VALUABLE HISTORICAL RECORD

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9692, 21 June 1917, Page 7

VALUABLE HISTORICAL RECORD

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Australian and Now Zealand Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, June TO. Sir Douglas Haig, in u dispatch co voring the operations from November 18th. HUB. to the commencement of the present offensive, affords a connected story and a valuable historical record, which elucidates much, that has hitherto been obscure. It reveals the strategic plans behind the apparently isolated attacks and raids which continued throughout tho winter,, and shows them us fitting into a comprehensive and systematic scheme, in order to prepare a favourable situation lor the spring advance. Owing to the Battle of tho Somme, the enemy in the region of the Ancre Valley had been forced into a pronounced salient between the Ancro and the Scarpo Valleys. Therefore, a further short advance would give command of the Beau mo n t-Ha nsel spur. Accordingly, an attack was delivered against tho defences overlooking the villages of Pys and Grandccourt on November 18th. The object wa.s to advance within assaulting distance of the Lc Transloy-Lonpart line. Five thousand yards of valuable positions were acquired. Tile weather then held iq> operations until January, when the whole spur was captured, and we advanced a thousand yards tip the Ueaucourt Valley, with exceedingly light casualties, owing to tho close and skilful cooperation of the infantry and tho artillery, and the fine work of the aircraft. Tim possession of the high ground opened up ;m extensive field 1 for tho artillery, and further successes on February 3rd and 4th gave us an important section of the German second lino north of tho Ancre, making tho evacuation of Grandccourt inevitable. Tho next task was to drive tho enemy from tho Beauconrt Valley, which operation began on February 10th. The capture of 1500 yards of trenches lying at tho southern foot of Sorro Hill made the village of Serre a pronounced enemy salient, and 1 further progress in the Ancre Valley would make it untenable. Therefore a larger operation was begun with tho view of acquiring the northern extremity of the Morval-Tbiepval ridge, which commanded tho southern approaches to Pys and Miraumont, and observation of the Upper Ancro Valley. Simultaneously, a smaller attack was designed to capture a sunken road north or tho Ancre, which controlled tho western approach to Miraumont. During tho night of February 17th. tho assaults were delivered. despite heavy ground and thick mist and an alert enemy, who sent over a barrage. Tho troops assaulted with great gallantry, and wo succeeded in completely gaining the desired observations and also the command of the enomy's artillery positions in the upper Ancre, and his defences of Pys and Miraumont. Our subsequent bombardments, as anticipated, forced the evacuation of Pys and Miraumont on February 24th. On tlie following day (February 25th) the positions from north of Gneudccourt to west of Sorro wore captured. Tho weather favoured the enemy retirement. A thaw broke up the roadsides, trenches collapsed, and the acquired ground became a quagmire of tho worst description. _ On the other Hand, the roads behind tho enemy improved the further he withdrew, and a succession of misty days prevented a rapid l pursuit. Consequently it is greatly to the credit of all ranks that constant touch with tho enemy was maintained. , CONTINUED AND SYSTEMATIC ADVANCES. Our continuous and systematic advances drove out the enemy from successive positions until March 2nd, when wo reached tho Lc Transloy-Loupart lino, except at tries, which formed a salient. Seven days were then devoted to improving our communications and bringing up guns; and on -March. 10th Irka was captured. Our casualties were less than tho number of prisoners, who totalled 289. The way was thus opened for attacking tho Lo Transloy-Loupart line, which was shelled so effectively on March llth and 12th that the enemy feh hack to parallel lines, -whereupon Grevillcrs and the Loupart Wood were occupied, and methodical operations were begun for attacking the next line. Prior to this there were indications that tho German withdrawal would ho further extouded. It had been ascertained that ho was preparing a new defensive system, known as tho “Hindenburg Line,” running from Arras to the south-east of Oueunt, and thence west of Cambrai towards St. Quentin. Various “switches” branching off this lino wore also under construction. The enemy’s immediate concern appeared to ho to escape from the salient between Arras and Lo Transloy, which had bcomo increasingly difficult to hold. It was aliso evident, however, that the enemy contemplated eventually tho evacuation of the greater salient between Arras and the Aisne Valley. The dispatch then deals in detail with the operations between April 14tfc and 19th. INCREASED DIFFICULTIES IN MAINTAINING COMMUNICATIONS. On April ,39th, the report goes on, the advance reached the stage at which increasing difficulty was found m maintaining the communications, and a slackening in the pace of the pursuit was enforced. South of Pennine, the lack of bridges, which tho enemy bad destroyed, presented formidable obstacles, while north of Peronne the wide bolt of devastated ground over which tho Battle of the Somme had been iough.t, offered even greater difficulties to the passage of guns and transport. Wo were advancing therefore over country in which all means of communication had been destroyed, against an enemy whose army was still intact and capable of launching a vigorous offensive should a favourable opportunity offer. Strong detachments of his infantry and cavalry occupied points of vantage along thiv line of our advance, keeping tho enemy informed of our progress and screening his own movements. His guns had already been withdrawn to previously prepared positions, and were available at any moment to cover and support a counter .stroke, while the conditions of the country we were moving in made the progress of our artillery slow. The bulk of tho enemy’s forces wore known to be holding a formidable defensive system upon which they could fall back should his counter stroke miss its aim. On the other hand, as our troops moved forward, they left all prepared defences further behind. In such circumstances, the need for caution wa.s obvious. Meanwhile, in spito of the enormous difficulties which tho condition of the ground and tho ingenuity of tho enemy placed in our way, the work of preparing for constructing bridges, roads, and railways was carried on with commendable rapidity. . The dispatch next proceeds to describe how the enemy s resistance increased as we neared the Hindenburg line, and emphasises the great costliness of many of his counter-attacks, particularly in the attempts to recover Beau--metz-lez-Cambrai. OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF FIVE MONTHS’ FIGHTING. Speaking of tho outstanding features of the five months of fighting from November 18th, Sir Douglas Haig says: —In spito of the unusual -everity of tho weather, tho winter campaign, was conducted to a successful issue under most trying and arduous conditions. The activity on our battle-front was maintained‘from the conclusion of last year’s offensive to the commencement of the present operations. The successful accomplishment of this part of our genera! plan has already enabled us to realise no inconsiderable instalment of tho fruits of the battle of the Somme,, and has gone far to open Ihe road to their full achievement. Tho courage and endurance of our troops carried them triumphantly through periods of particularly trying fighting, in vhiyh they were subjected to a maximum of personal hardship and physical strain. I cannot speak too highly of tho qualities of all ranks. The ability with which tho troops on the Ancro were handled by General Gough, and further s-.uth by General Rawlinson, was in all respects admirable. The retreat to which the enemy was driven by our continued success again introduced conditions approximating to open fighting, in which tho cavalry was given an opportunity to perform special duties. The enemy’s withdrawal enabled him to choose his own ground for resistance, and to employ every device to, inflict losses. Yet our casualties, which were exceedingly moderate throughout tho operations on the Ancre. became exceptionally light during the retreat. The prospect of a more general resumption of open fighting can be regarded with great confidence. SPLENDID WORK BY THE ROYAL ENGINEERS. Tho systematic destruction of roads, bridges, and railways made unprecedented demands on tho Royal Engineers, who were already heavily burdened by tho work entailed in the preparations for the spring offensive. Our steady progress in the face of great difficulties is the least testimony to "the energy and thoroughness with which those demands were met. The bridging of the Somme at Brio (four miles south of Peronno) is an example of the nature of the obstacles wc confronted and the rapidity of their removal. In this instance six gaps had to be bridged across the canal and the river, some of which were of considerable width, over a swift-flowing stream. Tlie work commenced on the morning of March 18th, and by 10 o’clock tho same night infantry foot bridges bad been completed. By five in the morning of the 20th, a medium type bridge for horse transport aml cavalry was completed, and by two in the afternoon of tho 28th a. heavy bridge, capable of taking all forms of traffic, had replaced the lighter type. SERIOUS TRANSPORT PROBLEMS SUCCESSFUL!,Y SOLVED. Throughout the winter transport problems were serious, both in tho battle area and behind the lines. On tho rapid solution of these problems success or failure necessarily largely depended. At the close of last year’s campaign the steady growth of our armies and the rapid expansion of our material resources had* already taxed the roads and railways to the utmost. The existing broad and narrow gauge railways were insufficient to deal with tho increasing traffic, an undue proportion of which was thrown upon the roads. With tho deterioration duo to winter conditions, the difficulties of road maintenance and repair became almost overwhelming. An increase of railway facilities of every typo and on a large scale was therefore imperatively and urgently necessary, and groat quantities of material and rolling stock were, required immediately, while subsequently mu- wants were considerably augmented by the large programme of now construction in the area of the enemy's withdrawal. The task of obtaining the amount of railway material required for carrying out the work of construction at the rate our plans rendered necessary, besides providing the labour and material for the repair of roads, wafi one of our very greatest difficulties. Its successful accomplishment reflects tlie highest credit on the transportation service. The loyal co-opcrntioji and complete mutual understanding of the Allies and ourselves throughout the Battle of the Somme continued to he strengthened by the events of the winter, particularly the circumstances attending tho enemy’s withdrawal. During the latter part of the period under review a. considerable tract of country was won back to Franco by the combined effort of the Allied troops. This was regarded with satisfaction by all ranks of the British Army in France, who at the same time wish to express the feelings of deep sympathy and profound regret provoked by the sight of the destruction war has brought into a once fair and prosperous countryside.