Author: 22ndaif

German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and went into exile in Amerongen, The Netherlands, bringing to an end 400 years of rule by the House of Hohenzollern.

The British Fourth, Third and First Armies with Debeney’s French Army on the right drove the Germans from their line between the Sambre and Scheldt. The artilleries of the Australian 3^rd and 4^th Divisions were employed with the British 1^st and 32^nd Divisions in IX Corps. Only the cavalry could now keep up with the retreating Germans. The following day the Australian artillery was withdrawn. Meanwhile the New Zealand Division attacked the fortress town of Le Quesnoy (photograph above right) gaining 10 kms, capturing 2,450 prisoners and 60 field guns which made the 4^th November 1918 it’s most successful on the Western Front. The New Zealanders were relieved for the last time in the front line the following day.

Turkey agreed to the terms of a separate armistice which was signed by the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs Rauf Bey and the British Admiral Somerset Arthur Gough-Calthorpe. It was signed on board HMS Agamemnon in Mudros Harbour on the Greek Island of Lemnos. Hostilities were to cease at noon on the following day. The armistice was followed by the occupation of Constantinople (Istanbul) and the subsequent partitioning of the Ottoman Empire.

Despite having said the war was lost a month earlier, in a sudden change of mind Ludendorff demanded to resume the war. Ordered to launch a final suicidal attack on the British Royal Navy, sailors of the German Navy mutinied at their port of Kiel. Ludendorff is replaced days later by Willhelm Groener

As a precondition for negotiations, President Wilson demanded the retreat of Germany from all occupied territories, the cessation of submarine activities and the Kaiser’s abdication. “If the Government of the United States must deal with the military masters and the monarchical autocrats of Germany now, or if it is likely to have to deal with them later in regard to the international obligations of the German Empire, it must demand not peace negotiations but surrender.”

Back in the rest area, General Hobbs who was commanding the Australian Corps in General Monash’s leave of absence was warned that the Corps would again be required. As Prime Minister Hughes had promised the divisions that they would have a long and unbroken rest British 4th Army General Rawlinson agreed to a two week delay.

During the early hours of the 6th October the 22^nd Battalion was relieved by the American 117^th Regiment, making it one of the very last AIF battalions to leave the front line on the Western Front. A few of the battalion stayed behind and were attached to the 117^th including Lieut-Col Wiltshire, Major Matthews, Sgt Speechley and Pte Hunt (5^th/22^nd), with both Sgt Speechley and Pte Hunt being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for their leadership in assisting the Americans take their objectives in the attack at Geneve towards Busigny on the 7th October.

Lieutenant-General Monash received orders from General Rawlinson to retain control of the battle front for one more day until relief by the American II Corps. The 22^nd and 23^rd Battalions remained in their positions guarding the right flank while the 21^st, 24^th and the 2^nd Pioneers, assisted by twelve tanks would attack and seize Montbrehain. For the Pioneers this would be the first time that they would attack as infantry. In front of the Pioneers the Germans had set up a line of machine guns manned by about 100 men along the railway embankment, but Lieut Wilkinson of the 6^th Machine Gun Company managed to outflank them, pouring fire into their positions killing or wounding dozens and the rest simply melted away. This action allowed the right of the line to reach its objectives without further trouble, though operations on the IX Corps front on the right had failed. On the left the 24^th Battalion had met strong opposition from posts in the hedges, houses and trenches on the western side of the village plus from the enemy barrage being directed into their positions. Company Sgt. Major Cumming was killed trying to lead a charge and then recently commissioned Lieut. Ingram along with Lieut Pollington (Military Cross) led a rushed attack from both flanks killing or capturing forty and taking six machine-guns. Lieut Ingram (photograph left) – Victoria Cross – then with the assistance of a tank captured 63 prisoners from one dugout before bursting into the back of a house where he rushed the cellar stairs capturing another thirty prisoners. The left company of the 24^th Battalion had been caught by heavy fire from the village, and its Company Commander Capt. Fletcher killed by a field gun firing at the tank which had come up to support the attack. As the two centre companies attacked through the village their progress was often impeded by French civilians emerging from houses and cellars gratefully greeting their liberators. By noon the northern edge of Montbrehain had been taken. To the north the British 25^th Division had captured Beaurevoir. Although taking its objectives including 400 prisoners, victory came at a high price with 30 officers and 400 men becoming casualties, a consequence of a limited attacking into a salient somewhat reminiscent of the costly attacks at Mouquet Farm two years previous. In this the last attack by the AIF on the Western Front ten officers and 110 other ranks had been killed, including some of the best leaders in the 6^th Brigade, and many of the best NCO’s that had served with the AIF.

By-passing the French and the British, US President Woodrow Wilson received a request from the German Government asking to begin peace discussions based upon the fourteen point plan outlined by Wilson back in January. Wilson responded with a list of demands including German withdrawal from all occupied lands and a complete cessation of U-boat attacks before peace negotiations could begin.

Before the 22^nd Battalion began its dawn attack at Beaurevoir, the 20^th Manchester’s of the British 7^th Brigade had first to secure a number of objectives requiring a wait of 25 minutes on the ‘JOT’ after the barrage had opened at 6.30am, which resulted in the area just to the rear receiving heavy shelling. The fight of the 4^th October was much more severe than that of the previous day. The objectives lay about Geneve, just beyond the road leading from the village to Montbrehain and to the right of Ponchaux. After advancing 1,000 yards the first objective was taken without much difficulty but the second was only captured after stiff opposition from machine-guns. It was not without still more costly fighting that the final objective was carried, the task made more difficult by heavy enemy fire from a factory just south of Geneve and the fact that the Manchester’s which had penetrated into Ponchaux were unable to hold the village from which machine-gun and rifle fire were now being received. The 22^nd Battalion’s left flank was thus exposed until secured by the left hand company. By 10am the Battalion had completely consolidated all its objectives but at a severe cost having lost twenty-two men killed in action, including 2^nd Lieut. Dawsett who had just re-joined from Officer Training Class with his commission, and sixty-five wounded in this the 22nd Battalion’s final fight. A large number of prisoners were taken along with twenty machine-guns. Thirty-two men from the 22^nd Battalion were awarded for their bravery and gallantry along with fourteen men from the previous days fighting of 3rd October.