Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/188/1 - July 1918 - Part 3

108

there ws not a button

on him.

The Americans were

German speaking, examining

prisoners, doing AMC

work - getting every sort

of experience.

One American offr

w 43rd Bn ws wd.

The Americans got

most of their casualties

in the short shooting. They

hung onto our men but were

well under control.

Some o the Americans ran

away & hid when we

were told to fetch them

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108

out. Several Americans

put up the colours o the

bn they were with & are

wearing them still.

After the fight after a

good breakfast an Aussie

stew & speeches & cheers

the 43 Bn sent its American

coy away.

Lt Watt on left got

separated from his pln in

the dark - The pln new exactly

what it ws to do & went

in & did it.

One of the ptes in

this pln - Pte Toope - found

himself away from his pln

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108

with isolated men of

other coys & his own. He

formed a pty of abt 10

& went into the village,

mopped up several

dugout, the offr & 20 or.

Captd & sent down under

escort.

A dump of old British

S A A we found near in the

burning house & ws salved

-73 boxes (1000 rounds in each)

& a few bombs. Cpl. Ryan

did this.

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108

At abt 9 B4.4 there ws

a bank w a number of

dugouts in it. As Capt

Copes Coy came towds

this a tank balanced

itself with one tractor on

dugout another on bank

& went straight on

flattening out some ^bivvie dugouts

-stronger ones stood it -

but the Germans were

completely cowed (2 offrs in

one deep dugout).

Brought out by cope firing a very light w

German flare down it.

As Lt Watts ^pln ws going thro

the wood a gun fired on them

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108

from near the village - it

ws in the wood. The

Sergt went up to a tank

rear, pulled the bell -

Door opened - He

pointed out where the

m.g. ws. The tank

went straight over &

rubbed it out - the

men probly cleared.

23

C/o R.O.D.

A.P.O.S. 10 (D)

Dunkirk

Diagram-see original

Diagram-see original