Bazentin ( French pronunciation: [bazɑ̃tɛ̃] ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France .
114-881: Associated articles 1915 1916 1917 1918 Associated articles The Attacks on High Wood , near Bazentin le Petit in the Somme département of northern France , took place between the British Fourth Army and the German 1st Army during the Battle of the Somme . After the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 July 1916, High Wood lay undefended for most of the day but delays in communication and confusion caused by orders and counter-orders from British corps headquarters, which had overlapping responsibilities, led to
228-419: A hurricane bombardment of 750 mortar bombs into the wood in fifteen minutes. The 34 Squadron crew made a second sortie and at 12:30 p.m., watched as parties of Germans began to surrender to bombers working forward along the edges of the wood. Several hundred soldiers of Bavarian Infantry Regiment 23 of the 3rd Royal Bavarian Division were taken prisoner, along with six machine-guns and two heavy howitzers and
342-402: A parody of Chalk Farm to Camberwell Green . High Wood to Warterlot Farm To the tune of "Chalk Farm to Camberwell Green" There is a wood at the top of a hill, If it's not shifted it's standing there still; There is a farm a short distance away, But I'd not advise you to go there by day, For the snipers abound, and the shells are not rare, And a man's only chance is to run like
456-484: A 12,000 yd (6.8 mi; 11 km) front. On fifty days in the period, an average of eight divisions were in the line but fewer than six battalions attacked and only twice were more than half of the battalions in the line engaged simultaneously. British assaults were constant, small and narrow-front, against which the Germans could concentrate artillery, easily to inflict many casualties. British divisions stayed in
570-421: A comparatively narrow front enabled the attackers to secure the village and 1,600 yd (1,500 m) of the German front line. The arrival of German reinforcements prevented further advance. Rawlinson concluded that an enemy's line of trenches could be broken 'with suitable artillery preparation' combined with secrecy. He also drew a lesson, that trench warfare called for limited advances: 'What I want to do now
684-517: A counter-attack at 3:00 p.m. by Bavarian Infantry Regiment 5 from the Switch Line forced the British back to their start line. At 6:00 p.m. a fresh battalion advanced to the middle of the wood and reached its objective on the right flank but was checked in the left. An attack on the south-west face of the wood also reached the objective and two companies of the 15th (Scottish) Division got into
798-609: A deep legacy of bitterness. The 3rd Afghan War had ended, but there was continued fighting in Waziristan. A hugely expanded army faced postwar demobilisation and continued cost of modernisation. The new commander-in-chief was expected to introduce a measure of "Indianisation", giving commissions to Indians. Under the system of Dyarchy, Indians, generally opposed to military expenditure, took a share in government and Rawlinson would have to justify army budgets. The Moplah Rebellion of 1921 brought widespread disorder. When Gandhi launched
912-406: A flank guard. Two battalions of the 19th Brigade crept forward on 20 July, during a bombardment and attacked when it lifted at 3:25 a.m. The infantry got into the wood against machine-gun fire from the 8th Division troops of II Battalion, Infantry Regiment 165 and part of III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 72 in the Switch Line and a strong point in the western corner. Observers of 3 Squadron flew over
1026-560: A front place in whatever he sets his mind to." For his service in the war, Rawlinson was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the April 1901 South Africa Honours list (the award was dated to 29 November 1900 ), and he received the actual decoration after his return home, from Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1902. Rawlinson had received the brevet rank of colonel in
1140-430: A hare, So take my advice if you're chancing your arm From High Wood to Waterlot Farm. Chorus High Wood to Waterlot Farm, All on a summer's day, Up you get to the top of the trench Though you're sniped at all the way. If you've got a smoke helmet there You'd best put it on if you could, For the wood down by Waterlot Farm Is a bloody high wood. Bazentin le Petit Situated between Amiens to
1254-413: A million men". The Somme was originally conceived as a joint Anglo-French offensive but owing to the demands of the Battle of Verdun , French participation was greatly reduced, leaving the British, and especially Rawlinson's inexperienced army, to bear the brunt of the offensive. On the eve of the offensive, he "showed an attitude of absolute confidence". To his diary he confided some uncertainties: "What
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#17327983296491368-409: A ridge which was about 100 ft (30 m) high and overlooked the ground around for a considerable distance. An attack on the wood could be seen easily from the ridge which ran through the north end of the wood. Before the battle the trees were undamaged and the ground had not been churned by shell-fire. Despite considerable debate among German staff officers, Falkenhayn laid down a continuation of
1482-399: A sap when the explosives were detonated) were brought forward, as both sides patrolled the area. On 18 August, a battalion of the 33rd Division attacked the wood, using the flame throwers and thirty oil drums thrown by Livens Projectors but the flame throwers failed and the projectors were buried by British artillery-fire which fell short; the pipe pushers fouled tree roots in the wood and one
1596-406: A serious German collapse was possible until late July and no convincing alternative to attrition, in the circumstances of late July to early September, has been proposed. Analysis of captured documents and prisoner interrogations indicated the strain being imposed on the German army. William Philpott criticised the weeks of costly, small, narrow-front attacks against a skilful and determined defence by
1710-515: A shortage of heavy artillery ammunition along with transport difficulties over wet and cut up ground, were eased by the air supremacy of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), which made it impossible for the German air units to reconnoitre behind the British lines. On 14 July, the 9th (Secunderabad) Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division were to capture the wood and the Switch Line either side with two cavalry regiments, after which
1824-703: Is evidence that the German Army suffered enormous damage from an increasingly effective British artillery aided by French and British air superiority over the battlefield. "The unprecedented English artillery fire on the Somme is filling the hospitals more than ever" wrote the wife of a German aristocrat. Rawlinson contributed to this in his awareness of guns and aircraft and his planning aided by his chief of staff for attacks on 14 July and 25 September. On and before 1 July and during most of August he has been criticised for giving insufficient direction and did not consistently assert control over subordinate commanders. There
1938-560: Is in a field to the south. High Wood is also mentioned in a poem by Siegfried Sassoon and is the subject of High Wood by P. Johnstone. Ted Hughes describes his uncle Walter (16th King's Royal Rifle Corps ) wounded from a German sniper's bullet and lying out in No Man's Land after one of the 33rd Division attacks in Walt - I: Under High Wood . The stench of rotting corpses in the wood was overwhelming and it inspired Ewart MacKintosh to write
2052-437: Is on the D 107 road, which runs from Martinpuich to Longueval, about half-way between Bazentin-le-Petit and Bazentin-le-Grand to the south-west, Martinpuich to the north-west and Longueval to the south-east. Delville Wood lay 3,500 yd (2.0 mi; 3.2 km) to the east. Before the Battle of the Somme the wood was behind the German second line, which lay in front of Bazentin-le-Grand and Bazentin-le-Petit. The wood crowned
2166-469: Is what I call "Bite & Hold" – bite off a piece of the enemy's line like Neuve Chapelle & hold it against all counter-attacks...there ought to be no difficulty in holding against the enemy's counterattacks & inflicting on him at least twice the loss that we have suffered in making the bite'. At the end of 1915, Rawlinson was considered for command of the First Army , in succession to Haig but
2280-463: The 2nd Guard Division were incapable of assisting the defenders, as they had been caught by British machine-gun fire as they moved up towards Bazentin-le-Petit and machine-gunners in Longueval were silenced by the cavalry machine-guns. German heavy artillery had been withdrawn and field artillery was unable to take aim at such a fast-moving target. About 100 Germans were killed or taken prisoner in
2394-515: The 3rd Division in June 1910, in succession to Major General William Franklyn . In manoeuvres in June 1912, he showed an appreciation of the use of artillery, the Times's correspondent noting approvingly: An operation of altogether unusual character took place yesterday on Salisbury Plain when Major-General Sir Henry Rawlinson's 3rd Division practised combined field firing on a scale, which, so far as
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#17327983296492508-464: The 50th Reserve Division arrived and then counter-attacked with the remnants of the Bavarians at 5:30 p.m. The Germans managed to advance to within several hundred yards of High Wood and Martinpuich and then dug in. Engineers of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division on the left of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division worked from 16 to 17 September, using bricks from Bazentin-le-Petit to fill shell holes in
2622-511: The Battle of Bazentin Ridge . The wood was abandoned by the Germans but delays meant that the British did not attempt to occupy it until 7:00 p.m. Rawlinson had ordered the 7th Division forward at 12:15 p.m. but the order was over-ruled by Lieutenant-General Henry Horne , the XV Corps commander, because the capture of Longueval, on the flank of the proposed advance, was incomplete. The 7th Division advanced and two battalions managed to occupy
2736-630: The Coldstream Guards , and was promoted to captain on 4 November 1891. He attended the Staff College, Camberley from 1893 to 1895, which brought him into contact with Julian Byng , Aylmer Haldane , Thomas Snow , Hubert Hamilton , Alexander Hamilton-Gordon , Launcelot Kiggell , and Henry Wilson , all of whom would rise to high rank in the First World War . He served on Major General Herbert Kitchener 's staff during
2850-653: The Houses of Parliament passed a vote of thanks to him for his military service, and awarded him the sum of £30,000 from the Exchequer . In 1919, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Rawlinson of Trent in the County of Dorset , and appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath . Rawlinson was again called on to organise an evacuation, this time of the Allied forces that had been sent to Russia to intervene in
2964-483: The Russian Civil War . In November 1919, after returning to Britain, he succeeded General Sir Archibald Murray as general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) of Aldershot Command . In 1920, Rawlinson was made Commander-in-Chief, India . Winston Churchill as Secretary of State for War was instrumental in securing his appointment, over-riding a tradition that the post alternated between officers from
3078-557: The Second Army . In February 1918 he was appointed British Permanent Military Representative to the inter-Allied Supreme War Council at Versailles . On 28 March 1918, Rawlinson took over Fifth Army from Hubert Gough, sacked in the wake of the German March offensive, Operation Michael ; his Fourth Army Staff joined him and Fifth Army became Fourth Army on 2 April. By this time the German Army's offensive had been checked, and
3192-464: The 1st Division suffered 3,078 casualties and from 14 to 20 July, the 7th Division lost 3,413 casualties. The German 7th and 8th divisions had 9,498 casualties from 15 to 27 July, on the front from Delville Wood to High Wood. From 22 July to 7 August, the 51st (Highland) Division had 2,120 casualties and the 47th (1/2nd London) Division suffered more than 4,500 men from 15 to 19 September. At least 8,000 British and German soldiers died in
3306-429: The 7th Division attacked the wood with the 91st Brigade. The British infantry were stopped by machine-gun fire from the Switch Line where it ran through the wood. After a preliminary bombardment by German artillery, II Battalion, Infantry Regiment 165 of the 7th Division and III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 72 of the 8th Division, which had relieved the 183rd Division , counter-attacked at 2:30 p.m. and recaptured part of
3420-457: The 7th Division was to relieve the cavalry and the 21st Division was to advance and occupy the area between Bazentin-le-Petit and Martinpuich. The advance was expected to assist III Corps to the west, when it attacked the German second position and then combined with the 1st Division attack at 2:30 p.m., as the 34th Division probed towards Pozières in the west. The Fourth Army attacked High Wood with divisions from XV Corps on 14 July, during
3534-524: The Allies were preparing a counter-offensive. Following the success of the Australian attack at Le Hamel on 4 July, Rawlinson proposed to Haig a larger attack, designed to force the Germans back from the city of Amiens and further to damage the German Army's weakening morale. At lunch on 16 July Haig agreed, saying he had already proposed such an operation. Rawlinson had learned from his experiences on
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3648-516: The Army would have to maintain order. On 15 July, he complained that: Unless we, as a government, are prepared to act vigorously and take strong measures to combat the insidious propaganda of the extremists we are bound to have something very like rebellion in India before long... You say what you like about not holding India by the sword, but you have held it by the sword for 100 years and when you give up
3762-491: The Battle of the Somme, against III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 26 concealed in crops east of the wood. The crew of an aircraft of 3 Squadron RFC saw the infantry and cavalry advance and the pilot dived at the German troops, strafing them from a height of 300 ft (91 m). The observer dropped a sketch of the German dispositions onto the cavalry before the aircraft departed, having been riddled by ground fire. Reserves of
3876-850: The Battles of the Selle and the Sambre and Oise Canal. In the Hundred Days, the Fourth Army had gained 85 mi (137 km), taking 80,000 prisoners and 1,100 guns. Rawlinson was bestowed with many honours in reward for his role in the First World War. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1917 and appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 1918. In August 1919
3990-501: The Bavarians after 90 minutes, an advance on the western side also failed. By 14 September, it was estimated that the British had suffered 6,000 casualties in the struggle for High Wood. On 15 September, the 47th (1/2nd London) Division , which had relieved the 1st Division from 7 to 11 September, attacked the wood and the adjacent areas to the right and left with two brigades, between the New Zealand and 50th divisions. Due to
4104-422: The British and Indian Armies. He told Lloyd George that the post should go to the best qualified officer and that his military advisors "entirely supported my view that the best appointment we could make would be that of General Lord Rawlinson". He held the post until his death. He faced severe challenges. Brigadier Reginald Dyer 's ordering his men to shoot at a crowd at Amritsar, killing 387 unarmed Indians, left
4218-472: The British to achieve a striking success in the Battle of Morval . At the start of October, the rain and the temperature fell and the battlefield turned into a quagmire. The only late success was gained by the Fifth Army (formerly Reserve Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Hubert Gough ) capturing Beaumont Hamel. The results of the Somme remain in dispute; casualties on both sides were immense. There
4332-511: The British took 1,400 prisoners. The British were unable to exploit this success and a long period of difficult fighting followed. The Germans made excellent use of the woods on the battlefield, turning each into a strongpoint. Rawlinson mainly failed to intervene and coordinate attacks until late August and early September, when he massed guns and men, enabling brigades of the 16th (Irish) Division to capture Guillemont village. By late September, superior British artillery and better tactics enabled
4446-535: The French did not attack on 15 September, when the British captured the wood during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette (15–22 September). The German defenders had great difficulty finding fresh troops for the Somme front, despite ending the Battle of Verdun (21 February – 20 December) and had to send divisions to the Eastern Front and to Romania after it declared war on 27 August. Turnover of German divisions
4560-609: The German IV Corps and 2nd Army headquarters. General Fritz von Below , the 2nd Army commander, put the 8th Division , 5th Division , 24th Reserve Division and the 8th Royal Bavarian Reserve Division at the disposal of General Friedrich Sixt von Armin , the IV Corps commander, to counter-attack the British breakthrough. When the truth emerged, the counter-attack was called off and the 5th and 8th Bavarian Reserve divisions went back into reserve. At 9:00 a.m. on 15 July,
4674-550: The German attacks on Ypres had died down. Rawlinson wrote to the Conservative politician Lord Derby (24 December 1914) forecasting that the Allies would win a war of attrition but it was unclear whether this would take one, two or three years. In 1915, IV Corps formed part of the First Army (General Douglas Haig). At the battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–12 March 1915), he massed 340 guns. The weight of this bombardment on
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4788-504: The German support line, until the tank was hit and set on fire. A German infantryman crept up on the tank and shot one of the crew in the leg through a loophole; the fourth tank broke down in no man's land. The fate of the three tanks was reported at 10:00 a.m. by the crew of a 34 Squadron contact patrol, who then flew back to the wood and saw that the attacks by the New Zealanders and the 50th (Northumbrian) Division had enveloped
4902-404: The Germans at a serious tactical disadvantage, that some troops began to avoid the remaining dugouts and that much of the Allied artillery was used constantly to bombard targets deep behind German lines. J. P.Harris wrote that on the German side, conditions were worse and the British improved the accuracy of their artillery-fire, with the help of aircraft observation. At the end of August, Falkenhayn
5016-504: The Germans, yet Gallwitz "had no better tactical method", which reduced operations to a battle of wills. In the Fourth Army area from 15 July to 4 September, 72 German counter-attacks were made against 90 British attacks, exposing German infantry to similar costly and frustrating failures. German artillery and air inferiority was a great disadvantage and led to constant losses. Sheldon also wrote that Allied aerial dominance in August put
5130-608: The Intermediate Line; by 3:00 a.m. both battalions were back on the start line having lost 450 casualties. The Germans in the wood also suffered greatly in the hand-to-hand fighting. III Battalion, Infantry Regiment 165 of the 7th Division and part of I Battalion, Infantry Regiment 62 of the 12th Division , were reinforced from the Switch Line by I Battalion, Infantry Regiment 91, early on 23 July. British gunners had difficulty supporting attacks on High Wood, because they had to fire over Bazentin Ridge. The low elevation of
5244-618: The Somme, took place on the same day to the east of the wood, in the afternoon and evening. Troops of the II Bavarian Corps and XII Corps, pushed one battalion into the eastern side of the wood at Edge Trench. On 3 September, a 1st Brigade battalion of the 1st Division attacked in High Wood as part of the fighting for Guillemont , making another attempt to use the flame-throwers and Livens Projectors. A 178th Tunnelling Company mine, with 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) of explosives,
5358-524: The Somme: The immeasurable superiority of the planning for 8 August 1918 over that for 1 July 1916 testified to the distance the BEF had travelled in the interim." The attack was to be on a relatively narrow front, with no prior bombardment and limited objectives. To ensure a breakthrough, Haig gave Rawlinson command of virtually the whole British armoured forces . By this stage of the war British manpower
5472-707: The South Africa Honours list published on 26 June 1902, was promoted to the substantive rank of colonel on 1 April 1903, and named as commandant of the Army Staff College . Rawlinson was the first of three reforming commandants who transformed the Staff College into a real war school. The curriculum was modernised and updated, the teaching given a new sense of purpose and instructors became 'directing staff' rather than 'professors', emphasising practicality. Major Godwin-Austen, historian of
5586-770: The South Jetty by a military ceremonial receiving party. Rawlinson was buried in the chapel of St Michael and St George in the north transept of St Andrew's Church, Trent , in the county of Dorset . Rawlinson was a gifted watercolour artist. In March 1920, he and Winston Churchill enjoyed a painting holiday together on the French estate of the Duke of Westminster . "The General paints in water colours and does it very well," wrote Churchill. "With all my enormous paraphernalia, I have produced very indifferent results here." He married Meredith Sophia Francis Kennard (1861–1931) at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge , London on 5 November 1890,
5700-460: The Switch Line and dug a new trench near Wood Lane to the east of High Wood. The 33rd Division relieved the 51st (Highland) Division and on 11 August, continued to push sap heads forward towards the Switch line and dug a new trench closer to Wood Lane to the east. Two large flame-throwers and pipe-pushers (devices to force a pipe filled with explosives underground, parallel with the surface, to create
5814-421: The Switch Line for 500 yd (460 m) later in the evening but a renewal of the counter-attack was found to be impossible, due to the tremendous volume of British barrage fire and the presence of British reconnaissance and artillery-observation aircraft. The 33rd Division attacked again at dusk on 19 July, when a battalion from the 100th Brigade pushed advanced posts towards the wood from Bazentin-le-Petit as
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#17327983296495928-530: The Switch Line to the east. The 51st (Highland) Division relieved the 33rd Division after dark. Fog covered the area around High Wood until 22 July when vague reports of German digging in front of the Switch Line were confirmed. The crew of a 34 Squadron aircraft dived through the mist and saw a new German trench, several hundred yards in front of the Switch Trench, parallel to the British line from Bazentin-le-Peitit to High Wood. This new Intermediate Line
6042-476: The Switch Line, when three platoons advanced on the west side of the wood. Machine-gun fire from the II and III battalions of Infantry Regiment 93 in High Wood, hit the attackers from the flank and the attack was repulsed. The 16th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps and the 2nd Worcester were sent forward as reinforcements but were back on the start line by 4:00 p.m. Two German infantry companies worked southwards from
6156-680: The War Office. In September 1914 Rawlinson was appointed General Officer Commanding 4th Division in France. Promoted to temporary lieutenant-general on 4 October 1914, he then took command of the IV Corps . In late September, the Belgian government formally requested British military assistance in defending Antwerp . IV Corps, acting under orders from the Cabinet, was chosen to reinforce
6270-403: The actual results will be no one can say but I feel pretty confident of success myself though only after heavy fighting. That the bosh [sic] will break and that a debacle will supervene I do not believe..." He was not satisfied that the wire was well cut and enemy trenches sufficiently "knocked about". The Somme offensive was launched on 1 July 1916. In English writing, attention has been paid to
6384-603: The advance on Omdurman in Sudan in 1898, and was promoted to major on 25 January 1899 and to brevet lieutenant colonel on 26 January 1899. Rawlinson served with distinction in a field command in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1902, earning promotion to the local rank of colonel on 6 May 1901. He was in Western Transvaal during early 1902, and led a column taking part in the Battle of Rooiwal ,
6498-530: The age of 61 at Delhi in India, after a medical operation for a stomach ailment, although not long before the operation he had played polo and cricket and seemed fit and well. His body was carried back to England on the SS Assaye , which was met on reaching the English Channel by a Royal Navy destroyer , onto which the coffin was transferred, then carried into Portsmouth Harbour , being met at
6612-590: The casualties. By 3 July he knew 8,000 prisoners had been taken. On the Allied right, the British and French had more success. Here they had a better fire plan but limited objectives as a flank guard to a main advance further north. This was more in keeping with Rawlinson's idea of "bite and hold". There is no documentary evidence that the corps commander on the right (southern) British flank, Lieutenant General Walter Congreve , commanding XIII Corps , telephoned Rawlinson to ask permission to advance beyond his set objectives or to send in cavalry. The principal causes of
6726-499: The cemetery is a 47th (1/2nd London) Division memorial and a cairn for the 9th (Glasgow Highlanders) Highland Light Infantry. A memorial to the Cameron Highlanders and Black Watch lies on the east side of the wood. Memorials to the 1st and 51st divisions, 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, Cameron Highlanders, 1st South Wales Borderers, 10th Glosters and the 20th Royal Fusiliers were also built in the wood; Thistle Dump Cemetery
6840-611: The city. Rawlinson arrived in Antwerp on 6 October. It was soon obvious that the combined British, Belgian, and French forces were too weak to hold the city, and Kitchener decided on an evacuation two days later. IV Corps and the remnants of the Belgian Army successfully re-joined Allied forces in Western Belgium, with the Cabinet returning Rawlinson's Corps to Sir John French 's command. IV Corps marched into Ypres on
6954-583: The collapse in German morale and the high number of Germans surrendering without a fight. The Allies were still cautious about pressing their advantage too far and on 11 August Rawlinson advised Haig to halt the offensive. In September, again commanding a mixed force of British, Australian and American divisions, Rawlinson participated in the breaking of the Hindenburg Line , a major part of the Hundred Days Offensive . Initial planning
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#17327983296497068-498: The college, wrote: "Blessed with an extremely attractive personality, a handsome appearance, high social standing, and more than an average share of this world's goods, he was one to inspire his students unconsciously to follow in his footsteps." Promoted to temporary brigadier general on 1 March 1907, he was made commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade at Aldershot that year and, having been promoted to major general on 10 May 1909, he became general officer commanding (GOC) of
7182-435: The command was instead given to Sir Charles Monro . He was promoted to temporary general on 22 December 1915. Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 1 January 1916, Rawlinson assumed command of the new Fourth Army on 24 January 1916. The Fourth Army would play a major role in the planned Allied offensive on the Somme . He wrote in his diary: "It is not the lot of many men to command an army of over half
7296-402: The cornfields, eight cavalrymen were killed, about 100 were wounded and 130 horses were killed or wounded. The cavalry took up a line from Longueval to the southern corner of High Wood until the early morning of 15 July and began to withdraw from 3:40 a.m. Alarmist reports that the British cavalry had broken through between Longueval and Pozières and were advancing beyond High Wood, reached
7410-408: The corps were substituted for a closer creeping bombardment at High Wood. The tanks advanced at 6:20 a.m. and two reached the south of the wood but then turned east to find open ground. Tank D-22 lost direction, ditched in the British front line and then fired on British troops by mistake. The second tank drove into a shell hole but D-13 got into the wood and fired on Bavarian Infantry Regiment 18 in
7524-500: The defeat in the north were the skill of German defenders, the siting of their defences and the failure of the long and heavy preliminary artillery bombardment to destroy the German barbed wire and trenches, except in the southern sector where French heavy artillery assisted. It is not true that heavily laden British infantry were required to advance at a slow walk. The researches of the historians Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson have shown that
7638-428: The direction of low-flying British artillery-observation aircraft. German sources reported that the shelling was of painful accuracy and prevented the troops in High Wood from being relieved, despite the number of casualties. One battalion lost direction in the wood and had many casualties to machine-gun fire. The second battalion attacked up a dip to the south-west of the wood but was also caught by machine-gun fire from
7752-482: The division had suffered over 4,500 casualties and the 141st Brigade was so depleted that after the occupation of the wood, it was reorganised into a composite battalion. The divisional commander Major-General Charles Barter had urged Lieutenant-General William Pulteney , the III Corps commander, to cancel the attempt to use tanks in the wood as a substitute for artillery but had been over-ruled. The failure of
7866-561: The fighting, built roads and established a brigade base at Razmak. Rawlinson announced a scheme of "Indianisation" to the Legislative Assembly on 17 February 1923. Its aim, he said, was to "give Indians a fair opportunity of providing that units officered by Indians will be efficient in every way". The Prince of Wales' Royal Indian Military College was founded at Dehra Dun in 1922, run on English public school lines, to encourage potential officer candidates. In 1924, Rawlinson
7980-468: The first day, a British disaster for three of the five attacking corps, although the battle lasted 141 days against two German armies. On 1 July, British forces were repulsed by the Germans along most of the front north of the Albert–Bapaume road, suffering 57,000 casualties. The worst defeats were in front of Pozières and Thiepval . By the afternoon Rawlinson was aware of much of the disaster but not of
8094-414: The front line from 2 to 42 days and casualties varied from 500 per day in the 5th Division to fewer than 100 per day in the 23rd Division. Gary Sheffield wrote that criticism of Haig underestimated the difficulty in balancing tactical , operational and strategic demands; line straightening attacks were costly but were better than imposing complicated manoeuvres on the infantry. From 11 to 27 July
8208-433: The front line in the area of High Wood, after the Battle of Bazentin Ridge on 14 July. German artillery was organised in a series of sperrfeuerstreifen (barrage sectors) for the simpler task of placing barrages on no man's land. Telephone lines between the German front lines and their artillery support were often cut but the front line troops used signal flares to communicate. High Wood had grassy rides and many saplings in
8322-410: The gallery of the mine fired on 3 September and charged it with another 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) of ammonal. On 9 September, the 1st Division attacked High Wood and German positions on the right flank; two battalions captured Wood Lane and two battalions attacked in the wood after the new mine was exploded thirty seconds before zero hour. The crater was occupied but the garrison was then bombed out by
8436-458: The guns meant that shells skimmed the British trenches, the margin for error was small and numerous complaints were made that British infantry casualties were caused by the British artillery . Worn guns, defective ammunition and inaccurate information about the location of British infantry positions were blamed for short-shooting. The 51st (Highland) Division pushed saps forward on 2 August, towards
8550-607: The last battle of the war (11 April 1902). Following the end of hostilities in June 1902, he returned to the United Kingdom together with Lord Kitchener on board the SS Orotava , which arrived in Southampton on 12 July. In a despatch dated 23 June 1902, Lord Kitchener wrote of Rawlinson that he "possesses the qualities of Staff Officer and Column Commander in the field. His characteristics will always ensure him
8664-591: The majority of battalions were out in No Man's Land before whistles blew. This was of no avail, except in the south, against skilful placing of German machine guns in enfilade positions and German artillery fire falling on British trenches to prevent reinforcements reaching the 36th (Ulster) Division , who had penetrated the German position north of Thiepval. Rawlinson's 'Tactical Notes', initially drafted by his chief of staff Archie Montgomery, were not prescriptive, giving initiative to battalion commanders to choose their formations. Haig told Rawlinson to exploit success in
8778-433: The movement of non-cooperation with the British on 1 August 1920, he wished to avoid popular violence, but in 1922 the campaign degenerated: a crowd attacked a police station at Chauri Chaura, set fire to the building and 22 or 23 policemen were burnt to death or hacked down by the crowd. Gandhi cancelled the campaign, but he and other leaders of the resistance were arrested. Rawlinson certainly began his command believing that
8892-424: The narrowness of no man's land in and around the wood, the British troops were withdrawn during the preliminary bombardment but then sent forward again and the creeping bombardment was fired 150 yd (140 m) beyond the German front line. The artillery were given the wrong map coordinates, which led to the creeping barrage being fired another 100 yd (91 m) further on; four of the eight tanks allotted to
9006-503: The night of 13–14 October, where the BEF , advancing northwards, was preparing to meet the German Army . Located at the centre of the British line, IV Corps met the main thrust of the German attacks between 18 and 27 October and suffered heavy casualties. On 28 October, IV Corps was put under the temporary command of Douglas Haig while Rawlinson went to England to oversee the preparation of 8th Division . When he returned in November
9120-419: The north-west edge of Mametz Wood; one division of III Corps was to attack further west. The British infantry was to cross up to 1,200 yd (1,100 m) of no man's land in the dark and assemble close to the German second line. In this area the second line had become the front line, after the British and French advances during the Battle of Albert (1–13 July). A preparatory bombardment began on 11 July and
9234-488: The northern fringe of the wood. Due to the number of British casualties, two more battalions were sent forward as reinforcements but as dark fell a German bombardment forced the British from the north end of the wood, which was re-occupied by German troops near Foureaux Riegel (known to the British as the Switch Line) and both sides dug in. During the fighting for High Wood, the 5th Division and 7th Division attacked
9348-407: The occupation of High Wood being forestalled by German reserves, which had moved forward to counter-attack British troops in the villages of Bazentin-le-Grand and Bazentin-le-Petit. Men from the 7th Division managed to occupy the southern half of the wood and two cavalry squadrons advanced on the east side to Wood Lane, which connected the wood to Longueval . On 15 July, the wood was evacuated by
9462-459: The policy of unyielding defence. On the Somme front, the fortification construction plan ordered by Falkenhayn in January 1915 had been completed. The reserve line, renamed the second line, was as well built and wired as the first line and had been built beyond the range of Allied field artillery, to force attackers to stop and move their artillery forward before an attack. The second line had become
9576-409: The road leading to High Wood and dug Boast Trench to link the flanks of both divisions, which had been separated for three days. Tramlines were built west of the wood towards Eaucourt l'Abbaye and later extended to Bazentin-le-Petit, so that the wood could be avoided. The 47th (1/2nd London) Division was considered to have failed, because High Wood was only the first objective. In four days of fighting,
9690-450: The south-west face and reached the objective as a battalion of the 15th (Scottish) Division to the west captured a German trench beyond the west side of the wood. Two German counter-attacks were repulsed but the British were ordered to retire and by midnight were back on their start lines. About fifty prisoners of III Battalion, Bavarian Infantry Regiment 18 of the 3rd Royal Bavarian Division were taken. The 178th Tunnelling Company reopened
9804-533: The south. Fourth Army fought its way forward towards the second German line atop the Bazentin Ridge. At first light on 14 July, following a night approach march, a two-day preparatory bombardment of over 375,000 shells and a five-minute intensive hurricane bombardment, the leading British attackers, some within 100 yd (91 m) of enemy lines attacked the German position. Nearly all first line objectives were taken. The Germans suffered 2,200 casualties and
9918-415: The southern half of the wood, after German reserves had arrived and counter-attacked several times. On the right flank, a squadron from each of the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 20th Deccan Horse of the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division, had been ordered forward at 7:40 a.m. but took until early evening to make their way across trenches and devastated ground. The 20th Deccan Horse made the only cavalry charge of
10032-521: The southwest and Arras to the north, on the D73 road. (All French language) This Arrondissement of Péronne geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson General Henry Seymour Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson , GCB , GCSI , GCVO , KCMG (20 February 1864 – 28 March 1925), known as Sir Henry Rawlinson, 2nd Baronet between 1895 and 1919,
10146-541: The staff of a friend, General Sir Frederick Roberts , the commander-in-chief in India. Rawlinson and the Roberts family remained close friends throughout his life. When Roberts died in November 1914, Rawlinson wrote, "I feel as if I have lost my second father." His first military experience was serving in Burma during the 1886 uprising. In October 1889, Rawlinson's mother died and he returned to Britain. He transferred to
10260-699: The survivors and the cavalry retired. The British and the Germans fought for control of the wood from 14 July to 15 September. Both sides had many casualties and chronic communication problems; inclement weather grounded aircraft, obscured the view and slowed movement on the roads, which had been severely bombarded and turned to mud as soon as it rained. Trenches and shell holes filled with water, which made infantry movement exceedingly difficult and exhausted trench garrisons. The British and French found it impossible to arrange co-ordinated attacks and fought many small piecemeal actions, rather than general attacks until 15 September. British-French co-operation broke down again and
10374-403: The survivors of the 141st Brigade captured the wood by 1:00 p.m. As night fell, the division had no organised front line, except on the extreme right and only the first objective had been captured, although this gave the British observation of the German defences north-eastwards to Bapaume. The survivors of Bavarian Infantry Regiment 23 managed to rally beyond Martinpuich and reinforcements from
10488-504: The sword you will be turned out. You must keep the sword ready to hand and in case of trouble or rebellion use it relentlessly. Montagu calls it terrorism, so it is and in dealing with natives of all classes you have to use terrorism whether you like it or not. John Newsinger argues that "there is no doubt that the great majority of the British in India, soldiers, officials, civilians, agreed with Rawlinson on this. A few months later he noted in his journal that he "was determined to fight for
10602-436: The tanks was considered by the 47th (1/2nd London) Division to have been the main cause of the large number of casualties in the division but Barter was sacked on 28 September, for "wanton waste of men". Peter Liddle wrote that beyond imposing a delay, the German policy of unyielding defence and counter-attack failed and ought to be judged on the same terms as British and French methods. Haig and Joffre were right to believe that
10716-458: The undergrowth, which impeded movement off the rides and the wood had been fortified. General Henry Rawlinson , the Fourth Army commander, planned an attack at dawn on 14 July, when there would be insufficient light for German machine-gunners to see far ahead. XIII Corps was to attack with two divisions from Longueval to Bazentin-le-Grand and XV Corps was to attack from Bazentin-le-Petit to
10830-401: The west side of the wood but the east side was full of Germans and the Switch Trench was packed with German infantry. High Wood was judged to be untenable and at 11:25 p.m. the 91st Brigade was withdrawn and the wood was bombarded by the divisional artillery. The 1/9th Highland Light Infantry (HLI) of the 33rd Division had also attacked the wood at 9:00 a.m. on 15 July, during an attack on
10944-502: The western corner and repulsed a German counter-attack with Lewis-gun fire. Another counter-attack was defeated at 8:00 p.m. but the British then withdrew, except for one company which retired at 4:00 a.m. On 8 September, the 1st Division attacked the west end of the wood at 6:00 p.m. with two battalions. The right-hand battalion reached its objective on its right flank, where German troops were found to be in wired shell-craters but not on its left flank. The left-hand battalion attacked
11058-457: The white community against any black sedition or rebellion", and, if necessary, "be the next Dyer". Nonetheless, with Gandhi temporarily behind bars and increasing economic stability as the 1920s advanced, Rawlinson had the scope to reduce the Army's strength, modernise its equipment and work closely with Viceroys Chelmsford and Reading to try to make dyarchy a success. In Waziristan, the British and Indian Field Force backed by aircraft put an end to
11172-408: The wood and despite mist, glimpsed enough to report that all but the north end of the wood had been captured and in the evening reported the loss of the north end to a counter-attack. A third battalion on the right flank arrived and helped to occupy the southern portion of the wood, thirty Germans being taken prisoner. During the afternoon of 21 July, another battalion went forward and managed to reach
11286-473: The wood and the defenders of the Switch Trench nearby. On their return, the crew convinced the III Corps headquarters to cancel an attack from the wood. The infantry advance into the wood had been stopped by machine-gun fire and in the mêlée , part of the three battalions advancing ready to attack the second objective, went into the wood and joined in. At 11:40 a.m., the 140th Trench Mortar Battery fired
11400-465: The wood in 1916. On the edge of High Wood is the London Cemetery and Extension . This Commonwealth cemetery was opened with the interment of 47 soldiers of the 47th (1/2nd London) Division in the days following 15 September 1916 and extended in 1934. The men were buried in a large shell hole and by 1987, the cemetery contained the remains of 3,870 men, 3,114 of whom have no name. Opposite
11514-497: The wood, until driven out by the brigade reserve. At 4:45 p.m. the British attacked after a bombardment which inflicted many casualties on the German infantry but failed to overwhelm the defenders. High Wood was not visible to British ground observers and at 5:00 p.m. a 3 Squadron reconnaissance sortie, reported that British troops were in the west of the wood and south of the Bazentin-le-Petit road. Flags were seen in
11628-402: The wood. On 24 August, three battalions of the 100th Brigade attacked between High Wood and Delville Wood. On the night of 27/28 August, the 1st Division relieved part of the 33rd Division and next day attacked on the east side of the wood, advancing a short distance. The rest of the 33rd Division was relieved by the 24th Division on 31 August. The largest German counter-attack of the Battle of
11742-465: The writer can recall, has never been attempted before. The historians Robin Prior and Trevor Wilson praise Rawlinson's foresight in considering combining infantry with the fire-power of machine-guns and artillery. After handing over the division to his successor, Major General Hubert Hamilton , in May 1914 Rawlinson went on leave, returning on the outbreak of war to briefly serve as director of recruiting at
11856-605: Was a senior British Army officer in the First World War who commanded the Fourth Army of the British Expeditionary Force at the battles of the Somme (1916) and Amiens (1918) as well as the breaking of the Hindenburg Line (1918). He commanded the Indian Army from 1920 to 1925. Rawlinson was born at Trent Manor in Dorset on 20 February 1864. His father, Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet ,
11970-679: Was an Army officer, and a renowned Middle East scholar who is generally recognised as the father of Assyriology . His mother was Louisa Caroline Harcourt Seymour (1828-1889). He received his early formal education at Eton College . After passing through commissioned officer training at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , Rawlinson entered the British Army as a lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps in India on 6 February 1884. His father arranged for him to serve on
12084-544: Was appointed a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India . By the end of his Indian command, he had reduced the Indian army in numbers and cost, but improved firepower, mobility and training. In financial matters he had been hugely helped by Sir Bhupendra Mitra, who had financial details "at his finger's ends". He had been appointed to succeed Lord Cavan as CIGS when he left India. Rawlinson died on 28 March 1925 at
12198-559: Was by John Monash , the Australian commander, but Rawlinson broadened the front and gave him more tanks. The Allied attack was preceded by a massive artillery bombardment. Allied success was most striking in the centre where the 46th (North Midland) Division crossed the St Quentin Canal and stormed trenches beyond, advancing up to 3 mi (4.8 km) and taking over 5,300 prisoners. The Fourth Army's advance continued in
12312-404: Was cautious British optimism at the end of the Battle and General Sir Henry Wilson's felt that Haig could defeat Germany in 1917 by fighting "two Sommes at once", but that he should be told how much manpower was available and told to plan accordingly. In January 1917, Rawlinson was promoted to permanent general "for distinguished service in the field". For a period in 1917–18, he also commanded
12426-412: Was deflected backwards, blowing a crater into the trench line of one of the attacking battalions. All attempts by the infantry to advance failed, although some troops broke into the German defences and were ejected by I Battalion, Infantry Regiment 134 and Infantry Regiment 104 recorded many casualties. On 20 August, the division attacked the wood with one battalion, to occupy a trench on the western edge of
12540-422: Was dismissed, partly due to disagreements over his conduct of the defence of the Somme. Prior and Wilson analysed the British on the Somme from 15 July to 12 September, which included the fighting for High Wood. In the first sixty days of the offensive, thirty-two British divisions had engaged and had suffered 126,000 casualties. The British were bogged down, having advanced 1,000–1,500 yd (910–1,370 m) on
12654-460: Was full of German troops and the III Corps headquarters immediately cancelled the 19th (Western) Division attack on the Switch Line, to make the new line the first objective. On the night of 22/23 July, the 51st (Highland) Division attacked High Wood with two battalions of the 154th Brigade at 1:30 a.m., to capture the rest of the wood and 600 yd (550 m) of the Switch Line. The British bombardment had begun at 7:00 p.m. on 22 July, under
12768-429: Was high and many had to be withdrawn and replaced after fourteen days in the front line. The Germans lacked the resources to make many big organised counter-attacks and those at High Wood and the vicinity were often as costly and ineffective as corresponding British attacks. The French name for the wood was Bois des Foureaux (now Bois des Fourcaux ) but to the British infantry it was known as High Wood. The wood
12882-434: Was severely depleted, and to achieve the breakthrough, the Fourth Army comprised four Canadian, five Australian, five British and two American divisions. The Allies achieved surprise and the Battle of Amiens proved a striking success. On 8 August, described by General Erich Ludendorff as "the black day of the German Army", the Allies took 12,000 prisoners and captured 450 guns. The German and Allied commands were struck by
12996-477: Was sprung under the strong point at the east corner of the wood thirty seconds before the infantry advance. The strong point was overrun by an infantry company and consolidated by an engineer field company. The pipe pushers blew back and a mortar bomb dropped short and set off the oil drums in the Livens Projectors, causing much confusion among the attackers. Bombers worked towards the western flank but
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