 Part 3, Chapter 6 of Canada's Hundred Days. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by James O'Connor. Canada's Hundred Days by John Livesey. Part 3, Chapter 6. Operations. September 27 continued. No better account of the operations on September 27 of the First Canadian Division is available than its divisional narrative, already quoted so extensively. While the difficulties of an exposed flank did not present themselves to the same extent as were faced by the Fourth Division, this division was given a task so intricate in execution that the carrying of it out to the letter must ever be a justifiable source of pride for members of the famous Old Red Patch. The boundary, says this narrative, between the Fourth and First Divisions for the First Phase ran due east of Inche, just north of Quarry Wood. Then, swinging slightly to the left, it ran from 1,000 to 1,500 yards of burlorn. The First Division left boundary was the Canal du Nord. The First Canadian Division then had to cross the Canal du Nord, seize the high ground to the north of Burlorn Wood, and mop up the valley of the canal as far north as the village of Soshile Stray. Then, in the second phase of the battle, it was to capture Hainakor and the high ground north and east of that village. The First Division therefore, in the first phase of the battle, had to attack from a front of 1,100 yards. Gradually extend this front until it became 6,000 yards, when the final objective was reached, and advance over 6,000 yards. The divisional commander decided to make the initial attack with the First Brigade on the right, and the Third Brigade on the left. When the general line, Burlorn Machion, was reached, the Second Brigade would enter the fight between the First and Third Brigades, and would carry the battle right through the second phase to the capture of Hainakor and the high ground north and east of that place. This meant that each brigade had before it a distinctly different task. On the right, the First Brigade had before it a series of frontal assaults. First it must cross the canal, then capture the canal to Nord Trench, advance 2,000 yards, and take the Machi online, then advance 1,500 yards to the railway cutting and embankment that formed a natural trench line, and then across open country to the final objective a total advance of 6,000 yards, ending with a frontage of 1,500 yards. The Third Brigade attack on the left resolved itself into a series of outflanking and turning movements. After the first rush across the canal on the 300 yard front, the brigade would break the canal to Nord Trench line, and then swing north and even west in the attack on Sains-La Machille, thus presenting the unique spectacle of our troops attacking directly toward our own lines. As a matter of fact, the artillery barrage here first of all traveled forward in the usual way, and then began to drop back towards the guns, the result being that our own barrage was between our infantry and the guns. After the capture of Sains-La Machille, the brigade continued its rolling up tactics by taking the Machille online in infillade and attacking both Keithwood and the village of Machille from the east, in other words taking the garrisons of these places in the flank and rear. After crossing the Aris Cambrai road, the brigade continued its flank attack on the canal to Nord and Machille lines as far as the final objective for the first phase, a total advance of 6,000 yards and an extension of front from 300 to 2,500 yards. The second brigade had a still different task. Its units had a four mile march from the assembly position before they entered the fight. Once in the battle it had practically opened country before it and attacked frontally, being required to make an advance of roughly 3,500 yards on the front of 1,800 yards. The division as a whole staged forward on September 19 and on September 24 and 25 completed the march to the assembly areas. On the night of September 25, the first and third brigades relieved units of the second division in the line, taking over their respective battle fronts. Divisional headquarters moved on September 26 to battle headquarters in dugouts in a railway cutting 2,500 yards west of Enchi. September 27 was the day set for the attack. The 10 previous days had been spent by all units in a careful study of the country in planning their work and in outfitting for the battle. The artillery were engaged in selecting battery positions and in getting ammunition forward, while the engineers had to plan their share of the bridging of the canal. On the night of September 26, all units moved forward to their assembly positions. The night was exceedingly dark and a steady rain fell until nearly dawn, which not only added to the difficulties and discomforts, but made the going very slippery all the morning. Owing to the extremely narrow front from which the division had to jump off, attacking infantry and machine gunners, supporting artillery and bridging details of engineers, all had to be crowded into a small area. A heavy enemy concentration on this front would have jeopardized the success of the attack, but the enemy appeared to suspect nothing and the night was normal. The first brigade was assembled in depth at a front of about 700 yards. The leading battalion, the 4th Central Ontario, was in the north-eastern end of Enchi in Atua. The first battalion, western Ontario, was in the lower end of the Buici switch, some 800 yards in rear of the fork. The second battalion, Ottawa, was behind the first and the third, recruited from Toronto District, behind the second. The third brigade had to attack through a 300-yard defile and so assemble on a one battalion front. The 14th battalion, Royal Montreal Regiment, assembled in Paviland Wood with the 13th Montreal Highlanders, 1,000 yards in rear in the Buici switch. The 15th battalion, 48th Highlanders of Toronto, was north of the 13th and the 16th, Canadian-Scottish of western Canada, was holding the front line north of the assembly area of the 14th. The second brigade, as it did not come into action until four hours after the opening of the attack, was assembled just east of Cadney Corps, some 3,000 yards in rear of the third brigade. At 20 minutes after five on the morning of Friday, September 27, the attack opened under cover of an intense shrapnel and smoke barrage. Some idea of the concentration of artillery may be gained from the fact that there was an 18-pounder gun to every 21 yards of barrage on the front of the First Division, and that there were 10 brigades of field artillery alone, whose 240 guns fired 118,062 rounds on this first day of the battle. Supporting this division, in addition to this, there were 160 machine guns firing in the barrage, while special companies of engineers were projecting smoke and boiling oil into the village of Machion and on the high ground further to the north. The site, when the first gleams of daylight revealed the battle, was weird in the extreme. The horizon, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but masses and long lines of leaping, billowing smoke, dense white smoke shot through at intervals with the flicker of bursting shrapnel or the black smudge of high explosive. Battle, as far as a concern the First Division, can be visualized best by following the fortunes of the individual brigades. The First Canadian Infantry Brigade launched its attack with the Fourth Battalion. The Fourth Battalion advanced 2,000 yards and captured the Canal du Nord and Machion trench systems on its front. The First Battalion then passed through it, taking up the fighting and carrying the line forward a distance of 1,500 yards. Just as this battalion completed its allotted task, its right flank came under heavy machine gunfire from the railway 1,000 yards north of Burlong Village. At this time the second and third battalions, which had been following closely, passed through the First Battalion. They were held up almost at once by the enemy in the railway cutting and embankment. But by hard fighting managed to clear this obstacle without assistance other than that offered by batteries of the machine gun battalion that came into action at this time. Although the Fourth Division on the right was held up more or less definitely on a line just east of Burlong, the second and third battalions pushed on to the objective set for the conclusion of the First Phase. And even succeeded in working patrols forward to within 1,000 yards of the villages of Railand Corps and Hainakor. The First Brigade was assisted in its attack by four tanks that did valuable service in the early stages of the attack and had attached to it three batteries of number one company of the First Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Corps. While the infantry tanks and machine guns were advancing along the whole front, and while the canal was even under machine gun fire, the engineers were rushing the work of bridge building. With such speed was this done that at 8 o'clock that morning batteries of the divisional artillery began to cross in support of the infantry. By 10.30 o'clock all batteries of both brigades were east of the canal. From zero hour on the First Brigade's CFA was attached to the First Infantry Brigade and advanced with it throughout the day. In the meantime the attack of the Third Brigade was meeting with stiff opposition on the left. The Third Brigade had only a narrow gap of 300 yards on its front in which the canal denowed could be crossed. The opening attack of this brigade was made by the 14th Battalion. This battalion cleared the canal on its front, and while one company advanced with the First Brigade, the remainder swung to the left and cleared the canal denowed line by attacking it in Infilade, and finally following the local backward barrage already referred to, attack the village of Sandslamakion from the east, capturing it soon after 9 o'clock. The 13th Battalion here took up the battle. Following the same general plan put into operation by the 14th Battalion, the leading company carried on with the general attack to the east, while the following companies, turning to the north, attacked Keith Wood and the Maki online. The resistance was severe. The fighting very heavy and progress was slow. In fact the 7th Battalion, British Columbia of the Second Brigade and the 15th Battalion, as well as the battalion of the 11th Division, which were following in order to carry on the advance, became involved in the fighting here. Although the Maki online east of the village of that name was captured, the village itself was still in the hands of the enemy. As a result, the 15th Battalion and units of the 11th Division, as well as the engineers engaged in bridge construction, came under heavy machine gun fire in crossing the canal north of Sandslamakion. Eventually, however, all the area in the canal valley up to Maki on was cleared by the 15th Battalion. The combined attack by the 13th and 15th Battalions then resulted in the capture of Maki on itself. The 15th then pushed on rapidly and by 2 o'clock in the afternoon had reached the final objective of the first phase. Four tanks assisted the 14th Battalion in the initial attack, but were unable to proceed beyond the canal-denaud line. Three batteries of the machine gun battalion were attached to the 3rd Brigade for this operation. While this fighting was going on, units of the 2nd Brigade were marching forward, ready to intervene in the battle at the appointed hour. The 7th Battalion, the first to enter the fight, had to leapfrog the 13th Battalion. After that, unit had captured the Maki on line. The 7th found the 13th hotly engaged and assisted it in breaking the Maki on line. By this time, the artillery barrage had left the infantry far behind. A local barrage was arranged and supplied by the 2nd Brigade's CFA and under cover of this, the 7th Battalion was able to move forward. The enemy's resistance rapidly weakening as our troops advance. The chief resistance beyond the Aras Kambray Road was met with from machine guns just north of Boa de Croquet. Patrols were pushed forward and reached a line over 2,000 yards north of the Aras Kambray Road. During the afternoon, a small counter-attack by the enemy on the center was repulsed. The 8th Battalion, Winnipeg, had followed the 7th in support but were not called on for help. This ended the first phase of the battle. By 2 o'clock in the afternoon, we had Burlon Wood and our line then ran north and east from Burlon Village to within 500 yards of railing for. Then north practically to Hainakor and then swung back westward meaning the Canal du Nord just north of Sochi Le Strait. The 2nd phase called for an advance by 4 divisions in line. The 3rd, 4th and 1st Canadian and the 11th British Division from right to left being ordered to continue the attack. The 3rd Division on the right and the 11th on the left had followed the attacking divisions closely and were ready to carry on the fight. The intervention of a new division on each flank meant that the 4th and 1st Division would have to close on the center. It was found late in the afternoon that the 4th Division could not continue the advance that day. The 1st and 11th Divisions however attacked about 4 o'clock in the afternoon according to program. The continuation of the attack on the 1st Division front was carried out by the 2nd Brigade, the 5th Saskatchewan and 10th Alberta Battalions had assembled ready to advance and at 3.20 o'clock the 5th Battalion swept over the outpost line and advanced very rapidly, meeting little resistance. Hainakor was soon captured. The 10th Battalion here continued the advance but soon began to meet opposition. Owing to the fact that the troops on the right were not advancing, the 5th and 10th Battalions had a heavy infallad fire poured into their flank. The enemy here were in great numbers apparently and soon had field guns as well as machine guns firing on our troops. In spite of this, the 10th Battalion pressed forward until held up by a heavy and continuous belt of wire just west of the Douay-Cambray Road. Patrols, although under heavy machine gunfire, cut gaps through this wire by hand and then in a sudden rush overpowered the gun crews and crossed the Douay-Cambray Road. East of the road, however, 5 belts of wire were encountered and as the enemy fire was steadily increasing the advance was halted. The 11th British Division had advanced on the left and had captured Epinoid but on the right the situation was far from secure. Here the brigade found itself with an exposed right flank of 4,000 yards. The responsibility of guarding this flank developed upon the 5th and 8th Battalions, the 7th being in reserve. On the front of the 5th Battalion the enemy made three unsuccessful attacks at nightfall. The 1st and 2nd brigades of field artillery supported the 2nd brigade throughout the afternoon's operations and supplied protective fire throughout the night. This concluded the actual fighting on the first day of the battle but during all this day the engineers had been busy bridging the canal. This task was entrusted to the 3rd Battalion Canadian Engineers. 5 traffic crossings had to be constructed and 4 foot bridges. The 1st traffic crossing was completed at 8.40 o'clock that morning. All bridges with one exception were completed by 6 o'clock in the evening. The early stages of the work were carried out under machine gun fire. Many casualties being suffered. After the 1st Canadian Division had secured the east line of the canal to Naud as far north as Sochi-les-Tray the 11th British Division was given the task of going through them at this point and exploiting the success along their left or northern flank. Compromising the veteran 32nd, 33rd and 34th Brigades it did its job in a thorough business-like way capturing 1st Sochi-les-Tray then on its left the high ground of Voici-les-Vegers and on the right pushing on into Epinois. Their left flank some little distance east of the canal was protected by a barrage and after crossing over the canal the 56th Division of the 22nd Corps on our right pushed up between the canal and the barrage preceded by a rolling barrage and mopping up the defenses. The fighting in this important corner which united at once the north and the south of the Sin Sea and the east and the west of the canal to Naud was very severe. The Bois de Kessnoy was full of machine gun nests and concrete pillboxes. The enemy had a good field of fire and the Marshes, organized for defense, assisted him but the 56th Division was not to be denied and reached its objectives. On our right the 3rd Army had crossed the canal and captured part of the Hindenburg Line. For the reason set forth above opportunity had been denied the 3rd Canadian Division to go through the 4th Canadian Division and storm the Macquar Line but the Division was brought close up in support on the east side of the canal and suffered many casualties. It was now to move up during the night to be prepared to jump off at dawn. Failure to carry the Macquar Line on the opening day gave the enemy time to bring up reserves from Douay and elsewhere. Aware now of our strategic plan to cut in north of Cambrai he mastered his divisions in front of us and for the next 4 days contested the field with great determination and even at times rested from his ground we had won but had been unable to consolidate. Had the battle-guard as planned without impediment he would have been obliged to fall back at once over the Shelt Canal northeast of Cambrai abandoning the city and thus avoiding for the Canadian Corps the terrific struggle that was now to ensue. Many noteworthy feats of arms by all ranks were performed this day both in the actual crossing of the Canal du Nord and the advance on Burlon Wood. Of these the following examples are selected from numerous cases as being characteristic of the conditions encountered and the spirit by which they were overcome. Brigadier General G. S. Tuxford in command of the Third Canadian Infantry Brigade found that his task was to cross the Canal du Nord on a front of but 450 yards and then fan out on a brigade frontage facing du Nord as well as east totaling 5,500 yards. While very gallant officers commanded the three battalions engaged in the attack these were all seconds in command and had not previously commanded their respective battalions in an attack. This greatly increased the responsibilities of the Brigadier who kept in the closest touch throughout. Crossing the Canal shortly after the attack was launched under heavy shell and machine gun fire while the enemy still held part of the Eastern Bank with an utter disregard to personal danger he remained in the vicinity of the three battalions directing their operations and dealing with difficult situations as they arose. Much of the success of the work of this brigade resulted from its commander's conspicuous gallantry splendid initiative and fine leadership. In the attack on Burlon Wood by the 50th Battalion of Calgary Private R. Bloor finding that heavy rifle fire was coming from quarry wood alone and of his own initiative attacked the position driving the enemy into his dugouts and holding him there until help came when 146 officers and men including an entire battalion headquarter staff surrendered. He died later of his wounds. Captain George Fraser Kerr of the 3rd Battalion recruited from Toronto District while leading the left support company in the attack on Burlon Wood gave timely support by outflanking a machine gun nest holding up the advance on the railway embankment when he rushed up two platoons outflanking the enemy and capturing the garrison. When almost on the Arras Conbray Road the advance was again held up by a machine gun post which he rushed single handed capturing four machine guns and 31 prisoners his men then being 100 yards behind him this brilliant exploit prevented the enemy withdrawing a number of guns which fell into our hands during the attack of the 8th Battalion when a line of hostile machine guns opened fire suddenly on his platoon which was in an exposed position and no cover available Corporal Alexander Brereton of Winnipeg at once appreciated the critical situation and realized that unless something was done at once the platoon would be annihilated on his own initiative without a moment's delay and alone he sprang forward and reached one of the hostile machine gun posts where he shot the man operating the machine gun and bandated the next one who attempted to operate it whereupon nine others surrendered to him inspired by this heroic example his platoon charged and captured the five remaining posts End of Part 3, Chapter 6 Recording by James O'Connor Randolph, Massachusetts May 2010 Part 3, Chapter 7 of Canada's 100 Days This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by James O'Connor Canada's 100 Days by John Livese Part 3, Chapter 7 Operations, September 28, 29 The attack was continued on September 28 says Sir Arthur Curry The 3rd Canadian Division captured Fountain Notre-Dame One of the 17th Corps' objectives and penetrating the Marquardt Line reached the western outskirts of St. Olaf The 4th Canadian Division captured Railen Corps and Sa'ili and the 11th British Division established posts in Obenchul-Arbach and occupied the Bois de Canoy The 1st Canadian Division in view of their advance of the previous day which had produced a considerable salient did not push forward In other words, the day was spent by the Corps and straightening out its front by bringing up the right to a level with the left Developments of the previous day compelled a change in the area allotted to the Canadian Corps Instead of pushing on in the north-easterly direction towards Nouvelle-Sarimi the 3rd Canadian Division with the 7th and 9th brigades in line After passing through the 4th Division at dawn turned south out of the original Corps area and stormed Fountain Notre-Dame whose possession was essential if the advance were to be continued Assisted by a hastily arranged but efficient barrage the village was quickly reduced and thus a movement began which resulted in the Corps' right being extended still for the south until it took in the west bank of the Scheldt Canal As the battle developed our troops stormed and consolidated the tongue of land lying between the Bhopalm Cambrai Road and this canal and thus instead of leaving Cambrai on our right as originally intended we advanced against its western outskirts faced by the canal It is necessary to keep this in mind that this change of Corps front bringing us under the walls of Cambrai was due to the inability of the 17th Corps to make good our right flank from Anu through Fountain Notre Dame to the canal because when we finally captured the city some little feeling seems to have developed among our neighbors on the ground that it was supposed by them that the Canadian Corps was outside of its proper area and had no business to seize that honour As a matter of fact as the progress of the battle will show Cambrai was taken not by any local success along the canal front but because in the great battle now developing north of it on the plateau east of the Marquan Line the Canadian Corps in the course of several days fighting defeated in detail every available force the enemy could bring up to its defence Fountain Notre Dame once reduced the third Canadian division pushed on to the assault on the Marquan Line the attack being entrusted to the 9th Brigade Brigadier General Diem Orman the line of attack was down a slope as smooth and open as an artificial glass sea swept by enemy machine gunfire and by his artillery in well-placed battery positions behind the line itself was immensely strong sewn thickly with machine gun posts and covered by wide belts of wire no harder fighting had been seen since the storming of the Drocourt Chiant Line and it resolved itself into a battle of detached and often isolated infantry groups the attacking battalions lost very heavily thus the 52nd Battalion of Fort William and Port Arthur losing during the day from 300 to 400 of its effective strength this battalion had seen very hard fighting ever since the kickoff of August 8th and its total casualties to the evening of this day were 50 offices and 900 other ranks weakened though it was and exposed to more than one determined counterattack this battalion held the ground gained until evening when it was relieved by the 58th Battalion Western Ontario which went through and after a bit of struggle captured that portion of the Marquan Line fronting it the remaining battalions of the 9th Brigade the 43rd Cameron Highlanders of Winnipeg and the 116th Central Ontario encountered similar conditions and fought with the utmost tenacity once the Marquan Line was stormed our troops battled their way forward into the valley lying between it and the Arras Cambran Road though commanded by enemy batteries on the heights beyond meantime the 7th Brigade to the command to which Brigadier General J. A. Clark had succeeded an appointment of Brigadier General H. M. Dyer to a command in England was encountering equally desperate resistance and suffering severely particularly in officers that very gallant soldier Lieutenant Colonel C. J. T. Stewart was killed while leading into action Princess Patricia's Light Infantry but this Brigade whose other units were the Royal Canadian Regiment the 42nd Battalion Royal Highlanders of Canada from Montreal and the 49th Battalion of Edmonton once again proved its mettle and fought its way forward to its objective on the left of the 3rd Division the 4th Canadian Division advanced their line generally and succeeded in practically wiping out the salient in which our 1st Division found itself but only after sanguinary fighting the 10th Brigade Brigadier General R. F. Hader attacked, leapfrogging over the 12th Brigade and advanced to the Arras Cambran Road storming the villages of Railand Corps and Sa'ili between which ran the Marquois Line these two villages lie just under the brow of the plateau and were veritable fortresses to be won only after hand to hand fighting our men bombing their way along trenches and reducing enemy strong points in succession in this heavy fighting Lieutenant Colonel R. D. Davies of the 44th Battalion New Brunswick who on the previous day had personally led his battalion in its successful attack in front of Enchi again led the battalion but with standing heavy casualties took every objective towards evening the enemy launched very heavy counterattacks against the brigade front and especially against the 44th losses were so heavy that the line temporarily fell back after having made a personal reconnaissance Colonel Davies organized all elements of the battalion and in cooperation with other units of the brigade counterattacked driving the enemy out reestablishing opposition and recovering our wounded lying on that front his personal example disregard of danger and initiative inspired all ranks to the greatest efforts under very difficult conditions the 50th Battalion of Calgary of the same brigade when attacking the Marquois Line in front of Railand Corps on the same day found itself up against heavy uncut wire and machine guns Private W. H. Smith finding that a machine gun crew and its supports was inflicting heavy casualties on the battalion went forward voluntarily alone sniping as he went until he was close enough to rush the post capturing the gun and 20 prisoners in work of this nature the support of our machine gun units was of vital importance and magnificently did they respond thus Captain Kenneth Weaver 4th Battalion Canadian Machine Gun Corps of Prince Albert Saskatchewan displayed conspicuous gallantry on this day in front of Railand Corps he commanded three batteries of machine guns two suffering severely early in the attack he personally reorganized the batteries under heavy fire established strong defensive positions with part of his guns and after making a daring reconnaissance established the remainder of his guns in advanced positions bringing direct fire to bear on the enemy and thereby establishing the advance line of our troops at a most critical time events on the front of the first Canadian division this day may be summarized in the words of its own narrative as follows quote on September 28th both Canadian divisions opened their attack on the right at six o'clock in the morning the attack on the first division front was set for nine o'clock and was to be carried out by the 10th battalion of Alberta when nine o'clock came although troops on neither the right nor the left had caught up and in face of very heavy artillery and machine gun concentration on their front the 10th battalion went bravely forward and calmly commenced to cut lanes through the heavy enemy wire by hand for two hours this unequal fight went on in spite of swiftly dwindling numbers the fight was mocked by many instances of individual dash and gallantry but none finer than the example set by Captain Jack Mitchell MC of Winnipeg who though wounded twice by machine gun fire continued to pass up and down in front of the wire seeking a point of entry and cheering and helping his men he was hit for the third time this time mortally and carried out dying Winnipeg was found late in the morning that the fourth division was held up some distance west of the Douay Cambrai Road the attack of the 10th battalion was given up that night the 8th battalion of Winnipeg relieved the 10th this was the scene of a brilliant exploit on part of Private John Patrick Collins of Edmonton when the 10th battalion was held up by wire southeast of Epinoy he went ahead alone and of his own initiative and although under heavy shell and machine gun fire and with no cover proceeded laboriously to cut a lane through 30 yards of wire he was wounded seriously in the leg just as his task was completed but Amin charged through the gap and captured their objective very gallant work this day was that of an artillery officer Captain James Creswell Ald first brigade Canadian field artillery following up the barrage he established his OPIP observation post on the right flank of the infantry near Sa'ili seeing that the infantry were held up by machine gun fire from the village he went forward laying a telephone wire until he could direct the fire of his battery on the houses and bonds where the enemy was fortified the battalion on the right was holding a line with its flank exposed for some thousand yards to infillade enemy machine gun fire and had lost heavily both in officers and men brushing forward he called upon the infantry to follow and carried the machine gun post whence came the fire he was hit in the leg but refused to be evacuated until he was unable to walk further north the 11th British division consolidated its position along the south bank of the Sin Sea from the Vois de Canoilles where it had established post overnight to Obenshuil Obak where the enemy had an important rail crossing over the river defended by a strong trench system throughout the day the enemy put up a very stubborn resistance throwing in fresh divisions and endeavoring at all hazards to prevent our forces debouching onto the high ground between Cambrai and the Sin Sea marshes measured by depth of penetration the day's advance had been relatively small but the capture of the Marquard line had been a great feat in itself and it left us with a practical jumping off line from the outskirts of St. Orle on the south through Sa'ili, Heinekor and Epinoy to the Sin Sea at Obenshuil Obak east of this line an unconservably higher ground ran the Douay-Cambrai road passing in a south-easterly direction from Obenshuil Obak a little east of Epinoy to 1200 yards east of Heinekor then 2000 yards east of Sa'ili to where it crossed the canal into Cambrai at Nuvio-Sanrimi 2000 yards east of St. Orle the Douay-Cambrai railway after leaving the Sin Sea takes a wide loop east of Epinoy to a point not far from the western outskirts of Abankor and then passing through Sankor runs east of and practically parallel to the road through Tiloi into the sharp northern angle of Cambrai this railway with its high embankments and deep cuttings was to prove a strategic feature of the first importance both to the attacker and defender in both of which roles Canadian troops were to figure at one time or another during the next few days heavy fighting characterized September 29 says the core commander the third Canadian division the fourth Canadian division and the first Canadian division all made progress in the face of severe opposition the third Canadian division pushed the line forward to the junction of the Aras and Bhopam road the western outskirts of Nuvio-Sanrimi and the Douay-Cambrai road they also cleared the Maki online from the Bhopam-Cambrai road southwards towards the Shelt Canal these trenches were in the 17th core area but it was difficult for our attack to progress leaving on its flank and rear this strongly held position the fourth Canadian division captured Sancor crossed the Douay-Cambrai railway and entered Blekor but later withdrew to the line of the railway in the face of a heavy counter-attack the necessity for this withdrawal was accentuated by the situation on the left the 11th division in spite of two attempts had been unable to occupy the high ground northeast of Epinoy this had interfered materially with the progress of the first Canadian division and had prevented their holding positions gained early in the day in the neighborhood of Abancourt station the relinquishment of which in turn endangered the flank of the fourth Canadian division the third division attacked with all three brigades in line the ninth on the right fighting its way down to the Shelt Canal the eighth in the center and the seventh on the left very brilliant work was done by the first CMR of Saskatchewan in storming St. Ola in face of intensive machine gun fire both from that village and Nouveau-Sanrimi beyond where one of our staff officers described the rattle of machine guns as drowning out the roar of the artillery in this attack the battalion lost 350 men but by 2 o'clock in the afternoon had cleared the village and pushed its line forward to the banks of the canal at Cambrath cooperating in the capture of St. Ola was the 116th battalion Central Ontario the assault gaining materially from the very brilliant action of Lieutenant Bonner who with one man worked behind an enemy trench and bombed their way up it from the rear two whiz bang batteries a dozen machine guns and a large number of prisoners were gathered in here from a church tower in St. Ola a clear view was offered of the city lying in the valley across the canal where clouds of smoke indicated that the enemy was burning his dumps in the dip of ground to the west of St. Ola lay a number of our field batteries in the open field suffering heavy casualties and a heavy fire overhead our battle planes pursued and drove back enemy scouting machines bringing down two within our lines while a third was sent crashing by our machine gun fire behind the ridge along a sunken road past all manner of lorries including our motor ambulances paying no heed to bursting shells well up to our battle line and mocking by its curved formation the depth of the salient we had pushed home were our observation balloons the familiar sausages once in a while the intrepid observers not in aptly named balloonatics were forced to descend suddenly by parachute when their floating homes had been rent by high explosive or set a fire by the flaming arrows of a daring enemy aviator back of all lay burlon wood on the left of the third division the fourth canadian division pushed in a very vigorous attack supported by a fine barrage the 12th brigade attacked at 5.20 am through the 10th brigade with the 38th battalion of Ottawa on the right and the 72nd the C4th Highlanders of Vancouver on the left the 38th battalion was held up because troops on its right were not up but were opposed throughout the day to a flank as well as a rubble fire though suffering many casualties this battalion consolidated its line and beat off enemy counter attacks it suffered a severe loss when lieutenant colonel S.D. Godner whose brilliant leadership had been a great stimulus to all ranks sustained a broken hip and other wounds from which he subsequently died the 72nd battalion then pushed forward very gallantly capturing Sand Corps and compelling the surrender of its garrison numbering more men than the entire battalion's strength advance was then made in the direction of Black Corps where the enemy was established in strong underground works with a formidable system of machine gun posts Lieutenant J. McKnight of B Company with five men penetrated into the village and to this little advance party a hundred of the enemy surrendered being marched out in column of four the company coming up the rest of the garrison laid down their arms 350 in all an overwhelming counter attack then developed from down the Banteneva beam and our men fell back on Sand Corps but taking with them 240 prisoners well it is the first time we've got anything we've once got hold of and we don't like it said one of these vancouver highlanders as they fell back four of our men too seriously wounded to be brought back would be heard putting up their last fight Lieutenant Colonel Kirk Patrick of the 72nd battalion set a fine example rallying his men in the front line when the position was critical in face of determined enemy counterattacks the 85th battalion was pushed up in support and passing through Sand Corps beat off two or three enemy counterattacks during this period Lieutenant Colonel J. L. Ralston was wounded in the cheek temporarily losing the sight of one eye but refused to be evacuated staying with his battalion until it came out of the line some days later the attack on the left had not developed as well as had been expected in both the 72nd and 85th battalions held a very exposed position our position in Sand Corps was however consolidated and provided an advanced jumping off point for the next day's battle at a critical period in the days fighting Brigadier General J. H. McBrion made a personal reconnaissance on horseback during the course of which he was slightly wounded in the leg but carried on until he had obtained the information required to continue the attack every battalion in the 12th Brigade was engaged during this day of exceedingly stiff fighting the 78th battalion of Winnipeg coming up in support and equally distinguishing itself in beating off the overwhelming forces launched by the enemy in his effort to prevent our securing footing on the plateau this battalion pushed out far on the plateau and for a time was almost cut off most of its officers were casualties and Brigadier General McBrion sent up two of his intelligence officers in support Staff Captain Barry formerly of the 72nd Battalion and recalled after only three days leave to take part in this battle found himself isolated with 17 men south of Kuvalier but not withstanding his wounds afterwards he held the position against all assaults until support came up Staff Captain Mirsten of Vancouver also did very fine work here once again the stubborn qualities of the Canadian soldier were brought into full play for it was only by the fine tenacity of all ranks that the ground consolidated was held on the left on the front of the first Canadian divisions the attack was generally held up the 2nd Brigade to the command of which Brigadier General R.P. Clark had succeeded on promotion of Major General Loomis to command the 3rd Canadian Division attacked with the 8th Battalion of Winnipeg in the line and good progress was at first made in the direction of Abancourt but as the troops on our left failed to capture the high ground north east of Epinoi to be abandoned the struggle for the plateau was now about to open the positions attained by the intensive fighting of the 3 first days September 27-29 had brought us to the fringe of this plateau whose possession must be followed by the fall of Cambra and the turning of the entire enemy line south in the direction of San Quentin the position on our right had been followed by the advance of the 17th Corps which had captured the village of Proville across the shell canal south west of Cambra and the anxiety regarding our vulnerable right flank was at length removed before entering on a detailed account of the fighting of the next 2 days September 30 and October 1 a description of the battlefield is necessary as already explained the ground in front of our line is marked by the Douay Cambra Road and then further east by the Douay Cambra Railway each of this railway lies a rough quadrilateral or triangle bounded on the west by the railway and on the north by the canal de la Sincere while its base is formed by the shell canal running generally north east from Cambra to the point beyond Estrin where it connects with the Sincere the Canadian Corps frontal on the line of the railway from the shell to the Sincere extended over about 10,000 yards and its attacking direction was north east, its objectives being on the right to seize the bridges of the shell and in its center to seize the high land contained within this triangle the depth of the attack from Sancor north east to Estrin is about 9,000 yards superficially the ground favored the direction of the attack for the ridges all trend away to the north east beginning at the shell the ground sloped gradually up towards the north west over a bare slope to a ridge on the 75 meter level running some 3,000 yards north east from Tilloy roughly parallel to this ridge 1,000 to 2,000 yards north west but with a little dip intervening is a high bare plateau running finger like from the railway between Tilloy and Sancor north east past Cougalier the midway between that village and Palin Corps 2,000 yards east and a little south of Tilloy is the hamlet of Maurinches with the wood of the same name low lying on the shell following the shell to another 1,000 yards east is the point there a very important tactical feature being a series of bridges over the shell and its spillways connecting the northern bank with the industrial suburb of Escadruvres north east another 1,000 yards is the town of Remiles still following down the bank of the shell 2,000 yards north east of Remiles is the village of Eswar whence the ravine cuts due west into the plateau towards Cougalier in the fighting to follow the area thus described namely the shell on the right and the plateau on the left fell within the third and fourth Canadian divisional areas respectively the immediate objectives of the former being Tilloy, Maurinches and Remiles and of the latter Eswar on the right and Cougalier the fighting line between the fourth Canadian division and the first Canadian division on its left was provided by the strongly marked feature known as the Batini ravine running north east from Sancourt through Blecourt 1,500 yards distance Vince through Batini 1,800 yards from Blecourt and so to the Sinsea along the bottom of this defile runs a wooded highway affording excellent cover for enemy machine gunners who were able to sweep the bare ridges and plateau on either side rising gently up from Batini ravine to the northwest a series of small detached spurs fill in the ground to where it slopes down again on the north to the Sinsea canal and in the heart of these the strongly fortified village of Abancourt 1,500 yards northwest of Batini offered a formidable pivot of defense between Abancourt and Epinois 3,000 yards west lies very high ground commanding Abancourt and the Batini ravine the position offered a tactical peculiarity in that its strength lay rather with the ravines than on the ridges whose exposed surface was everywhere dominated by artillery and machine gunfire it thus came about that our troops found that their task had but begun when they stormed the ridges there was an infinitely harder task to cling on to the ground they had won in face of a withering fire that at times caught them in rear as well as in flank the skill with which the enemy continually filtered fresh troops for the most part machine guns along the ravine bottoms into the very heart of our defense and in face of terrible punishment was in its way a tactical masterpiece but the truth was he was prepared for the greatest sacrifices in order to hold the plateau he had actually brought divisions out of the active battle line in front of the third army to the south of us and in front of our neighboring core on the north to throw in against the Canadian core it was a last ditch business the spirit that animated him is shown by the following core order captured by us a few days later quote soldiers of the core up to the present time we have given up to the enemy a certain amount of foreign land of little value for military reasons while causing him heavy casualties the British are seeking a decision and we of this core have a most important section from the point of view of a decision remember that here you are now defending your home your family and your dear fatherland remember how your homes will look if war is carried there and with it invasion of the enemy's hordes if you will stand fast victory will be ours as before for you are superior to the enemy who now only shows a desire to attack with tanks and these tanks we shall destroy therefore carry on use your rifle cold bloodedly and cold steel with courage I expect that every man will do his duty in the decisive battle coming from the general to the youngest private end quote it is curious to note how yet once again the German soldier is told that it is only the tanks he has to fear as has been seen in this great battle of Cambrai the Canadian infantry depended almost entirely upon their own efforts and their admirable artillery nevertheless it is beyond question that the tank became something of an obsession with the German soldier his morale in this direction was supported by every kind of mechanical device of which the anti-tank rifle was perhaps the most efficient at the crossings of the Canal du Nord south of Machiais Canadian engineers located 245 anti-tank mines which were destroyed by gun cotton various devices were used a favorite being a loose plank lying in the road which required however the weight of a tank before setting off the detonator one of the few tanks at our disposal fell victim to a mine of this character end of part three chapter seven recording by James O'Connor Randolph Massachusetts May 2010 part three chapter eight of Canada's Hundred Days this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by James O'Connor Canada's Hundred Days by John Livesey part three chapter eight Operations September 30 to October 2 the operation of September 30 was planned in two phases says Sirathakari in the first the third and fourth Canadian divisions were to push forward across the high ground between the Shelt Canal and the Blackcore Banteneve Rebeen when Brutonelle's brigade was to pass through them and secure bridgeheads at Rameleys and Eswars the second phase to take place on the success of the first provided for the seizing of the high ground overlooking the Sinsea River by the first Canadian division and the 11th British division the attack commenced well and the villages of Tilloy and Blackcore were captured by the third and fourth Canadian divisions respectively a heavy counterattack however against the fourth Canadian division and the left flank of the third Canadian division assisted by exceptionally severe infallible fire from the high ground to the north of the Blackcore Banteneve Rebeen forced the line on the left bank to the eastern outskirts of Sankore the second phase of the attack was not carried out and the net gains for the day were the capture of Tilloy and some progress made on the right of the third Canadian division from Nubil Sairimi south prisoners taken during the day testified to the extreme importance in the eyes of the enemy of the positions held by him and the necessity that they be held at all costs zero hour was set for 6 a.m. before dawn it was designed to lay down a rolling barrage on the narrow front selected for the initial attack and to protect the flanks by spoke barrages to blot out enemy observation in the ravines and on the high ground to the north for this purpose there was a considerable concentration of our artillery all our field batteries had suffered severely in the fighting of the previous days as the guns had to be pushed up in the open taking advantage indeed of what natural cover offered but without prepared emplacements casualties were proportionately severe thus on one day the 12th battery Canadian field artillery lost one officer captain Ross and four other ranks killed and 18 wounded and the 11th battery in an exposed position on the Cambray road suffered a direct hit and had 27 casualties in one day the gallant work of our gunners under these trying conditions is well illustrated by the following extracts from the diary of the 13th battery CFA September 27 Berlon would show took position just after dawn between in she and canal do not IE that is across no man's land and from there took part in second phase of attack this was only possible by the smoke barrage which screened enemy observation from Berlon would which had not at that time been taken moved position same evening to just north of quarry wood gunner McCallum wounded at guns later killed on weighted dressing station carpal R. Cameron carpal J. Mitchin Bombardier King and gunner A. Patterson wounded at guns September 28 moved guns to north side of ours Cambray road by a farmhouse one and a quarter miles west of Berlon core gunner painter wounded at guns later died of wounds same night bomb lit in wagon lines one and a half miles west of guns killing 28 horses and wounded drivers Dawson Melville Blackmore Monroe Baird Clark Nelson Hogg and carpal Redell Dawson died of wounds Signalers Murray and Clark wounded on officers patrol Clark died of wounds September 29 another show severe fighting little progress Shell and wagon lines killed driver Gagney and wounded driver W. Lawson also killing eight horses moved up one section in afternoon under lieutenant Stubbs and Simons at 11 p.m. received orders to move up remainder of battery to forward section position on Sunken Road just south of Hainapour a show before dawn next day September 30 show zero hour 4 30 a.m. Enemy had planned his decisive counterattack with eight divisions on our two division front to commence this morning at 5 a.m. counter battery fire very intense action by shell fire gunner R. Leach killed at guns sergeants H. Murray and Foster and gunner W. Herschel wounded at guns terrific fighting by infantry attacks counterattacks etc. terrific casualties especially in infantry moved guns back in afternoon to forward position gunner Speeran wounded during night by stray shell at guns October 1 another show progress light on the counter reduced strength of units advanced battery 1,000 yards to next little dip in front this battery was recruited in 1914 from Hamilton and Branford Ontario and it is interesting to note that 34 originals were still on strength at the armistice while the democratic character of the Canadian Army is shown by the fact of its NCOs obtained commissions the attack went well at first but with dawn came a heavy gale from the west which resulted in the failure of our smoke barrage and our men who had pushed out along the ridges became exposed to a tremendous concentration of enemy fire presently supported by massed counterattacks they have a machine gun to every ten yards of front officer there has been nothing like it in this war from the ravines they pick off our men on the ridges like probes over 90% of our casualties are from machine gun bullets end quote the task assigned the third Canadian division was to capture Tilloy and Morene Shees and then push on to Remelies in close conjunction the fourth Canadian division was also to push out due east with SWAs as the final objective the attack on our right prospered from the start troops of the seventh brigade including the PPLPs on the right and Royal Canadian regiment on the left capturing in succession Tilloy and Morene Shees with elements even pushing on to the outskirts of Remelies our position along the shell canal was thus consolidated and a wedge driven in between the garrison of Cambra and the German forces massed about the northern plateau unfortunately the same good fortune did not attend our left the attack was undertaken by the 11th brigade to which the 85th battalion had been detached from the 12th brigade in support the 102nd battalion British Columbia was also held in reserve but was under very heavy fire throughout the day on the later stage the attack was carried out by the 87th battalion the Grenadier Guards of Montreal on the right the 75th battalion Central and Western Ontario in the centre and the 54th battalion British Columbia on the left the good advance was made along the plateau under cover of darkness but with dawn and the failure of our small barrage as related above the attacking force was subjected to a tremendous infallible machine gun fire from Blackcore and Abancourt the men in little knots began digging themselves in on the bare upland and there was stood wave after wave of enemy infantry advancing with the utmost courage to the attack although great holes were torn in their ranks by our artillery and machine guns the position on our left was untenable every step to the line of the railway this in turn brought to a halt troops on our right and finally led to their partial retirement but although at one stage Tilloy was lost we recaptured it before the end of the day Tilloy will go down in the history of the PPLI Princess Patricia's light infantry as one of its most famous fights after every senior officer had fallen Captain James Despert Edgar assumed command of the battalion at a critical hour when three companies on the left were badly disorganized under tremendous machine gun fire and had even begun to withdraw from the position one he went forward and rallied the men leading them on to their objective by his cheerfulness energy and disregard for danger he so inspired all ranks that they willingly followed him through the most intensive shell machine gun fire and it was due to his unflagging work that enemy counterattacks were beaten off and Tilloy remained in our hands at the end of the hard fought day the character of the fighting described by those who took part in it as the stiffest Canadian troops had ever faced can best be gathered by following the fortunes of one of the battalions engaged this being the 75th this unit as we have seen had lost heavily in the successful attack on Burlon Wood on the morning of September 29 it moved up from Burlon to the Lila Spam on the Arras Cambre Rome 1500 yards west of Raeland Corps and about as much southwest of Painter Corps be it whacking there for the night Guides reported at 2.30 a.m. for the attack on the Douay Cambre Railway the first objective on the way into the jumping off line two company officers were killed at head of their companies and only four officers per company were left in the darkness there was some confusion but three minutes before zero every company was in its appointed place 500 yards in advance of our outposts holding the line and just west of the railway itself a barrage opened 20 yards short of the railway for 10 minutes on the line of the embankment following which our men went over three minutes later the enemy who had massed a number of divisions for an attack in force laid down an intensive barrage of 5.9 inch guns and yellow cross gas on the very area our men had just left but causing not a single casualty it was a much heavier barrage than our own but ours was magnificently uncannily even accurate destroying entirely the enemy's line of defense along the steep railway embankment the second in command Captain Duncan a company commander was killed almost as once as the battalion swept forward a hail of machine gun fire came from the exposed left flank all along the Batiney ravine and although a screen of defensive post was thrown out against Black Corps no troops could long stand up to prevent such punishment the battalion fell back to the railway and clung there all day towards evening Colonel Thompson was ordered to withdraw his men to the Maki online 2,000 yards back but only 50 men were left unwounded and every officer but himself had become a casualty nevertheless what remained of this battalion went into action again on the following day the 54th and 102nd battalions took over the post established in Black Corps besides numerous machine guns were four heavy guns and a special battalion of Burton burger marksmen stout fellows who made great play with their machine guns the attack had failed but nevertheless the line of railway had been attained and held and the enemy's evident intention of driving us back into burl on wood had been frustrated by our old offensive but it was clear that the battle was far from won we must either abandon what had been gained with so much heroism and at such great cost thus crippling the general advance or face the alternative of pursuing the battle with weakened forces until we had gained a decision and established ourselves upon the plateau the issue was plainly set forth by Sir Arthur Currie who then proceeds to trace the fortunes of the crucial battle of October 1 in the following terms the tremendous exertions and considerable casualties consequent upon the four days almost continuous fighting had made heavy inroads on the freshness and efficiency of all arms and it was questionable whether an immediate decision could be forced in the face of the heavy concentration of troops which are successful and from the enemy standpoint dangerous advance had drawn against us on the other hand it was known that the enemy had suffered severely and it was quite possible that matters had reached a stage where he no longer considered the retention of this position were at the severe losses both in men and morale consequent upon a continuance of the defense it was therefore decided that the assault would be continued on October 1 the four divisions in line attacking simultaneously under a heavy barrage coordinated by the GOC RA during the night the 22nd Corps took over a portion of the front held by the 11th Division the 56th Division becoming responsible for the defense of the relieved front at 6 a.m. October 1 the attack made excellent progress in the early stages the troops reached the general line Shelt Canal east of Nouvelle-Sarimi where in cheesewood Huvilliers-Pontinay all-inclusive the decision of the enemy to resist to the last quickly manifested itself about 10 a.m. heavy counterattacks developed up the Batonet Reveem from the direction of Railand Corps these supplemented by infallad fire from the high ground just south of Abancourt which still remained in the enemy's hands due to a certain extent to the inability of the 11th Division on the left to make progress were sufficient to press back our advanced troops pockets of the enemy in Bleckhorre and Bantinay continued to give trouble and our line was ultimately forced by greatly superior numbers out of Huvilliers, Bantinay and Bleckhorre to continue to throw tired troops against such opposition without giving them an opportunity to refit and recuperate was obviously inviting a serious failure and I accordingly decided to break off the engagement the five days fighting had yielded practical gains of a very valuable nature as well as 7,059 prisoners and 205 guns we had gone through the last organized system of defenses on our front and our advance constituted a direct threat on the rear of the troops immediately to the north of our left flank and their withdrawal had now begun although the ground gained on October 1 was not extensive the effects of the battle and of the previous four days fighting were far reaching and made possible the subsequent advances of October and November insofar as the divisions engaged against the Canadian Corps on the enemy's reserves which had now been greatly reduced it is worthy of note that the enemy employed six divisions to reinforce the four divisions already in the line making a total of ten divisions engaged since September 27 by the Canadian Corps in addition to their ten divisional artillery and large number of heavy guns these German divisions had been reinforced by 13 Boxman machine gun companies in the same period only three additional divisions and one regiment were employed by the Germans to reinforce the front from Honokor to Kambrath a front of approximately 18,000 yards in length this comparison of employment of reserves showed clearly that the enemy was greatly perturbed by the success of our advance and the serious threaded offer of northern defenses throughout this phase very heavy calls had been made on the Corps artillery Major General E.W.B. Morrison and the Canadian engineers with the exception of the advances of the first Canadian and 11th British divisions in the second stage of the attack of September 27 all operations carried out during the five days took place under cover of artillery barrages the amount of ammunition fired was exceptionally large and it was only by the most strenuous efforts on the part of all ranks of the artillery that the supply could be made to keep pace with the expenditure the success in this respect was to a large extent due to the exertion and skill displayed by the Canadian engineers Major General W.B. Lindsey in every branch of their activities notably in bridge building and repair roads the night of September 30 October 1 was bitter cold with torrential rains and for the most part the troops detailed for the attack next morning had to tough it out in the open zero hour was set for 5 a.m. while it was still dark and it was hoped that by a broad attack covering the entire core front between the Shelt and the Sin Sea the disastrous impalod fire which had stopped and thrown back a relatively narrow front of the previous day would be blanketed this plan postulated success all along the line and the development of a weak spot anywhere must seriously compromise success elsewhere the attack at first succeeded admirably on the right elements of the 3rd division pushed on through Morin sheaves seized the bridgehead at Ponte d'Aire and established posts in Remelies the attack was entrusted to the 9th Brigade with the 43rd Battalion Winnipeg on the right and the 52nd Battalion Fort William and Fort Arthur on the left advancing under heavy machine gunfire on the crest of the hill down the slope towards the Remelies the 58th Battalion Western Ontario and the 116th Battalion Central Ontario came up in support all 4 battalions being very heavily engaged the 116th pushed on into Remelies the attacking force rushing the bridgehead in face of the point blank fire of a whiz bag battery Major Carmichael who had succeeded to the command of the battalion after Lieutenant Colonel G. R. Perks had been wounded and who himself had been wounded in the Army and Shoal led his men throughout and even after he had been seriously wounded refused to be evacuated staying with his command for two hours until he was no longer able to direct his men on the left of our 3rd Division the 4th Canadian Division also drove home its attack the 11th Brigade advancing across the plateau and storming Puvillier but as has been related by the Corps Commander a weakness developed on the extreme left and in turn the 1st Canadian Division fell back forcing the withdrawal of the 4th Division which found itself with its left flank in the air the 102nd Battalion British Columbia which had led the attack with great gallantry was for a time in perilous danger of being isolated and cut off and it was only the utmost heroism of its men supported by flanking outposts promptly thrown out against Blackpour and Batinay by Brigadier General Odium that saved it from disaster in a day of wonderful deeds particularly striking was the leadership of Lieutenant Fram Thompson Lyle 102nd Battalion a native of Lancashire who had enlisted at St. Catherine's, Ontario finding himself in command of the Company on the right flank now only 50 strong by skillful dispositions he captured a strong enemy position east of Blackpour and with its 17 machine guns and 80 prisoners this he fortified and clung steadfastly to it until relief thus preventing the turning of our flank this officer had had a wonderful record throughout this battle after leading his platoon against Burlon Wood he rendered invaluable support to the leading Company capturing a strong point which held it up by a flank movement taking one field gun four machine guns and 13 prisoners the rest of the garrison being killed later his platoon much weakened by casualties was held up by machine guns at the southern end of Burlon Wood collecting every man available he led them toward the strong point springing forward alone he rushed the position killing the officer in charge when the garrison surrendered with five machine guns having made good his objective capturing 47 more prisoners insolidated his position and thus protected the remainder of the Company during this battle Lieutenant Leal captured in all three offices and 182 other ranks one field gun and 26 machine guns exclusive of heavy casualties inflicted into Part 3 Chapter 8 recording by James O'Connor Randolph, Massachusetts May 2010 Part 3 Chapter 9 of Canada's Hundred Days this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Canada's Hundred Days by John Livese Part 3 Chapter 9 Operation September 30th through October 2nd continued what had happened on the left is described in the narrative of the first Canadian division already drawn upon so copiously orders were issued on the night of September 30th for a synchronized attack on October 1st by the four divisions in line the first divisional front was extended 1,000 yards to the south making a total front of attack of about 3,000 yards during the night the third brigade Brigadier General GS Tuxford moved forward to the right and assembled behind the 12th Brigade through whom they were to attack the attack of the first division was to be made by the third and first brigades the barrage opened at 5 o'clock on the right the 13th Battalion Montreal Highlanders attacked and captured Bleycorre after very heavy fighting on the left the 1st Battalion Western Ontario and 4th Battalion Central Ontario launched the attack for the first brigade Brigadier General W.A. Grisbach the 1st Battalion secured the line of the railway north of Bleycorre but were unable to get beyond owing to the intense fire from Abancourt on the left the 4th Battalion got to within 200 yards of the railway but were definitely held up there further on the left the attack of the 11th British division had been stopped at the very start in the meantime the 16th Battalion Canadian, Scottish of Western Canada the 14th Battalion Royal Montreal Regiment passed through Bleycorre and attacked on the right and left Cuvier and Bantamille were captured by 8 o'clock by these battalions respectively enemy activity on the exposed left developed into counterattacks against the 14th Battalion three being driven off both battalions were now in untenable positions enemy machine gun concentrations at Abancourt sweeping their left rear and artillery firing at point blank range from their front under the circumstances a retirement was ordered the enemy being made to pay dearly for every foot of ground given up a short stand was made at Bleycorre but fresh enemy attacks forced our line back to the west of this village a line held with the aid of artillery and machine gun fire against continued enemy attacks the fighting to which the first Canadian division was thus exposed was peculiarly bitter and gave opportunity for many deeds of heroism thus Captain Chester Francis Cummins of the first battalion western Ontario while leading his company found that owing to the darkness his men were pushing in ahead of our own barrage he ran forward and under heavy machine gun fire checked and reorganized the men subsequent advance in which his company suffered many casualties he was severely wounded in the arm but with indomitable spirit and almost superhuman effort he forced his way forward cheering and inspiring his men until again hit he nevertheless still pressed on cheering and exhorting his men until he received a third and fatal wound in the attack on Abancourt the fourth battalion central Ontario found itself held up by wire and machine gun posts Sergeant William Maryfield of Ottawa finding that his men were being shot down by the deadly fire coming from two enemy machine gun posts on high ground on the flank attacked them both single handed he dashed from shell hole to shell hole until he had sniped three of the crew of the first post and then killed the fourth with the butt of his rifle he fell wounded into the post presently recovering he clambered out and attacked the second post throwing a bomb and under cover of the explosion dashed in and killed the three men working the gun he then returned to his platoons refusing to be evacuated and leading his men with great skill until severely wounded in this battle Major Roderick Ogle Bell Irving commanding the 16th battalion Scottish fought his last fight he skillfully led the attack in the darkness fearlessly exposing himself in all places until the objectives of Cuvier was taken the battalion had suffered severely but he went along the line reorganizing his men and consolidating the position while he was engaged on this at his outpost a heavy enemy counter attack developed on the left flank of the battalion he personally directed the fire of two machine guns until the ammunition was exhausted when seeing his left flank was in danger of being enveloped by the masses of the enemy he ordered the withdrawal of the outpost line he remained until every man had left the outpost but while retiring on the main line of resistance he was fatally wounded he refused to allow his men to stay with him as the enemy was rapidly surrounding the spot where he lay his body was afterwards recovered by the battalion the narrative of the first Canadian division continues as follows that night the sixth brigade of the second division relieved the third brigade and the second brigade relieved the first brigade on the left the next day passed without incident and on the night of October 2nd the second brigade was relieved by a brigade of the 11th British division the relief of the first division being completed by 10 o'clock on the morning of October 3rd the division then coming into the corps reserve as a matter of fact the sixth brigade was engaged during the day of October 1st the 27th battalion of Winnipeg, 28th battalion of Regina and 29th battalion of Vancouver all taking part in the battle as did other elements of the second Canadian division major general Sir Henry E. Burstahl this division which as has been recorded before had seen fighting all through the early summer months in the line before Arras while the other Canadian divisions were in GHQ reserve and had actively held the line of the Canal du Nord throughout September was now brought up to renew the vigor of our attack on the following morning the intention being for the fifth brigade to go in on the right and the sixth brigade on the left relieving troops holding the center of our line these two brigades came up during the early afternoon and for some hours lying in close support they were here exposed to very heavy fire and suffered heavy casualties thus the sixth brigade was in support of the ninth brigade along the line of the shell and though it had no actual fighting in this sector one of its battalions the 27th of Winnipeg lost nine officers and 125 men nothing is harder on troops than this passive exposure to a galling fire and when the order came to move up in active support there was general relief pressure was so great during the afternoon that it became necessary to use some of the elements of the second Canadian division in the line and thus for the last time in the history of the Canadian Corps all four of its divisions were engaged in a common battle line on the same day the description given above makes clear the reasons for the relative failure of this cumulative effort there was here all the material for a striking success and in the early morning all the objectives have been attained but the weakness of our left flank due to the failure of the 11th division to take and hold the heights between Epenwa and Epencor reacted all along the line but this was only one cause the other was our own weakened ranks together with the unprecedented number of men at this stage in the war the enemy did not throw in against us his losses were tremendous our artillery had never had such a day from dawn until dark they poured in their fire often at point blank ranges and the litter of enemy dead upon the battlefield as it was afterwards exposed to our view was nothing less than appalling if we had fallen short of victory the sequel was to show that we had beaten the enemy to a stand still and that he had no left for further fight with the Canadian core allusion has been made before to a published narrative of the 1st army under which the Canadian core fought all the way from Eros to Maul it is entitled the final blow for the 1st army in 1918 and what it says about this particular day is interesting October 1st and 2nd on these days the fighting was extraordinarily severe for the Canadians who are experts at tough fighting a claim at the stiffest they have ever been up against the object was to take the bridge heads over the canal northeast of Colmbray that once done the enemy would be out of the commanding an extremely valuable high ground which on the south commanded Colmbray with its railway junctions and on the north rested on the Sancy Marshes and overlooked the country to the north in many ways a key position to the whole line here then on ground admirably suited and organized for defense and necessary to the Bosch line the Germans put up a desperate fight up the ravines from the northeast especially up the hollow leading to Bantini they brought division after division 13 divisions are known to have been thrown into the fight only to be smashed by our tireless guns and our indomitable troops one battery of heavies on October 1st fired 1600 rounds the enemies cleverly placed machine guns fought hard round Blacor as a center the battle raged but the machine gun positions were hunted down the masses of the enemy were torn by our artillery fire with awful slaughter to be replaced by others who suffered the same fate the Canadians in the 11th British division though suffering from heavy losses and wearied with days of fighting and advancing held and improved their ground pressed in front and with his retreat threatened by the advance of the third army from the south the hunt began sullenly to withdraw though still fighting his shattered divisions the ground was ours the capture of Combre was now only a matter of time patrols had already entered its outskirts it is difficult to give a true picture of this day's fighting did space permit official records of the deeds of individual officers and men who this day earned military honors would fill in the sketch a few of these have been given above the following cases illustrate how the men fought day after day almost without pause until they were tired in battle weary but still refused to admit defeat Lieutenant Milton Fowler Gregg Royal Canadian regiment a native mountain dale new Brunswick when the advance of the 7th brigade on September 28 against the Marquing line was held up by a heavy machine gunfire on both flanks and thick uncut wire in front of the enemy trench system crawled forward alone and explored the wire until he found a small gap through this he led his men organizing bombing parties which went right and left along the trench the enemy counter attacked in force and through lack of bombs the situation became critical for his company although wounded in the head and weakened by loss of blood he started back alone to our attacking line and going from one company to another collected a further supply of bombs which he carried back suffering a second wound this time in his side he found but a handful of his men left but he quickly reorganized them and started to bomb the enemy out of his defense system this consistent of a series of short trenches 3 to 7 yards long and the enemy advanced over the top to the attack time after time but at length he cleared the system himself killing 11 and taking 25 prisoners not withstanding his severe wounds he steadfastly refused to be evacuated on September 30 he again led his company into the attack but he was severely wounded and was ordered out by his senior officer he made his reported battalion headquarters and then collapsed Lieutenant Honey who had risen from the ranks of the 78th battalion of Winnipeg particularly distinguished himself on September 27th in the attack on Bourlain Wood when his company officer and all other officers had become casualties he took command and skillfully reorganized under severe fire he continued the advance with great cash and reached the objective then finding that his company was suffering casualties from enfilade machine gun fire he located the machine gun nest and rushed it single handed capturing the guns in 10 prisoners subsequently he repelled 4 enemy counter attacks and after dark went out alone and having located an enemy post led a party and captured the post and 3 machine guns on September 29th in the fight for the plateau he led his company against a strong enemy position with great skill and daring and continued in the succeeding days of the battle to display the same high example of valor and self sacrifice on the last day of the attack by his battalion he was wounded in both legs but carried on doing wonderful work finally he received wounds from which he died Captain John McGregor 2nd who enlisted at Vancouver but is a native of Nairn Scotland during the attack of the 8th brigade on September 30th although wounded led his company under intense fire when held up by a machine gun post he seized a rifle and single handed and in broad daylight attacked with the bayonet killing 4 and capturing 8 of the enemy his prompt action saved many casualties and enabled the attack to go forward later on he gathered his men together under intense fire and organized a party to fill in a gap in the flank and reinforced our troops attacking till law hearing that 2 commanders of companies attacking on the right had become casualties and seeing that the stubborn resistance of the enemy was holding up our advance with absolute disregard of danger he went along the line organized the platoons and taking command of the leading waves continued the advance later, after a personal daylight reconnaissance he established his company in Newville Salrimi thus greatly assisting the advanced into till law during the attack on the Canal du Nord on September 27th Lieutenant Thomas Eason Miller 8th Battalion of Winnipeg led his platoon with great skill and gallantry his company commander became a casualty early in the engagement was wounded he remained on duty showing splendid judgment and coolness in command of the company taking it to its objective that evening just west of Haincourt the enemy counterattacked on the exposed right flank of the 2nd Brigade but Lieutenant Miller succeeded in building up a right flank and that night he made a daring reconnaissance disregarding his wound next day when troops on his right failed to keep up with the advance he established contact by covering the gap and thus secured a very dangerous situation on September 29th when at 9 o'clock in the morning his battalion attacked east of the duai Calbley Road all of the officers of the 2 companies on the right having become casualties he took command and led the attack successfully through 2 belts of wire and under heavy fire attacked alone a group of the enemy and captured 22 prisoners when troops on either flank failed to keep up he consolidated a line and beat off 3 enemy counterattacks at half past 2 that afternoon he was knocked unconscious by a shell but recovering 2 hours later resumed command and protected the right flank against repeated attacks refusing to leave the line until the battalion was relieved his determination and coolness won a glorious fight Sergeant Theodore Martin in the same operation when all the officers in his vicinity had become casualties and though himself severely wounded in the lake recognizing that the situation was most serious and must be controlled remained in a shell hole where although unable to move he continued to direct his men for 10 hours refusing to be evacuated until relieved not only did he display a great fortitude but his cool and accurate messages the battalion headquarters throughout the day saved a very tight corner great heroism was displayed by the auxiliary services in this terrible battle and by none more so than the chaplain's service once again the Padres gave proof of their devotion upon the field thus Captain Albert Edward Andrew chaplain of the Royal Canadian Regiment when our men were forced to withdraw for 40 hours without an interval for rest made repeated trips into no man's land often in the face of intensive machine gunfire bringing in our wounded when all the officers of this battalion had become casualties he remained in the front line carrying food and drink to groups of our men and inspiring them so that even in the midst of beating off an enemy counterattack they raised a cheer for his gallantry in this battle Canon Scott of Quebec City a senior chaplain of the First Canadian Division was wounded by a shell which exploded beside him wounding him in many places in arms legs and body when he was wounded the expression of surprise that he had so long escaped was very general as it was frequently remarked that he was looking for it on the route of evacuation despite his painful wounds through aid posts dressing station and casualty clearing station and his large crucifix in his hand and preach to those about his impressive sermons on patients Christian fortitude and resignation a wounded soldier remarked how edifying it was to see how happy he was in his sufferings gallant work too was done by the medical service the conduct of the stretcher bearers working continuously under fire was beyond all praise and nothing could surpass the devotion of the drivers of the ambulances the magnificent work throughout was done by our field ambulances and also by medical officers attached to fighting units thus on September 27th Captain Albert R. Hagerman MO of the 78th Battalion followed close behind the attacking infantry and established a regimental aid post in the open under heavy shell and machine gun fire on September 29th he established a dressing station and a forward trench and for two days he worked unceasingly under shell fire in this position dressing hundreds of wounded in the intensive fighting of these days casualties among regimental officers were particularly severe these exposing themselves fearlessly in order to hearten their men among the wounded was Lieutenant Colonel C. R. E. Willits of the Royal Canadian Regiment in this battle the Canadian Corps touched its pinnacle of fame unquestioned the battle and especially the fighting of September 30th and October 1st was the most savage and sustained in which the Canadian Corps ever engaged only the utmost heroism and tenacity of our infantry ably supported by our gunners enabled us to cling on in the salient we had driven into the heart of the enemy's defense in face of withering fire and their withstand wave after wave of counterattacks overwhelming numbers in this wonderful stand against enemy masses determined to rest from them their conquest gallant and heroic episodes were innumerable battalions companies and little knots of men stood their ground unflinchingly they'll often detach and even cut off for a time from all support it is the penalty of storming troops such as the Canadian Corps that they sometimes create for themselves in their impetuous advance unprotected flanks the salient they drive into the enemy line becomes unflotted and if power is not at hand to widen it out into a practical front the troops in the apex must either fight it out against overwhelming odds or fall back the latter is not the lesson the Canadian Corps had learned and it was this desperate clinging to positions quickly untenable that contributed to our heavy casualties there is the case of a sergeant who refused to fall back when ordered by his superior officer and fought his company all day until night descended in those five days of battle the Canadian Corps dealt such a blow at the enemy that he reeled back to final defeat above everything else it was the unconquerable spirit of all ranks that gained the decision not withstanding his lavish outpourings of blood he had not shaken a wit our stranglehold on his vital pivot of combre but that we had gained the decision was by no means clear on the evening of October 1st our losses had been so severe our reserves had been so freely drawn upon that there was anxiety on all hands that night as to whether the morning might not see a last final thrust such as we might be in no condition to fight off logic was against it he had used up against us on this day no less than 33 battalions our intelligence reported that since the battle opened he had been forced to send to the north five reserve divisions he might still have drawn upon and it was difficult to see where he could get fresh troops to continue the battle it was a night of anxiety indeed but there was the cheering side of enemy dumps being blown up in his immediate rear but we were taking no chances at five o'clock in the morning on October 2nd our artillery laid down a tremendous counter preparation along the whole line designed to catch his wave should they be advancing to the assault nothing developed dawn broke and the enemy line was suspiciously quiet then word began to go around that he was falling back that he had mistaken our barrage for another attack such that he had had to face in each of the five preceding mornings the battle was won End of Part 3 Chapter 9 Recording by Kathleen Nelson Austin, Texas, July 2010