The German front line, so far as this account is concerned, extended round the base of the slag heap and then south-east, where it joined a system of trenches7 known as the Méricourt Maze8 at about two hundred and fifty yards distance.
About 300 yards behind the German front line and running parallel to it was a railway embankment, scarcely less than 24 feet in height; and about midway between the German lines and our own and parallel to our line was a road (Quebec Road). Scatter9 around a few rows of ruined houses, a garden fence, and a couple of brick piles and you will have what the 3rd Divisional Staff considered to be an ideal location for a raid.
[32]
The slag heap was reported to be a veritable nest of machine guns, and trench6 mortars11; the railway embankment was believed to be fairly honeycombed with dug-outs, but all that was actually and really known was that the German front line was strongly barricaded12 and full of Germans, and that Quebec Road was partly sunken and full of wire. The place and opportunity having therefore been supplied it remained for us to fix the time and arrange the details.
Immediately upon arrival at Comak Camp a stretch of ground was selected for practice, and the Engineers who started at once to work on the taped trenches, made such good progress that the following morning everything was in readiness for our first trial. In the meantime a plan of attack was formulated13, of which the following is a brief résumé: “A” Company (Capt. Gould) would capture and hold the German front line (known as Metal Trench) looking after any machine guns and trench mortar10 posts found on the slag heap, together with all dug-outs in the neighborhood.
“B” Company (Capt. Allen) on the left, and “C” Company (Major Currie) on the right would pass through “A” Company continuing on to the railway embankment, which they would proceed to capture, destroying all dug-outs and M.G. emplacements. Upon a given signal from Battalion14 Headquarters raiding Companies would retire, protected by covering parties left along the railway embankment and communication trenches, “A” Company to remain in Metal Trench until all of “B”[33] and “C” Companies had withdrawn15. The most unpleasant job of all, perhaps, that of holding the Battalion front during the raid, was assigned to “D” Company (Capt. Ritchie).
The attack was to be carried out at night (1 a.m.) and under cover of an artillery16 and M.G. Barrage17.
For the next few days the one topic of conversation was the raid, and at least two practices a day were carried out over the taped trenches, until we considered ourselves perfect enough to invite the Divisional and Brigade Commanders to attend our final practice before going into the line. This they did and pronounced themselves well satisfied.
During these preparations our Commanding Officer, Col. S. Sharpe, was untiring in his energies towards overcoming the numerous difficulties that so frequently presented themselves, and he personally led a reconnoitring party into Avion in broad daylight, which enabled us to overlook the territory to be raided from the second story of a ruined house.
On the 18th of July we received orders to move into the line and to take over the trenches occupied by the 5th C.M.R. At dusk that evening the Battalion assembled, and after wishing God-speed to Major Cameron, our Second in Command, who was leaving that night for Canada, a most stirring and eloquent18 address was made by Col. Sharpe; so that when we moved off by Companies in the direction of Vimy Ridge19, to the strains of “John Peel,” the regimental march, there was[34] scarcely a more confident lot of men in the whole Allied20 Army.
At about 9.30 p.m., on the 22nd July, a start was made to assemble the raiding Companies behind Quebec Road, which was the jumping-off position for the raid. Each man was equipped with an electric torch-light for use in the German lines, and a large white patch was sewn on the front of everybody’s box respirator, which was thought to be a good means of identification in the dark. About midnight, therefore, the platoons were being led quietly and stealthily into position. Suddenly the bells in the German trenches, not a hundred yards from the right flank, began to ring; gas fumes21 were rapidly making their way over our positions. It was difficult to tell whether the gas was merely lachrymatory or poisonous, and at the first indication every officer and man had slipped on his gas helmet.
It is hard enough to find your way about in the dark under ordinary conditions, but with a gas helmet on it is absolutely impossible, and in less time than it takes to tell, the greatest confusion arose, and the success of the whole operation hung in the balance. A desperate situation confronted the Battalion; in a little while our artillery barrage would open, and its programme would be carried out while our men were stumbling blindly through the gas fumes, and in due course the enemy artillery would open up in retaliation22, and our men, helpless with their gas helmets on, would be wiped out without a chance for their lives. For about thirty[35] minutes the situation was critical and fraught23 with the greatest difficulties; the darkness, the gas, the fumes, the irregularities of the ground, wire entanglements24, ruins, shell holes, all combined to make the assembling of our companies slow and difficult.
Chances had to be taken, and gas helmets were removed, the mouthpiece alone being used, and in this manner, our eyes streaming with tears and nerves strung to the highest pitch, we eventually reached our positions around the Quebec Road about five minutes before zero hour.
Exactly on the stroke of one the barrage opened, falling like a hailstorm on the German front line, which was lit up along its entire length by the bursting shells. It was certainly an unmerciful pounding and seemed to fill us with an ardent25 desire to get over there, and like Julius Caesar, “negotium finire.”
As the barrage opened “A” Company crept across the Quebec Road through the lanes in the wire which had been previously26 cut by the scouts27, and at zero, plus three minutes, at which moment the barrage lifted off Metal Trench to the Railway embankment, they rushed forward, closely followed by “B” Company on the left and “C” Company on the right. By the time “A” Company reached Metal Trench the Huns had begun to pour out of their dug-outs in which they had taken refuge during the shell storm, and hand-to-hand fighting ensued, in which many of the enemy were either killed or taken prisoners; leaving “A” Company to deal with[36] the destruction of the dug-outs and the capture of the slag heap, as previously arranged, “B” and “C” Companies proceeded to the final objective.
As already anticipated, our greatest trouble was to be from the flanks, and during the final stages of the attack, in which “B” and “C” Companies rushed the embankment, capturing many prisoners, some enemy machine guns came into action and inflicted28 heavy casualties on us. In spite of this, everything seemed to be happening just in the way we had practised it at Berthonval Farm, even the special carrying parties that were to bring up trench mats for crossing the wire believed to exist around the embankment, arrived, and were much disappointed when they were told they would not be needed. Also the signallers specially29 attached to Companies for communication with Battalion Headquarters came through, but were unable to use their lamps on account of the smoke and gas.
Considerable trouble was experienced with refractory30 prisoners, and the evacuation of our casualties was a matter of the greatest difficulty, since by the time “B” and “C” Companies had reached the embankment all sense of direction was lost on account of the darkness and gas fumes, which were now blowing back over the German lines.
The work of destruction completed, the two Companies, “B” and “C”, withdrew as best they could, covered by sections, one from each platoon, acting31 as a rear-guard.
[37]
Observation posts were left on the Railway Embankment at each flank with supporting posts behind them, “A” Company remaining in Metal Trench until “B” and “C” Companies had completed their withdrawal32. The observation posts were chiefly organized by Lt. Lennox of “B” Company and Lt. Neil of “C” Company, who were in command of the flank platoons.
“D” Company had detailed33 parties under Lt. Weber and Lt. Lick, which were to relieve at daybreak the posts left respectively by “B” and “C” Companies. Lt. Lick was, however, killed by a shell near Metal Trench, and his sergeant34 and corporal wounded. Lt. Weber went up on the left and reached Metal Trench, but at 4.45 a.m. the Germans had counter-attacked in force and our posts withdrew fighting as ordered. When it was learned that Lt. Neil and Lt. Lick were killed and that Lt. Lennox and Lt. Weber were missing a party was sent up Meander35 Trench to assist the posts. This party got out between Metal Trench and the Railway Embankment just as the Germans began to swarm36 over it, and also attack from the flank. Our party was obliged to withdraw, taking the balance of the men on the posts with it. Stiff fighting took place all the way back, and many of the enemy were killed.
In such an operation it would be very difficult and most unfair to mention the work of any one particular platoon, section, or man, since all we had planned to do was done, and this in the face of many serious handicaps. The care of our wounded was now the first consideration,[38] and Capt. Moore, with his staff, who had established an advance Regimental Aid Post (later known as “Moore’s Aid Post”) at the junction37 of the Lens-Arras Railway and the Avion Road, were busy until daylight, when a German observation balloon caught sight of them, and they were forced by heavy shell fire to retire to a more protected position.
And so it was only through the co-operation and courage of all ranks that we had at last won the right to our place in the 9th Brigade and the Canadian Corps38. Let it be said that this was only one of a great many successful raids carried out by Canadian troops, and which made them famous on all the Western front.
In sum we had captured 60 prisoners, including two officers, and killed at least twice that number, our own casualties being five officers—Lts. V. C. Lick, C. S. Lennox, F. S. Neil, T. W. Hutchison, G. R. Weber—and twenty-five other ranks killed, three officers and forty-two other ranks wounded.
It might be of interest to compare the two communiqués published shortly afterwards:
German—Strong enemy thrusts in the neighborhood of Avion easily repulsed39 with heavy casualties.
British—Early this morning our troops carried out a minor40 enterprise S.E. of Avion. The first objective was easily captured, but heavy fighting ensued at the railway embankment. After a severe struggle the whole of the German garrison41 was either killed or captured and all their dug-outs were destroyed—about fifty—sixty Ger[39]mans are reported to have been taken. Our total casualties are believed to be about the same as the number of German prisoners. The enemy’s losses were heavy.
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1
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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slag
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| n.熔渣，铁屑，矿渣；v.使变成熔渣，变熔渣 | |
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3
truncated
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| adj.切去顶端的，缩短了的，被删节的v.截面的( truncate的过去式和过去分词 )；截头的；缩短了的；截去顶端或末端 | |
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4
cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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5
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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6
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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9
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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10
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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11
mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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12
barricaded
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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13
formulated
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| v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
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14
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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15
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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16
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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17
barrage
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| n.火力网，弹幕 | |
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18
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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22
retaliation
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| n.报复，反击 | |
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23
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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28
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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30
refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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34
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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meander
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| n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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38
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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39
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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40
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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41
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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