es at
any point.

CHAPTER III

GERMAN COUNTERATTACKS

Throughout the week the Germans attempted repeatedly to retake the
positions that had been won from them by the French and British
troops. One of the most desperate attacks made was against the British
positions between the quarry and Guillemont. After a heavy preparatory
bombardment the Germans launched an attack that took them to the edge
of the British trenches, where a desperate hand-to-hand struggle was
made in which the Germans fought with stubbornness and determination,
but were finally repulsed with heavy losses.

The new French positions gained at Maurepas were violently attacked on
August 26, 1916, but the French artillery wrought terrible havoc among
the German troops, and they withdrew in disorder. In two days the
French took over 350 prisoners in this sector.

On the evening of August 26, 1916, the British captured several
hundred yards of German trenches north of Bazentin-le-Petit and pushed
forward some distance north of Ginchy.

After gaining a trench of 470 yards south of Thiepval and taking over
200 prisoners, the British on August 24, 1916, joined up with the
French forces on the right, where important progress was made around
Maurepas. Continued hard fighting on the eastern and northern edges of
the Delville Wood advanced the British lines several hundred yards on
each side of the Longueville-Flers road. These operations resulted in
the British capturing eight officers and about 200 of other ranks.

West of Ginchy two German companies attacked the British trenches and
were driven off by machine-gun fire. Bombardment of British positions
continued during the night. Two aeroplane raids carried out by the
British airmen damaged trains on the German line of communications.
Important military points were also bombed with some success, but in
encounters with German aircraft the British lost one machine.

The importance of the Thiepval sector to the Germans was demonstrated
in their constant efforts to regain the positions there that had been
captured by the British. A great number of guns were concentrated by
the Germans in this sector. The bombardment which preceded the attack
was of unusual violence, but owing to the intrepid spirit of the men
from Wiltshire and Worcestershire, who defended the positions, the
Germans were unable to reach the trenches and withdrew in disorder.
According to an eyewitness of this attack, the first wave