1. The Battle of Hamel
4th
July 1918
by
John Earnshaw
To - Huddersfield Military History Society
19th
November 2014
2. THE AGGRESSIVE GERMAN SPRING 1918
OFFENSIVE, CREATED A BULGE IN THE
BRITISH LINE THAT ENCOMPASSED THE
FRENCH VILLAGE OF HAMEL, NEAR
AMIENS.
ON 4TH
APRIL AS A RESULT, ALLIED TROOPS
WERE EXPOSED TO GERMAN OBSERVERS
AND ENFILADING FIRE.
The Aggressive German Spring
1918 Offensive
5. IN JUNE 1918, THE ALLIES MADE PLANS TO
RETAKE HAMEL, A MOVE THAT WOULD
STRENGTHEN THEIR POSITION AND
IMPROVE THE ARTILLERY SITUATION
THAT ATTACK WOULD ALSO SHOWCASE
THE AUSTRALIAN CORPS AND THE
INNOVATIVE TACTICS OF ITS COMMANDER,
LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN MONASH
Plans to re-take Hamel
June 1918
6. APPALLED AT THE HORRIFIC CASUALTIES AND
'GHASTLY INEFFICIENCY' OF WORLD WAR I COMBAT,
MONASH, A 53-YEAR-OLD FORMER ENGINEER FROM
MELBOURNE, ADOPTED THE VIEW THAT THE
INFANTRY'S ROLE WAS 'NOT TO EXPEND ITSELF UPON
HEROIC PHYSICAL EFFORT,' BUT 'TO ADVANCE UNDER
THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE ARRAY OF MECHANICAL
RESOURCES, IN THE FORM OF GUNS, MACHINE GUNS,
TANKS, MORTARS, AND AEROPLANES…TO THE
APPOINTED GOAL.'
An advocate of the use of
combined arms operations –
tanks!
9. British Mark V Tank – 1917/18
The designation "Mark V" was switched to an improved
version of the Mark IV, equipped with the new systems. The
original design of the Mark IV was to be a large
improvement on the Mark III but had been scaled back to
be a mild improvement because of technical delays.
12. The Red Baron
Manfred von Richthofen was killed on April 21st
1918.
During combat, a single .303 bullet hit Richthofen. He
managed to land his Fokker Dr 1 safely but in Allied
held territory.
The bullet had done fatal damage to his heart and
lungs.
13. The End of The Red Baron
He died soon after Australian troops found him in
his aircraft. He was buried with full military honours
in the cemetery of the villages of Bertangles near
Ameins
14. American Troops Included
Monash had a reputation for devising unusual tactics
and planning operations in precise detail. The Hamel
action was to be no exception.
On June 21, he submitted his meticulously worked
out proposal for a dawn attack by elements of the
Australian Corps' 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th brigades
under the 4th Division's Maj. Gen. Ewan Sinclair-
McLaglan, to his superior, General Sir Henry
Rawlinson, commander of the British Fourth Army.
The operation also called for the use of some newly
arrived American troops.
15. Monash Requests 2,000 Men
Rawlinson approved it forthwith. He agreed that the
Americans — though not experienced — could boost
Monash's numbers and in carrying out his battle
plan, they could gain valuable experience alongside
the more seasoned Australian infantry, or 'Diggers.'
Monash immediately requested about 2,000 men.
16. Americans Welcome!
The American companies, each numbering about
250 troops, were welcome.
The Australian 42nd Battalion, 1,027 strong when it
landed in France in November 1916, had only 433
men in June 1918.
The 43rd, with 41 officers and 575 troops,
incorporated a platoon from the 131st Infantry's E
Company in each of its four companies.
17. Mutual Respect
Mutual respect quickly grew.
The Americans' commander had exhorted his troops,
saying, 'you're going into action with some mighty
celebrated troops guaranteed to win and you've got
to get up to their level and stay with them.'
The Yanks, in turn, soon impressed the Diggers with
their modesty and keenness to learn, as they
practiced with Lewis light machine guns and
grenades and began operating the Mark V tanks.
18. Billy Hughes Addressing Troops
On July 2, two days before the counteroffensive was
scheduled to begin, Monash arranged for the popular
Australian prime minister, Billy Hughes, to address
some troops from each brigade, taking care that
Hughes' visit would not disrupt preparations for the
coming show!
19. 2nd July 1918
Then Monash's planning had hit a serious snag!
During a visit to the U.S. II Corps headquarters, the
AEF commander, General John J. Pershing, learned
of the plan to commit American troops to the assault
on Hamel and advised General Read that they should
not participate.
The next day, he telephoned with 'further and
positive instructions…that our troops should be
withdrawn!'
20. 4 p.m. on the day before the Battle
Monash received an order from Rawlinson's
headquarters calling for the withdrawal of all
Americans. By 5 p.m., Monash had confronted his
commander and insisted that the remaining four
companies were essential.
Pershing's order came too late, he said, and unless
Rawlinson absolutely insisted that Pershing's order
to withdraw all Americans by 6:30 p.m. be carried
out, he intended to proceed as planned — using the
Americans. Monash's demand threatened to put
Rawlinson at loggerheads with the American
command. There could be serious consequences.
21. Rawlinson’s Concerns
'You don't realize what it means,' Rawlinson said.
'Do you want me to run the risk of being sent back to
England? Do you mean it is worth that?'
'Yes, I do,' replied Monash. 'It is more important to
keep the confidence of the Americans and
Australians in each other than to preserve even an
Army commander.'
22. Rawlinson’s Change of Heart
Rawlinson, knowing that Monash was a talented
officer, decided to back his corps commander if
Marshal Sir Douglas Haig did not countermand the
decision by 7 p.m. As it happened, Haig called just
before 7 p.m. and he turned out to be very helpful.
Citing the importance of the assault, he resolved the
matter, saying, 'The attack must be launched as
prepared, even if a few American detachments
cannot be got out before zero hour.'
23. Early to Bed
Monash, who had planned the opening action to
occur before daylight, went to bed early. In the early
morning hours of 4th July, his artillery commander,
Brigadier W.A. Coxen, saw him pacing the drive.
When the opening barrage thundered out, Monash
looked toward the front, then turned to his office.
Monash's plan called for capturing the town of
Hamel, the woods near Hamel and Vaire, and the
spur beyond, entailing an advance on a six-kilometer
front to a depth of about three kilometers in the
center, tapering to one kilometer in the south.
25. Strategy
The essence of Monash's combined operations
strategy, was to infiltrate his men and equipment
close enough under cover of darkness to use heavy
weaponry against the targeted areas, then employ
tanks as a cover for the advancing infantry. If the
artillery did its job, the infantry's task would devolve
into a mop-up operation.
Monash's plan also called for extensive use of
reconnaissance aircraft so that he could direct troop
movements quickly and effectively.
26. Top Intellegence Estimates Correct!
Monash's top intelligence officer had rightly
estimated Hamel's defenders at about 3,000 troops.
He assessed them as being for the most part of
indifferent quality and located in poor defensive
positions.
There were some exceptions, however, including
strongpoints at an installation called Pear Trench, in
the northern sector of the targeted area around
Hamel, and scattered areas where he expected
serious resistance in parts of the woods and in the
village.
28. Hot Meal the Night Before!
In the trenches, the 42nd Battalion enjoyed a hot
meal at about 11 p.m. as they listened to 144 Allied
aircraft dropping more than 1,100 bombs on Hamel
— an initial softening-up operation.
Meanwhile, cloaked by darkness and the noisy
uproar of the aircraft, the tanks began their three-
mile move from sheltered positions in woods and
orchards to their attack positions.
By 3 a.m., the troops — who hailed from Illinois and
every province of Australia — had been issued rum
and were in position, ready to attack.
30. Let the Battle Commence!
Harrassing artillery fire kicked in at 3:02 a.m. For
several weeks previously, Monash had ordered that
high explosives, smoke bombs and poison gas shells
be fired toward the target at about that time, a tactic
intended to condition the defenders to regularly
expect a barrage — and make them think that the
smoke masked the presence of gas.
This time, however, Monash purposely omitted the
gas, making it possible for his troops to move
forward safely under cover of smoke and noise.
31. Early in the Morning!
At 3:10 a.m., 313 heavy guns and 326 field artillery
pieces, joined by mortars and more than 100 Vickers
machine guns, produced a barrage worthy of the
4th of July, while the tanks gunned their engines
for the half-mile dash. A mix of 10 percent smoke, 40
percent high-explosive and 50 percent shrapnel
shells fell 200 yards ahead of the infantry, while
larger shells landed 400 yards farther ahead.
The infantrymen rose and moved forward. In four
minutes, the artillery adjusted its range 100 yards
farther ahead, and the infantry advanced in the wake
of the covering fire.
32. Things Not Always Went to Plan!
Captain Carroll M. Gale's C Company, accompanying
the Australian 42nd Battalion, followed the barrage,
advancing 100 yards every three minutes. His troops
came within 75 yards of the exploding shells without
sustaining any casualties, but other units were not so
fortunate. One squad from E Company and an
American section attached to the 15th Battalion lost
12 men killed and 30 wounded because shells fell
short of their target. The 15th then hung back while
survivors of Lieutenant R. Canaway's 43rd Battalion
moved between the barrage and those shells that
were falling short
34. Costly Moves!
Advancing into the barrage proved costly to some
other Americans as well. After their officers became
casualties, three platoons attached to the 13th
Battalion were guided to safer ground by Australian
NCOs.
When Sergeant F.J. Darke saw an American officer
wounded by the shelling, he took over his platoon
and turned it back from the barrage and Corporal
M.J. Roach was mortally wounded while extricating
another U.S. platoon from danger.
35. The 15th
Battalion
One such team, from the 15th Battalion, silenced an
enemy machine-gun post. Then the team's'second
member,' Private Harry Dalziel from Irvinebank,
Queensland, spotted another German machine-gun
nest as it opened fire. Dashing toward it, revolver in
hand, he killed or captured the gun's crew, allowing
the Australians in front of it to proceed with their
advance. Although the tip of Dalziel's trigger finger
had been shot off, he ignored an order to retire and
continued to serve his gunner until Pear Trench was
secured.
36. Private Harry Dalziel VC
When again ordered to report to the aid post, Dalziel
instead elected to bring up ammunition. While he was
doing so, a bullet smashed his skull. Miraculously, he did
not die. He was transferred to Britain for treatment and
later received the Victoria Cross from King George V.
37. Kidney Trench
During another firefight, this time in the woods,
German machine guns in the so-called Kidney
Trench killed the 16th Battalion's company
commander, his sergeant major and one of its Lewis
gunners, stalling the battalion's advance. From the
flank, Lance Cpl. Thomas Leslie 'Jack' Axford, a
former brewery worker from Kalgoorlie who
already had won the Military Medal, grenaded
and bayoneted 10 Germans, captured six of them,
tossed their machine guns out of their positions,
called the stalled platoon to come up and then
rejoined his own unit.
38. Lance Cpl. Thomas Leslie 'Jack'
Axford VC
Dugouts connected to Kidney Trench yielded 47 more
prisoners. Axford was later awarded the
Victoria Cross for his 'great initiative and magnificent
courage.'
39. Battle of Bullecourt Failure!
Six minutes after the operation was launched, the
tanks arrived, in accordance with the careful plan of
Monash and his tank commander, Maj. Gen. H.J.
Elles.
Unsupported by heavy artillery and bogged down in
mud and barbed wire, the tanks — intended to
provide cover for the infantry — had failed the
Aussies on April 11, 1917, at the Battle of Bullecourt.
40. Change of Plan after Bullecourt
There, at a village in the center of the Hindenberg
line, 10,000 Australians had been killed. With that
failure in mind, Monash revised the scenario for
Hamel and added some public relations.
Using prebattle demonstrations of tank operations,
intense rehearsals, joy rides and long persuasive
discussions, Monash generated enough of a rapport
between infantry and tank crews that many of the
British tanks sported Australian battalion colors and
names
42. Innovation in Tank Strategy at Hamel
The single most important innovation in tank
strategy at Hamel lay in placing the tanks under the
control of infantry commanders who could order
them to follow closely on the heels of their troops
and eliminate enemy strongpoints.
Tank commanders also had worries. They protested
that advancing so close behind the artillery barrage
could expose their 8-foot-8-inch-high vehicles to
overhead hits from friendly fire, but they accepted
Monash's order, which overruled their objections
44. Took and Held the Final Objective!
With combined air, artillery and tank attacks, the
42nd Battalion's assault in the northern flank had
met little resistance. Meanwhile, to its south, the 6th
Brigade's 21st and 23rd battalions smoothly followed
the barrage and the tanks.
The southernmost sector was more difficult — the
25th Battalion suffered 93 casualties. Two platoons
were cut down to only eight troops, but Sergeant
C.G. Ham led them to take and hold the final
objective, for which he was later awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM).
47. New Strategy!
The new strategy yielded many prisoners, starting
with the Germans' communication trench in Vaire
Wood. When one Digger took a prisoner using the
fractured French comment, 'Finis la guerre,' the
German stunned him by laughingly replying, 'Yes,
my — — oath' — a phrase that demonstrated how
well he had learned Australian English while
working in the West Australian gold fields before the
war.
49. The Tanks
When the advance resumed, the tanks came fully
into their own. Following their commander's dictum,
'It is the primary duty of the tanks to save casualties
to the Australian infantry,' they hugged the barrage,
destroying strong points with machine guns, canister
fire or their treads.
52. Communications
Success signals flowed to the rear by pigeon, lights,
rockets, telephone and radio. Signalers maintained
communications throughout the battle, while special
squads confused the enemy by contradicting any
German flare with the opposite color.
53. Air Power!
Monash's plan also added some new roles to the
AFC's repertory.
The two-seaters of No. 9 Squadron, Royal Air Force
(RAF), delivered nearly 120,000 rounds of small-
arms ammunition, dropping them by parachute from
boxes fitted under the wings to marked sites along
the line.
That innovation — inspired by a captured German
document — had been developed by Captain
Lawrence J. Wackett and Sergeant W. Nicholson and
his mechanics at No. 3 Squadron, AFC
54. Air Superiority!
Other aircraft strafed and bombed German
positions, and except for a half hour in the late
morning, the Allies maintained air superiority with
the loss of only two planes.
Lieutenants A.E. Grigson and H.B. James of No. 3
Squadron AFC shot down one enemy fighter that
tried to interfere with their work and drove another
down out of control.
Lieutenants D.F. Dimsey and F.J. Mart shot down a
Pfalz D.IIIa that was attacking another RE-8.
55. Willy Coppens
Willy Omer Francois Jean Coppens
6th July 1892 – 21st December 1986
Belgium's leading fighter ace and the champion of
World War I.
56. Willy Coppens – Awards & Medals
Officer of the Order of Leopold with Palm
Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Commander of the Order of Leopold II with swords (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 with 27 Palms and 13 Bronze Lions
(Belgium)
Military Cross 2nd class (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 with 2 Palms (France)
Commander of the Légion d'honneur (France)
Distinguished Service Order (United Kingdom)
Military Cross (United Kingdom)
Officer of the Order of the White Eagle with Swords (Serbia)
Grand Officer of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
Order of Nichan-Iftikhar (Tunisia)
Order of the Black Star (Dahomey)
57. Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)
Officer of the Order of St. Maurice
and St. Lazarus (Italy)
Knight of the Order of Virtuti
Militari (Poland)
Silver Medal for Military Valour
(Italy)
War Cross with Golden Cross in
Palm (Portugal)
Croce di Guerra 1914-1918 (Italy)
War Cross 1914-1918 (Poland)[citation
needed]
Yser Medal
Fire Cross 1914-1918
1914-1918 Commemorative War
Medal
Inter-Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918
Centenary of National Independence
Commemorative Medal
58.
59. Result
Taking and securing Hamel cost the Allies a total of 1,400
casualties, including 39 Americans killed and 196 wounded.
The Germans lost more than 2,000 men, including 43
officers and 1,562 enlisted men captured, together with two
anti-tank machine guns, a new .53-caliber anti-tank rifle,
32 trench mortars and 177 machine guns.
In addition, the Allies recovered 73,000 rounds of British
ammunition and boxes of grenades lost when the Germans
had first taken Hamel in April. On top of that, the Aussies
of the 21st Battalion enjoyed coffee that was mistakenly
dropped into their lines by a German airplane.
60. Americans Greatful
The Americans were grateful for the experience. Captain
Gale spoke for many of them when he said that 'more real
good was done…by this small operation with the
Australians than could have been accomplished in months
of training behind the lines.'
As for Pershing, in his memoir My Experiences in the
World War, he described the American participation at
Hamel as 'somewhat of a surprise,' and though the behavior
of our troops was splendid….Its [the battle's] immediate
effect was to cause me to make the instructions so positive
that nothing of the kind could occur again!'
61. Awards
Later, at Moulliens-au-Bois on 12th August 1918, Pershing
watched King George V award the DCM to Corporal Tom
Pope and two other doughboys for their valour at Hamel,
while four others got the Military Cross and 11 received the
Military Medal.
62. Pershing Presenting Awards
Later still, in Luxembourg on 22nd
April 1919,
Pershing himself would present Pope with the
Medal of Honour.
63. Armistice Day – 11th
November
After the War ended, my grandfather returned to
Bath, England where he married!
On 11th
day of the 11th
month in 1923, his wife gave
birth to their first child – a daughter (my mother) -
and she was called ‘Poppy’
