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The build up to the German Spring Offensives of 1918

 

1917 saw the 7th Battalion strengthen their already solid reputation during their front line involvement in offensive operations in March, May and August of that year as well as constant trench raids. Their final offensive operations of the year was a series of four raids against German positions between the 8th and 12th of October, which saw them congratulated once again by several Generals.

 

1917 had been a shaky year, all things considered. The French army almost mutinied, refusing to go onto the offensive as they were tired of such massive losses of life and a small uprising even happened in the British training areas around Etaples; the only one of the entire war. The British army took the offensive role away from their exhausted French ally and went into action around Arras, Cambrai and Ypres. The Third Ypres offensives finally ground to a bloody halt in the thick, cloying mud of the Passchendaele Ridge that November and the year ended with the final collapse of the Eastern Front and Russia’s demise from the Alliance. In turn this released the substantial veteran German forces, buoyed by their success, to man the Western Front opposite their British and French foes.

 

Having spent seven gruelling months on the Ypres salient and surrounding areas, the 7th Bedfords of the 54th Brigade (along with the entire 18th Eastern Division) were ordered to take over a new section of the British line from the French. The Division were moved from the furthest northern positions of the British section of the Western Front to the furthest south, around Noyon and St. Quentin in the Aisne region of France. The move was completed on February 10th 1918 when the troops found themselves in comparatively comfortable surroundings near Salency which included dry billets in an area not devastated by shell fire. However, the enemy greeted the Bedfords the day after their arrival with an air raid which destroyed a barn billeting a platoon, killing ten and wounding eight in the process. A second bomb fell within 150 yards of the Chateau which housed the Battalion HQ, creating a little excitement but causing no casualties. The same day saw almost 200 men arrive from the 8th Bedfords following their disbandment.

 

The next day saw the 12th Middlesex disbanded in line with the sweeping changes to the British army structure, making the vaunted 54th Brigade a three battalion unit. Two days later the Brigade moved again, with the Bedfords HQ being positioned at Remigny, having moved via Caillouel. A month of hard digging and extensive training followed as the army prepared for the offensive that everyone knew would come their way as soon as the weather allowed, despite them being unsure exactly where the hammer blow would fall.

 

The new “elastic defence” concept was introduced, resulting in a “Forward Zone” designed to hold any attack up whilst the units behind got into position. Next came the “Battle Zone” in which the main battle would be fought and incorporated mutually supportive fields of fire. Finally came the “Rear Zone” holding those units ready for counter attacks and allowing their positioning wherever needed as the battle developed. The concept itself was sound, but in hindsight too complex for troops who were trained to blindly follow orders without question, and it was introduced too near to the German offensives that were coming their way to allow the men to get to grips with it. In addition, tape marked the rear areas and trenches that were yet to be built and many of the main battle zone gun pits and defensive positions were incomplete.

 

Nevertheless, the Bedfords and their colleagues went about their rigorous business of preparing the line and training hard, especially in counter attack formation.

 

At the end of February, the Brigade were moved into the Divisional reserve, becoming the counter attacking Brigade and the Bedfords were posted around Rouez Camp. The entire front was noted as being incredibly quiet throughout February and March so the British troops made the most of the lull. Digging and training intensified throughout March as the British army did all they could to give themselves a fighting chance of holding against the inevitable German attack. Although no one was certain where the blow would fall, a German prisoner captured on the 19th gave his interviewers such detailed information as to the preparations of the German Army in front of St Quentin that he could not be ignored. Nevertheless, British General Staff still refused to reinforce Gough’s seriously overstretched Fifth Army in their position, so General Gough could do nothing but ponder his predicament and his Fifth Army sat and waited.

 

Finally at 3pm on the 20th March 1918, the “Prepare for attack” message was issued as the Bedfords were in reserve at Rouez, 12km south-south west of St. Quentin. The 10,000 men of the undermanned and overstretched 18th Division set about readying themselves for what everyone knew would be a massive battle, even in Great War terms.

 

The 18th Division's area

The 54th Brigade is prised away from the Crozat Canal; 23rd March 1918.

 

By the 23rd March 1918, the whole of the British 5th Army (and parts of the 3rd Army to their north and French Army to the south) were being pushed back and badly mauled, as the Germans offensive on 21st March had made breakthroughs all along the 5th Army front. The entire 5th Army was falling back rapidly yet managing to maintain cohesion. The 54th Brigade held their ground for 36 hours of desperate, bitter fighting, but were reaching a critical point in the battle as other Allied units on their flanks had been pushed back, leaving them exposed and surrounded.

 

The 54th Brigade History records “When day broke on the 23rd the weather still favoured the Germans. Fog was thick over the rivers, canals and little valleys, so that he could bring up fresh masses of troops unseen. Then when he had made his preparations, the fog suddenly lifted as if rolled up by German staff, and low flying enemy aeroplanes came over, coolly examining the dispositions of our thin line of defence.

 

Further attacks by massed German forces continued all that morning, yet the Bedfords held their posts. The Railway and La Montagne Bridges were crammed with wounded and dead Germans, testimony to the 32 Lewis Guns per Battalion that the British now enjoyed.

 

The Fusiliers in Jussy to the north were not aware that the 14th Division to their left had withdrawn, leaving their flank exposed. They fought on, despite being assailed from the front and side simultaneously whilst they waited for orders to withdraw.

 

The Northampton’s had also been brought into the firing line by 10am such was the pressure being exerted on the Bedfords holding almost 2,000 yards of the Canal. The 55th Brigade to the south also withdrew with heavy losses, resulting in the village of Mennessis coming under severe attack from their now open southern flank.

 

To the north, Brigade HQ tried to establish what was happening around Jussy as contact had been lost with the Fusiliers; “Our own patrols pushed out into the fog, and soon found that the enemy had forced a passage over the canal at Jussy and was coming in on our left flank in some force. A little handful of a mixed force was thrown at him in counter attack – a weak platoon of Fusiliers and 30 Royal Scots Greys – and he was pushed back into the village.

 

“A patrol was sent into Jussy, and found the place strongly held by the enemy. A detachment of Northumberland Hussars with Hotchkiss Guns, who had just reported to the Brigade as reinforcements, were pushed out to support this weak left flank. A little later the Canadian Mounted brigade sent up 4 machine guns and these were put on the same flank where they did some magnificent work.

 

On the right flank, the picture caused more concern to Brigade HQ. “At about 11am the Bedfordshire Regiment reported the enemy across the canal in strength in the cemetery at Mennessis (on their open right flank). Later came the news of the enemy marching down the Jussy – Faillouel road to their rear, and shortly after midday they were reported in Bois de Frieres in our rear.”

 

This news was the proverbial final straw and HQ ordered the entire Brigade to withdraw to a wooded ridge east of Faillouel. The Bedfords covered the Northampton’s withdrawal then tried to extricate themselves from the enveloping movement of the German Stormtroopers. Those men on the left flank had to cover 800 yards of open, flat ground as the Germans fired at them over open sights whilst swarming across the two bridges that had cost them so dearly.

 

The orders did not reach the Fusiliers to the north who were in dire trouble. Gradually they were overwhelmed by the sheer force of numbers coming across the canal at Jussy and, by the time they decided to retire without orders, it was too late. German machine guns had been set up on the edges of several woods en-route to Faillouel, cutting them down in swathes. Groups of helpless survivors without ammunition surrendered as they realised the situation was hopeless.

 

By 1pm, the remains of the Brigade were in position on the ridge and fought the advancing Germans to a standstill again, but news reached them that the Germans were in Faillouel to their rear in considerable force, and orders to withdraw again soon followed.

 

On their arrival at the village, they came under machine gun and rifle fire as truck loads of enemy were dismounting in the village centre. Desperate hand to hand fighting took place as the Bedfords fought their way out of encirclement and through the village. The Northampton’s altered course and passed the village to the north, rendezvousing with the Bedfords on the ridge to the west of the village by 4pm. Both battalions now resembled nothing more than under strength companies but still formed another line and fought the marauding enemy to a standstill again.

 

To the south, the details of the Battalions that had been left out of the front line (as was the practice) were heavily engaged at Rouez Camp, with cooks, saddlers, Engineers and any available non-combatants being hastily organized into defensive lines to hold back the advancing German masses. Amongst the many stories from Rouez is the one of Lt Richardson, who organized an impromptu counter attack with three sections of Engineers. His attack drove the surprised Germans back so far that the Engineers were forced to fight their way back as they had gone too deep into German positions and were almost surrounded and captured.

 

The Bedfords on the ridge at Failleouel had been pummelled by enemy artillery constantly all day, but when French artillery mistook them for Germans and opened up on them at 5.30pm, they decided that was quite enough and withdrew, still in good order. They were very pleased to meet a screen of Frenchmen near Villiquers-Aumont and passed through to the rear and on to Caillouel as ordered. By nightfall, the Northampton’s and Bedfords could only muster 200 men each but the Fusiliers were shattered, with just 2 Officers and 26 Other Ranks left. Stragglers from many other units in the coming days were added to the ranks and the Brigade was reformed to enable it to make a stand the following day.