Cameos of Offensives and Battles on the Somme and the Western Front involving the 1 st AIF

Transcription

1 Cameos of Offensives and Battles on the Somme and the Western Front involving the 1 st AIF Volumes 1 & 2 Matt Walsh Volume 1

2 Table of Content Part 1 The Phantom Soldiers The Australian Tunnelling Companies - Hill 60 Ypres Part 2 The Battle for Ypres 1 st to 3 rd Battle of Ypres Arras and the Hindenburg Line The Menin Gate The Last Post Ceremony The Light Horse in France The Battle of Polygon Wood The Battle for Fromelles Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Volume 2 Table of Content

3 Part 8 The Battle for Pozieres Part 9 The Battle for Villers- Bretonneux and how it was nearly lost Part 10 The Battle for Dernancourt Part 11 The Battle for Le Hamel Part 12 The Battle for Bullecourt Part 13 The Battle for Mont St. Quentin and Peronne Part 14 The Battle for Amiens The Phantom Soldiers The Australian Tunnelling Companies

4 A brief record of Australia s involvement in the Battle for Hill 60 (Ypres) Matt Walsh Table of content Topic The Underground War on the Western Front - Introduction - Strategy - Vimy Ridge - The Men (The Soldier Tunnellers) - Tunnelling Companies - Types of Mines Map of the Messines Ridge Mining Offensive H ill 60 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company Page

5 Colour Patch W as Hill 60 worth the cost? Memorial to the 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company Hill 60 Awards received by members of the Australian Tunnelling Company Casualties References This booklet is an initiative of the Defence Reserves Association (NSW) Inc and the Military Police Association of Australia Inc. as part of their Schools Military History Program. Written and compiled by Matt Walsh JP MLO ALGA (MCAE) Dip Bus & Corp Law (CPS) 2008 Matt Walsh. The Underground War on the Western Front Introduction It is a little known fact that a major part of the war on the Western Front was fought underground, which lead to the men Australian Tunnelling Companies being referred to as the Phantom Soldiers because they spent most of their time underground and were rarely seen on the surface. S trategy Tunnelling and Mining played an important part in the Allied strategy and also the Germans up till the Battle at Messines in 1917 at which time the nature of the fighting changed and more moveable defences took the place of positional defences in which tunnelling was most effective. V imy Ridge

6 Vimy Ridge An example of this concept occurred when the Canadians took Vimy Ridge in April 1917, when they had approximately 15,000 troops underground in large subways which had electric power, water, and even light rail this made them invisible to the Germans or subject to artillery fire or other methods of fire until the last minute. The Men (The Soldier Tunnellers) The troops who undertook this type of warfare were generally hard rock miners from the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada and they played a very dangerous game of cat and mouse with their underground enemy the German soldier. Many a pitched battle was fought in the confines of the tunnels. Hill 60 in Belgium contains the remains of hundreds of soldiers from both sides who died in this underground battlefield. Tunnelling Companies By June of 1916 mining had just about reached it peak with 33 Tunnelling Companies being formed. Royal Engineers 25 Tunnelling Companies Royal Canadian Engineers 3 Tunnelling Companies Royal Australian Engineers- 3 Tunnelling Companies Australian Electrical & Mechanical, Mining & Boring Company -1 Company (The ABC Company) Royal New Zealand Engineers 1 Tunnelling Company In 1917 a Portuguese Mining Company was established in the BEF. Typ es of Mines There were (3) three types of mines in use-: Offensive These were further classified as:- 1.1 The Common Mine:- was designed to blow up the enemy. 1.2 The Fougasse Mine:- was designed to bury the enemy by throwing a large amount of rock and dirt over the enemy positions. 2. Defensive These were designed to destroy or disrupt enemy mining. This was achieved by the use of a Camouflet Charge which was a subsurface mine designed to collapse a tunnel without breaking the surface area.

7 3. Tactical These were not designed to destroy the enemy, but rather to provide a high rim for firing positions or make it difficult for the enemy to approach the allied lines. A variation of these mines was the :- 3.1 The Bored Mines (also known as Wombat Mines) named from the method of hand drilling rigs used in their placement. HILL Hill 60, was located at Zwarteleen (Ypres Belgium) around five kilometres south-east of Ypres was to have strategic importance for both sides during the Battle for Ypres. It was not a natural feature but it was an artificially created feature some 60 metres high and 250 metres from end to end which had been made from spoil during the construction of the Commines-Ypres railway during the 19 th century. On top was rich loamy clay, underneath lay seven (7) metres of dry sand separated by a layer of blue clay and two (2) metres of quicksand. It received its name from the Australian Troops as signifying its height in metres above sea level on the contour map.

8 Who ever held this summit gained a tactical advantage as they could observe the movements of enemy troops in the area and when necessary bring to bear artillery and small arms fire. Whilst only 60 metres high it was the key to the entire Messines Ridge and gave an unhindered view if Ypres. Its importance was realised by the Germans when they captured it from the French on 10 th December Soon after this the British began digging tunnels under the hill and the German positions on the hill. This was one of the first tasks of the newly formed 171 st Tunnelling Company from experienced miners from the Monmouthshire Regiment (members of this Regiment were drawn from an area near st the Welsh Border, Welshmen being known for their mining ability). They were assisted by the 1 th Northumberland Field Company of the Royal Engineers. By Saturday 10 April 1915, digging at Hill 60 was about finished and six mines were ready for charging M1 and M2 ran singly and roughly straight out under no-mans land for more than 100 metres. Then just before reaching the German trench, each became two by forking right and left. The arms just a few metres long were enlarged to receive the charge (gunpowder). A charge of 2,700 pounds was placed in each of M1 chambers and two charges of one tonne each was placed in M2, whilst M3 only received 250 kilos due to the risk of discovery by the Germans. Example of a Tunnel (Sap) used during WWI Zero hour was set for 1900 hours on the 17 th Following the detonation of the charges the explosion lasted for about 10 seconds ripping the heart out of the hill, with debris being flung nearly 100 metres into the air and scattering it more than 300 metres in all directions. This was followed by an artillery bombardment followed by an infantry attack by the Royal West Kent s, 2 nd Kings Own Scottish Borders supported by a number of other Regiments (a monument stands proudly on the summit of the hill to this day and the café/museum opposite also bears their names. Casualties on this occasion were light (7) seven British one of these occurred when a soldier peered over the parapet was violently hit in the face by a piece of debris and killed him. The Germans lost 150 killed and 20 were taken prisoners. A counter attack on the night of the 17 th by the Germans inflicted heavy casualties on the British forcing the British off the Hill. The next day the Hill was retaken by the British further attacks were repelled by the British and it was during this attack that Lieutenant George Roland Patrick Roupell won the VC the point at which he won his award is now the highest point on the hill.

9 South of Hill 60 there was two other mounds of earth one known as the Dump and the other the Caterpillar. By the 9 th April 1915 there were three galleries running beneath the German lines. The British held Hill 60 from 17 th April 1915 to the 5 th May 1915 when they lost the summit back to the Germans. Hill 60 was therefore highly prized by both sides and changed hands on a number of occasions between 17 th & 21 st April. Not only was the feature Hill 60 used by both armies, they also turned to going underground and tunnelling beneath the feature. A point of interest in respect to this action is that the Germans had dug gas cylinders into the tunnels under Hill 60. At all times irrespective of who actually held Hill 60 both the Germans and the Allies (Britain, Canada, Australia) continued to tunnel under each others galleries and trenches in the surrounding areas On a number of occasions when the tunnels were side by side or on top of each other the Germans would try to destroy the allied tunnels by detonating small charges to collapse the tunnels. Occasionally, each side would dig into the others tunnels and hand to hand fighting would break out in the confines of the small tunnels. Hill 60 was still occupied by the Germans when in October 1916 the 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company took over the tunnels from the Canadians they continued this role throughout Their role was to be one of maintenance, however an inspection had revealed that extensive additional work was necessary - 4- Colour Patch of 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company The Australians dug a vertical shaft 460 feet deep and ran (3) three galleries Sydney Brisbane-Perth one was dug to undermine the German line (The Snout) which was to the left of Hill 60 and some 1400 feet away. The main shaft was named Sydney. In all the Australians dug some 8 kilometres of galleries (tunnels) advancing some 3 or 4 metres each day and night. These galleries were fitted with electric lights and in the (7) seven taken to dig them the Germans failed to locate the Australian tunnels. The question is often asked: Who were the Australian Tunnellers?

10 They were the men who undertook the task of Military Mining they provided specialised expertise and showed extreme courage. These men risked being poisoned by gas (Methane), blown to pieces or buried alive. By 1916 Australia had (3) three Companies of Tunnellers in action. Whilst the concept of Military Mining Companies has been credited to Lieutenant J. Thomson a mining engineer from Western Australia. The concept was refined and developed by Professor T.W. Edgeworth-David of Sydney University who was to be commissioned as a Major and who continued to develop the concepts whilst serving in France. Like typical Diggers the men of the Australian Tunnelling Companies (ATC) whilst on leave in Alexandria were arrested for being drunk and placed in the local prison. They had nearly completed an escape tunnel when they were released. This was their first Tunnelling Campaign The Australians took with them equipment which the British considered inadequate and strange. The Australians had the last laugh when the British encountered water and we had the pumps and they did not, and when lighting was needed the Australians had the necessary equipment. One guess, who didn t. It was the Australians who convinced the British that Military Mining was a Science. They also introduced their secret weapon The Wombat Drill to assist in the boring of tunnels. They also introduced an acoustical instrument which located enemy mining positions. The acoustical instrument used by the Australians to detect German Tunnelling -5 - The explosion of 19 mines on Hill 60 at 3.10 am on the 7 th June 1917 which involved (2) two Companies of Australians has been described as the greatest exploit ever conceived in Military Mining, it opened a series of craters one on Hill 60 was 60 feet deep and 260 feet wide and at the Caterpillar a crater 90 foot deep and 334 feet wide was created these explosions killed 700 Germans of the 204 th Division. A crater on Hill 60 after the explosion on 7 th June 1917

11 W as Hill 60 worth the cost? The Sydney Morning Herald greeted the news of Hill 60 as:- a proud Day for Australia no less than one of the greatest days in our history. It was for their typical qualities of endurance and fortitude that the miners praises were sung. The Australian Mining Corps Tunnelling Companies of the Australian Engineers was created in October 1915 as a Mining Battalion with a HQ and three Companies. They were so proud of their work that in 1919 they erected a Memorial to their mates were still buried beneath the Hill. many of whom The Memorial to the 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company Complete with WW2 bullet holes The hill itself has been preserved so that today visitors can have access to one of the most infamous sites on the Salient At the front of the site there is a memorial to the 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company and it is the Plaque on this that contains bullet holes. These date not from the First World War but the Second World War, when this area was again fought over, although much more briefly. The Plaque explains that this permanent memorial replaces one erected in 1919 by the comrades of those who fell here. During the Battle for Ypres which included Hill 60 casualties were high: British 59,275 German 34,933. An Advanced Dressing Station Hill 60

12 The ground around Hill 60 has not been restored and shell holes and a German Pillbox can still be seen on the hill to day. Hill 60 was part of the Messines offensive and was recaptured by the Allies on the first day of this offensive. It was taken again by the Germans in April 1918 (during Operation Michael) and was finally retaken by the British on the 28 th September A wards received by members of the Australian Tunnelling Company Military Cross Lt. Colonel E.S Sanderson MC Captain H.H. Carroll MC Captain R.A. Clinton MC Major R.B. Hendler MC Captain W.J. McBride MC Captain Oliver H. Woodward MC Distinguished Service Order Major Coulter DSO Major J. D Henry DSO OBE Major Richard Morse DSO - 7- Military Medal Sapper R. Kerry MM Sapper D. Reeves MM Casualties Captain Wilfred Percival Avery 1 st Australian Tunnelling Company Killed in Action 25 April 1917 Buried Poperinghe New Military Cemetery Belgium

13 References awm.gov.au ww1battlefields.co.uk first worldwar.com. World War A Pictured History Vol.1 & 2 London The Great War- Les Carlyon Pan Macmillan Sydney. -8-