde) , & 13 & 14 A fa Bdes

formed a group under Lt Col Caddy.

The main difficulty ^ ahead was the crossing of the Somme

bridge for carrying F.A. had already been constructed at

H 24d 88 . This was used by the 298 army Bde when had

crossed on the aftn of Sept 4. By 7pm on 5th bridges capable of

carrying F.A. had been constructed at Flamicourt [I28a] and at

026d [near