A British Mark I Male tank on the Somme - by Ernest Brooks - Imperial War Museum
15th
September 1916: From our Correspondent in
the Field
Today has
been one of those spasms which seem to affect life here at the front. It has
been a day of determined attacks across a broad front which I will outline below.
Today’s attacks, though, have been very different. In the last few days we had
heard rumours of a secret weapon. Well, this weapon is secret no longer, the
Germans now know all about it and, one imagines, many wish they were still in
ignorance of it.
This weapon
is, simply, a huge armoured vehicle. It is over thirty feet long and must weigh
in excess of twenty five tons, or so educated guesses have it. It is a rhomboid
shape, in other words, a lopsided rectangle and has two boxes (called sponsons
I am told) on either side of its body. These carry its armament. On some vehicles
it has a naval 6 pounder gun in either “sponson” and in other two machine guns.
In an element of whimsy usually lacking in the stern affairs of the military,
those with machine guns are known as “females” and those with 6 pounders are
“males”. Presumably these metal monsters have, to some eyes, a resemblance to
living leviathans. We understand the job of the “males” is to destroy buildings
and strongpoints whilst the “females” mow down German infantry and machine
gunners.
These
leviathans, I have heard them called “land-ships”, are propelled by tracks
running round the body. One may see tracks of this type on Holt tractors and
they are extremely useful in crawling through mud and over brokes ground where
wheeled-vehicles or cavalry could not venture. This, together with their length
and weight means they can crush barbed wire for infantry to follow them and
cross trenches with ease. The name most commonly in use for them seems to be
the strange designation of “tank”. I am told that when they were being crated
up and sent over to France, the crates were labelled as water tanks to prevent
German spies from cottoning on.
Be that as it
may, several dozen of these “tanks” have been employed in today’s attacks. It
seems they are prone to breaking down (a facet of their design many owners of
automobiles will readily understand), are difficult to steer and can go in the
wrong direction because the drivers have only a tiny gap in the armour plate to
look through. When they lurch into the enemy, however, they seem to sow panic
and despondency wherever they go. At last a method may be at hand which may
break the stalemate of this war and finally lead to a break-through.
The left
flank of the attack was the action begun last night by 11th Division on
Thiepval Ridge which, we understand, succeed in capturing a German stronghold
known as the Wonderwork (bottom left in the map above) and a portion of a trench called Hohenzollern Trench.
Another first
for today’s attack, besides the “tanks” was the introduction of the Canadian
Corps into the battle. The Canadians were given the task of seizing the village
of Courcelette. This, with the help of “tanks”, they took in very determined
fashion. They seized the ground to the south and had to fight off German
counter-attacks from the village itself before seizing that too in the last
half hour or so. There will undoubtedly be counter-attacks but if the Canadians
can hold the village they have taken they will have begun their campaign in a
highly creditable manner.
15th
(Scottish) Division attacked the village of Martinpuich. They have seized the
village and are now dug-in just to the nort, facing the village of Courcelette.
50th
(Northumbrian) Division captured parts of the Starfish Line which runs east
from Martinpuich. Unfortunately this line could not be held and the
Northumbrians were forced to retire by German
artillery.
47th
(1st/2nd) London Division had the difficult task of attacking High Wood today,
the place which has defied capture for so long. And they achieved their task
handsomely! Several hundred prisoners were taken in High Wood and around
lunchtime the place was in British hands at last. The troops then moved on.
Tonight they are well to the north, dug-in east of Martinpuich and just south
of the strongly held Starfish Line which, in this sector, resisted attempts to
capture it.
The New
Zealand Division attacked with great élan from positions between High Wood and
Longueval. They captured their objectives and now occupy ground west and
north-west of the village of Flers. 41st Division was to attack the village of
Flers itself from the south, beginning from positions north of Delville Wood.
This attack included ten “tanks”, the most allotted to any attack today. The
village, we understand, has fallen, materially assisted by the “tanks”. 14th Division advanced some way north of Delville Wood.
The Guards
Division was given the task of attacking north-west from the north of Ginchy
towards Lesboeufs. They were able to make some ground and took a number of
prisoners but were unable to take their third objective which lay just
south-west of Lesboeufs.
6th Division
were given the task of taking the Quadrilateral. In this attack the 8th
Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was to the fore. At 4.30 this morning the
Battalion was in position and went into the attack at 6.20, the attackers being
A, C and D Companies whilst B Company bombed down a trench parallel to the
attack to prevent flanking fire. It is a matter of extreme regret that the
barrage by our guns intended to help the Battalion forward fell so short that
it landed on top of them in shell holes south-west of the objective, from which
they were preparing to attack. This error on the part of the barrage commander(1)
resulted in many of our men being killed. Nevertheless, the survivors gamely
went forward, supported by 1st Battalion, The Buffs and later reinforced by 2nd
Battalion York & Lancaster Regiment. The Quadrilateral is a well-defended
strongpoint, however, and proved impossible to take. The artillery had, once
again, failed in its task as all the barbed wire in front of the strongpoint
was uncut. “Tanks” were allotted to this attack but failed to turn up. Thus a
catalogue of errors over which the Battalion had no influence led to the
failure of their attack and the loss, it is feared, of a great number of lives.
We understand that thirteen officers have become casualties, six of them dead.
We do not yet know the death toll amongst the other ranks.
We understand
that one of the “tanks” allotted to the parts of the Division attacking
elsewhere fired on our own troops as it went forward. The failure of the 8th
Bedfords was part of a greater failure by the division, which failed to get any
where near its overall objective, the village of Morval.
On the far
right of the attack, near the village of Combles, 56th (London) Division made
some progress towards that village and towards Morval but were stopped by uncut
barbed wire south of Middle Copse.
Today has
seen three villages – Flers, Courcelette and Martinpuich taken by an attack on
a wide front. This has been the biggest co-ordinated attack since 1st July and
has achieved great things. With the help of the “tanks” the army is hoping for
more great things in the days to come.
Source: X550/9/1
(1) XIV Corps Commander, Royal Artillery was
Brigadier-General Alexander Ernest Wardrop
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