On this Day – 5 Oct (Part 1) 1918 – Capture of Montbrehain, France 1918 – Lieutenant G. Ingram, VC 1918 – Capture of Montbrehain, France The Aim The Hindenburg Line- the last and strongest of the German armys defence - consisted of three well-defended trench systems, established in 1917. Throughout September 1918, Australian forces had helped the British army to secure positions from which an attack on the Hindenburg Line could be launched. Planning began for a major attack at the end of the month. It was hoped that this attack would finally break the power of the German army. The Hindenburg Line- the last and strongest of the German armys defence - consisted of three well-defended trench systems, established in 1917. Throughout September 1918, Australian forces had helped the British army to secure positions from which an attack on the Hindenburg Line could be launched. Planning began for a major attack at the end of the month. It was hoped that this attack would finally break the power of the German army. The First Attack On 18 September 1918, a preliminary attack was launched when Lieutenant General Sir John Monashs troops reached the first part of the Hindenburg Line. At 5.20 am, Monashs troops, supported by huge artillery barrages, attacked the heavily fortified German defences and machine-gun posts. Using only eight tanks (as well as dummy tanks to distract the Germans), they broke through German positions and took 4,300 prisoners. Although there were 1,000 dead or wounded, this cost was fairly slim compared to the losses of the German forces. The Second Attack On 29 September, the line was finally broken. Australian and US troops spearheaded this battle, given the task of breaking defences in the centre. They attacked a strongly defended sector at Bellicourt with tanks, artillery, and aircraft working in concert. Advances were made, but it was a struggle between the two forces. The fighting lasted four days and resulted in heavy losses. Gunner J.R. Armitage wrote: As we went over the ridge we found ourselves in the midst of the most wonderful and impressive battle field scene imaginable. It was a scene never to be forgotten with infantry, tanks, guns, everything in action in a sort of inferno of smoke and shell bursts. Eventually, the Allies broke through the third and final stage of the Hindenburg Line, and the Germans were forced to fall back. Private Albert Golding wrote after the battle that he and some fellow diggers slept that night in an abandoned German trench and ate a hearty breakfast from hastily abandoned German supplies! n this attack, troops captured the entrance to the St Quentin canal tunnel. Inside was a kitchen where German bodies were found – one of them in a cooking cauldron. There were wild claims that the enemy was boiling down the dead, and this was exploited by the allies’ propaganda system. Anti-German sentiment was so strong that it was widely believed. An investigation soon proved that, during the fighting, a shell had exploded in an improvised kitchen, killing the unfortunate Germans and throwing one into a pot. A chap came along and told us there was a corpse factory half a mile away. Harry Carroll said, You’re a liar. I’ve lived with Germans in South Australia and they are human beings like us and wouldn’t do it. Alright, said the chap, Go and see for yourself. When they returned I said to Harry, Well what is it? He said, My eyes tell me it is one, but my intelligence won’t let me believe. Sapper Harry W. Dadswell, MM, 5th Division Signal Company The Last Australian Fight- the Capture of Montbrehain An attack on 5 October was to be the last in which Australian troops would take part. The last brigade fought and took Montbrehain village, and with that, the Hindenburg Line was completely broken. The defence of this sector was then handed over to Americans troops, while the Australians, exhausted and depleted, were withdrawn for a rest. By this time, most Australian troops had been fighting for six months without a break, 11 out of 60 battalions were disbanded because there were so few men left in them, and 27,000 men had been killed or wounded since the Battle of Amiens. The troops were worn and war weary. Captain Francis Fairweather wrote in late September: Unless one understands the position it would seem that the Australians are being worked to death as we have been going continuously since 27th March but they are the only troops that would have the initiative for this type of warfare. Some Australian units continued to support British and US forces until early November, and the Australian Flying Corps (which had remained an independent force, even though small compared with the Royal Air Force) also stayed in action until the wars end. 1918 – Lieutenant G. Ingram, VC Born at Bendigo, Victoria, George Ingram was a carpenter before joining the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force for service in New Guinea, then enlisting in the AIF. He arrived in France in early 1917. He was awarded the Military Medal for his work near Bapaume two months later. Ingram was a tall, well-built man and despite illnesses which hospitalised him several times, was in fine form when his battalion took part in the last Australian infantry action of the war, the attack on Montbrehain on 5 October 1918 . When the battalion came under heavy fire, Ingram rushed an enemy post and captured nine machine-guns, killing 42 of the enemy in the process. Several more times throughout the day he displayed great courage, capturing posts and many more prisoners. After the war Ingram worked as a building foreman and a farmer in Victoria. During the Second World War he served with the Royal Australian Engineers, attaining the rank of captain. Ingram received the Victoria Cross, the Military Medal, service medals for the First and Second World Wars, and coronation medals for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 21:28:46 +0000
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