Author: 22ndaif

The weather continued to be good and work remained plentiful, with digging of new trenches. It was during one of these digging parties that an accident happened. The body of a dead soldier was unearthed but the pick unfortunately penetrated the clothing containing a bomb, whereupon the pin was pulled out exploding the bomb killing Sgt Smith and wounding Lieut. Braithwaite, MC (photograph of the 22nd Battalion Gallipoli Sergeants with Sgt Smith sitting front row, far right. This photograph was taken just a week before Sgt Smith was killed). Later that day the Battalion replaced the 21^st Battalion in the firing line and commenced an eight-day tour of duty.

In preparation for the next phase of the German Spring Offensive Lieutenant-General Monash held his first conference with his divisional commanders to discuss the disposition of troops and artillery in order to negate the effective enemy barrage used in the battle-zone. Major-General Hobbs pointed out that for the first time all those present, generals and staff officers, were members of the Australian Imperial Force.

Major changes took place within the senior ranks of the Australian Corps. General Sir William Birdwood, commanding officer of the Australian Corps was given the command of the British Fifth Army, handing over the Corps to Australian born Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash (photograph right) who in turn at the AIF 3^rd Division was replaced by Major-General Sir John Gellibrand, commanding officer of the 13^th Brigade, and formerly of 6^th Brigade. Brigadier-General Sir Neville Smyth, VC, (AIF 2^nd Division) became commanding officer of the British 58^th & 59^th Divisions, and he was replaced by Major-General Sir Charles Rosenthal.

Operation Blucher-York, the Third Battle of the Aisne. At 1am a tremendous German bombardment fell on the whole of the Soissons-Reims front, including a crushing onslaught on the forward lines by trench mortars. The sector was partly held by five depleted British divisions – 8th, 19th (Western), 21st, 25th & 50th – which were ‘resting’ after their exertions earlier in the year. At 3.40am the Germans attacked in what was the third major campaign of the German Spring Offensive. By midday the Germans had reached the River Aisne – some five miles behind the Allied line. During the afternoon the second line between the Aisne and the Vesle Rivers was lost by both corps, and before nightfall the Germans were across the Vesle, beginning to outflank the French at Reims. The Germans in the centre had penetrated 12 miles, and by the third night as in 1914 the River Marne and then Paris (50 miles away) were becoming threatened. Petain and Clemenceau were convinced that the earlier attacks in the Spring Offensive were merely designed to draw French reserves away to help the British in the north, and now Paris was vulnerable. Or was it just another feint to draw French resources away and for the Germans to renew their attack on the British and drive them to the sea? Foch believed it was the latter and was cautious in withdrawing his reserves in the north to the Marne.

By dawn the whole position had been dug in and strongly held, and the 2^nd Pioneers had dug a communication trench from the Little Caterpillar to the new front line, 200 yards beyond Big Caterpillar. So successful was the whole operation and so important to High Command that on the following day General Birdwood visited Battalion HQ in the line to convey personally his thanks and appreciation. At about 11.30pm the Battalion was relieved in the front line by the 28^th Battalion and moved back to Franvillers. The Battalion Band played the victors home along the Amiens-Albert Road, and for some hours stragglers were still coming in guarding and dragging the captured trophies from the battlefield. Here in fine weather the Battalion stayed for 10 days re-organising and conducting fatigues, but as the German artillery was targeting the village the men had to dig-in in trenches on the outskirts. Most of the men were required each night for fatigue parties, while the trophies obtained during the attack dispatched back to the Australian War Museums.

Ville-sur-Ancre was essential to the German for the defence of Morlancourt and the battle to seize control was very much a 22^nd Battalion battle, as it was the only complete unit involved in the attack. Never before had the 22^nd Battalion attacked over so large a frontage (1,500 yards) with so few men, with 15 to 20 yards separating each man in the same wave on the JOT. Zero hour was set for 2am when an intense creeping barrage fell on the German line. The attackers followed so closely upon the barrage that they effectively surprised and captured the occupants of the enemy outpost line who were not able to put up much resistance. However in the ‘Big Caterpillar’ sunken lane the resistance was serious and heavy hand to hand fighting took place. By the time the sunken road had been reached the attackers had suffered heavy casualties. In front the defenders were numerous and capable of a strenuous resistance, plus the men were being sniped at from the rear. Sgt Ruthven seeing Capt. Hunter his company commander severely wounded and the seriousness of the situation took control as follows:

“As the leading wave approached its objective it was subjected to heavy fire from an enemy machine-gun at close range. Without hesitation he at once sprang out, threw a bomb which landed beside the post, and rushed the position, bayoneting one of the crew and capturing the gun. He then encountered some of the enemy coming out of a shelter. He wounded two, captured six others in the same position, and handed them over to an escort from the leading wave, which had now reached the objective. Sgt. Ruthven then reorganised the men in his vicinity and established a post in the second objective. Observing enemy movement in a sunken road nearby, he, without hesitation and armed only with a revolver, went over the open alone and rushed the position, shooting two enemy who refused to come out of their dug-outs. He then single-handed mopped up this post and captured the whole of the garrison, amounting in all to thirty-two, and kept them until assistance arrived to escort them back to our lines. During the remainder of the day this gallant non-commissioned officer set a splendid example of leadership, moving up and down his position under fire, supervising consolidation and encouraging his men. Throughout the whole operation he showed the most magnificent courage and determination, inspiring everyone by his fine fighting spirit, his remarkable courage, and his dashing action.”

For this action William ‘Rusty’ Ruthven (photograph right) was awarded the Victoria Cross (citation above), the first to be awarded to any member of the 6^th Brigade, and he would remain the only recipient for the 22^nd Battalion during the war.

The entire operation was a success. Over 200 prisoners were captured by the 22^nd Battalion alone during the battle, plus many machine-guns which ended up back in Australia at the AWM museum. However casualties amongst the Battalion’s 523 officers and other ranks that took part in the attack were heavy with 30 men killed or missing in action including 2^nd Lieut. Bowden, and of the 165 men wounded Major Dooley, MC, Capt. Hunter, Lieut. Southwell and Lieut. Bourke were all incapacitated from further service in France.

A German machine gun strong post was proving to be troublesome on the flank between the 18^th and 22^nd Battalions. Intelligence officer Lieut. Irvine of the 18^th Battalion suspecting that a night attack would be murderous came up with the plan to take the post in the middle of the day having witnessed most of his own troops garrisoning the front line posts napping during what were now hot sultry days. With 18 men Irvine first walked and then ran to the post without a shot being fired, capturing twenty-two prisoners and a light machine gun, without a casualty. Congratulations were received from above, especially from General Birdwood, with Lieut. Irvine receiving a Bar to the Military Cross.

Orders came down to Brig-Gen. Paton to prepare for an attack at Ville-sur-Ancre by his 6^th Brigade, an event that he himself been preparing since the 10^th May. His proposal was for a night attack between moonset and dawn in the small hours, pushing past both sides of the village. On the previous nights the 24^th and 22^nd Battalions had by ‘peaceful penetration’ been pushing forward gradually, stealing new bits of land on either side of the river. The chief burden of the attack would fall upon the brigade’s right battalion, the 22^nd Battalion who would have to capture in succession the two sunken roads known as the Little and Big Caterpillars which served the Germans for their front and main line defences. To their right and higher up the spur was the 18^th Battalion of the 5^th Brigade and advancing and protecting the left flank of the attack was the 21^st Battalion. The goal would be that by 4.45am the village of Ville would be enclosed on three sides. It was believed that the village was strongly garrisoned and there was no intention of fighting in it. To assist the 24^th Battalion in the attack, ready-prepared footbridges were made by the 6^th Field Company for the crossing of the river (photograph right).

In the early hours a raiding party from D Company attempted to attack a German strongpoint but were caught in a hail of machine gun bullets killing four of the raiders – Sgt Smeeton, Pte Atkins, Pte Arrow, Pte Lorrigan – and wounding others. Meanwhile word was now getting around that the Battalion was to be involved in a major stunt at Ville-sur-Ancre. As a preliminary the 22^nd Battalion along with the 24^th Battalion were relieved by the 21^st and 23^rd Battalions and went into support at Ribemont where the men bathed and rested.

The forward positions for both sides were a series of outposts and every night some portion of the AIF line was pushed forward through what became known behind the line as ‘peaceful penetration’. On the night of the 10th/11th May the posts of ‘C’ Company were pushed forward without opposition in front of Marrett Wood. The 22^nd Battalion took no small part in this novel warfare and the Australian Corps for nearly four months sustained, unaided, its offensive work while the rest of the British Army re-organised.

During the night a patrol of ten under Lieut. HHM Wall pushed out in the dark along the bottom of the spur south-west of Ville-sur-Ancre to the Little Caterpillar sunken road. On nearing the German post there, Wall dropped six of his men to cover him and crept ahead with the rest. As he lay watching at a point from which the German machine guns at the sunken road and  a listening post ahead of them could be made out, one of the men in the rear party coughed and shortly afterwards a patrol came out from the German lines in that direction. As it approached, Wall ordered it to halt and then as the Germans were clearly going to fight, fired. Two Germans were hit and a third captured, and the remainder ran off, chased with bombs. Wall brought back his three prisoners of the 357^th I.R., 199^th Division, without loss to his party. Lieut. Wall (photographed above, middle row, third from left, with other officers from the 6th Battalion) distinguished himself greatly in patrol work for which he was awarded the Military Cross.