OUR FIRST WORLD WAR
In part 51 of his personal testimony series, Peter Hart reaches August 1918. With the Germans having been beaten back, the Allies were preparing an offensive that would finally break the deadlock of trench warfare. Peter is tracing the experiences of 20 p
“The situation had developed more favourably than we had dared to hope! The enemy were completely surprised”
Sir Douglas Haig
Haig was commander of the British Expeditionary Force on the western front. He had spent the past few months trying to cope with the German Spring Offensive.
The Germans had exhausted their reserves in the series of spring offensives launched from May to July 1918. The British and French lines had buckled but held and the Allies were ready to strike back. Haig and his generals had learnt a great deal from the long, grim years of attritional warfare. The culmination of all this experience was the ‘All Arms Battle’. The infantry were now well armed with light Lewis machine guns and rifle grenades. In immediate support were heavy Vickers machine guns banded together, and light and heavy mortars hurling high explosives and poisonous gas canisters. Concealing them were dense smoke barrages.
Trundling into action alongside the infantry were heavy tanks. Then there were the lighter tanks and armoured cars ready to push through and cause chaos. Aircraft flew above, diving down to spray machine gun fire and drop small bombs. Underpinning everything, there were the crushing barrages of the artillery. On 8 August, the Allies attacked at Amiens.
The situation had developed more favourably for us than we had dared even to hope! The enemy were completely surprised, two reliefs of divisions were in progress, very little resistance was offered, and our troops got their objectives quickly with very little loss! At 6pm Marshal Foch came to see me. He is very delighted at our success today, and fully concurred in all the arrangements I had made for continuing the battle. Enemy blowing up dumps in all directions and streaming eastwards. Their transport and limbers [ammunition carts] offer splendid targets for our aeroplanes.
The Germans suffered tens of thousands of casualties. They also lost more than 400 guns and large quantities of mortars and machine guns. All told it was a disaster and even General Erich Ludendorff, the key man at German supreme headquarters, could not deny it: “August 8 was the black day of the German army in the history of this war.”
Kate Luard
Londoner Kate, born in 1872, trained as a nurse. On the western front she rose to head sister, in charge of a staff of up to 40 nurses and 100 orderlies.
There was a serious cost to the military successes. For nursing staff such as Sister Kate Luard, there was a balance between battlefield gains and human suffering. Having heard soldiers cheerily predicting success in the run-up to the offensive – “We’re going to Berlin this time!” – the nurses soon found themselves dealing with the Allied wounded.
4am August 9th. 20,000 prisoners, 20 kilometres, 200 guns, transport captured,
bombs continually on the congested fleeing armies – and here on our side the men who’ve made this happen, and given their eyes, limbs, jaws and lives in doing so. It is an extraordinary jumble of a bigger feeling of victory and the wicked, piteous sacrifice of all these men. And they are marvellous as always.
Next day, the first German prisoners began to come in for medical treatment.
We have a great many German wounded: one ‘Baby’ Jerry is the pet of the place – a fair smiling clean boy who was, he said proudly, “Nur ein Tag!” – just a day – in the line. For some never-failing reason the orderlies and the men fall over each other trying to make the Jerries comfortable. Their instinct is purely for hospitality, I think. A German prisoner continued to chuckle while his wound was being dressed. I asked him what the joke was? “You’ve won the war!” he said. “We shall all go home now!” And this on 10 August!
George Ashurst
George was born near Wigan in 1895. Called up in August 1914, he suffered frostbite on the western front and was gassed at Ypres in May 1915. He served in Gallipoli and Egypt before returning to the western front in March 1916.
Sergeant George Ashurst had served right through the war. By this time, the army was looking for leaders wherever they could find them – and experienced NCOs were an obvious source of officers.
The adjutant sent for me and he said: “Oh Lord!” I thought: “What the hell am I going in for next?” When I got to the tent he says: “Good morning, Sergeant!” I said: “Good morning, sir!” He put his hand out to shake hands. “You’re a damn lucky fellow! You’re going home for a commission!” I said: “Never, Sir!” He said: “Yes! You’re going now – straight away!” I said: “Well I wish you were coming with me, Sir!” “Ah well. Go on get your things and get off! Don’t waste any time!” Right from the battle line right away to ‘Blighty’! Bloody hell!
I walked back to the lads and they were saying: “You lucky bugger!” I was sorry to leave the lads, but I was absolutely delighted. I felt free! I made my way to the quartermaster’s stores to get some new clothes and hand in my rifle and bayonet. I walked down that lane – it was quiet – just the odd shell coming over now and again. I was walking down that lane practically singing to myself. I heard an aeroplane and I thought: “This fellow’s not getting me,” so I found a bit of cover in a ditch! When it came over my head it was one of our own! I didn’t want anything to happen now!
George Ashurst did get home, but before he was commissioned, the war was over.
Harold Hayward
Born in 1897 in Alcester, Harold signed up with the 12th Gloucestershire Regiment. He was injured at the Somme in September 1916 but returned to the lines as an officer.
On 22 August, Second Lieutenant Harold Hayward was involved in some brisk fighting in an attack on Thiepval Ridge in the Somme area. He and his men had already captured two German machine gun posts when they approached a third.
There was no firing – so I got up to have a look round. Ahead of me I saw someone also standing up. I saw the action of his hand moving – I thought: “That’s a stick bomb! And I know who its intended for!” So I let fly with my Webley revolver and I saw him drop to the ground. The bomb came over, came over my head and fell behind me on the trench parados. It burst and I got some shrapnel from it – I was wounded in the back.
Hayward was evacuated. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his courage and leadership in this action.