ds won on the night
of April 17, 1915, when they blew three big craters in the hill,
killing almost to a man all of the 150 Germans who were on the
little rise of ground. The Bedfords then dashed forward to the
three craters they had opened up and took a quarter of a mile of
the German trenches.

The Germans were apparently unprepared for the attack which followed
the explosion of the British mines, with the result that the British
had to overcome little resistance, and had ample opportunity to
prepare a defense from the bombardment that followed. The next
morning, April 18, 1915, the German infantry in close formation
advanced on the hill. This infantry was composed of Saxons, who
continued on for a bayonet charge in spite of the downpour of lead
that the British rained upon them. But the Bedfords had been reenforced
by the West Kents and about thirty motor machine guns. The machine
guns raked the charging Saxons in front, and shrapnel tore their
flank. Only their dead and dying remained on the hill; but the
German commanders continued to send their men against the British
there, who were subjected to a murderous cross-fire, the hill forming
a salient. As a result of their persistence the German troops managed
to get a foothold on the southern part of the hill by 6 p. m. In the
meantime a battalion of Highlanders and the Duke of Wellington's
regiment had been sent to reenforce the Bedfords and the West Kents.
The Highlanders made a desperate charge, using bayonets and hand
grenades on the Germans who had gained the southern edge of the
hill. The Germans were driven back.

The Duke of Wuerttemberg, the German commander, presumably believing
his troops had not only held what they had taken, but had advanced,
announced that another German victory had been gained in the capture
of Hill 60. Sir John French also sent out a message, but in his report
he set forth that Hill 60 was held by the British. Because there
had been similar conflict in official reports all too frequently,
it seemed as if a tacit agreement was made among the neutrals to
determine who was telling the truth. This resulted in making what
was a comparatively unimportant engagement one of the most celebrated
battles of the war. As soon as Duke Albrecht of Wuerttemberg discovered
his mistake he did what he could to make good his statement by
attempting to take Hill 60 without regard to sacrificing his men.
Sir John French was just as determined to hold the