Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

See also: First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux

Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux
Part of Operation Michael (German spring offensive)
1918 map showing vicinity of Villers-Bretonneux
Date 24–25 April 1918 Location Villers-Bretonneux, Northern France 49°52′03″N 2°31′15″E Result Allied victory
Belligerents
British Empire Australia United Kingdom France French Morocco French Madagascar French Foreign Legion	German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ferdinand Foch Douglas Haig Henry Rawlinson Harold Edward Elliott Thomas William Glasgow Talbot Hobbs	Erich Ludendorff Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria Georg von der Marwitz
Strength
Australian 13th, 14th and 15th Brigades 173rd Brigade of British 58th Division Remnants of British 8th Division Moroccan Division 3 Mark IV tanks (one male, two female) 7 Medium Mark A Whippet tanks	228th Infantry Division 4th Guards Infantry Division 13 A7V tanks
Casualties and losses
2,473 9,529 3,470	c. 10,400
Villers Bretonneux class=notpageimage| Villers-Bretonneux, a commune in the Somme department of northern France

The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux (also Actions of Villers-Bretonneux, after the First Battles of the Somme, 1918) took place from 24 to 27 April 1918, during the German spring offensive to the east of Amiens. It is notable for being the first occasion on which tanks fought against each other; it was the biggest and most successful tank action of the German army in the First World War.

Three German A7Vs engaged three British Mark IV tanks, two of which were female tanks armed only with machine-guns. The two Mark IV females were damaged and forced to withdraw but the male tank, armed with 6-pounder guns, hit and disabled the lead A7V, which was then abandoned by its crew. The Mark IV continued to fire on the two remaining German A7Vs, which withdrew. The "male" then advanced with the support of several Whippet light tanks which had arrived, until disabled by artillery fire and abandoned by the crew.

A counter-attack by two Australian brigades and a British brigade during the night of 24 April partly surrounded Villers-Bretonneux and on 25 April the town was recaptured. On 26 April, the role of the Moroccan division of the French army was crucial in pushing back German units. Australian, British and French troops had almost restored the original front line by 27 April.

Villers-Bretonneux - where Australian and British forces defended against a German invasion, as well as the follow-up attack only three weeks later. Villers-Bretonneux was a desirable point of advantage for both sides of the battle because it was less than 20km from the British transport hub, where if the Germans advanced, they could be overthrown by the infantry.

Battle

German 2nd Army attack

On 17/18 April, the Germans bombarded the area behind Villers-Bretonneux with mustard gas, causing 1,000 Australian casualties. On the evening of 23/24 April, an artillery barrage was fired, using mustard gas and high explosive rounds. Next morning, the Germans attacked the village with four divisions. The German infantry, with thirteen supporting A7V tanks, broke through the 8th Division, making a 3-mile (4.8 km) wide gap in the Allied line. Villers-Bretonneux fell to the Germans and the railway junction of Amiens became vulnerable to capture. After the Germans took Villers-Bretonneux, the first engagement between opposing tanks took place. Three British Mark IV tanks from No. 1 Section, A Company, 1st Battalion, Tank Corps had been dispatched to the Cachy switch line, at the first reports of German advance and were to hold it against the Germans. One was a "male" (the No. 1 Tank of the section) armed with two 6-pounder guns and machine guns, under the command of Lieutenant Frank Mitchell. It was crewed by only four of the normal crew of eight, as the others had been gassed. The other tanks were "females" armed with 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine-guns, for use against infantry. All were advancing when they encountered a German A7V, "Nixe" of Abteilung III Imperial German Tank Force, commanded by 2nd Lieutenant Wilhelm Biltz.

A7V tank at Roye, 21 March 1918

Mephisto, German tank now held in the Queensland Museum

Nixe fired on the two "females", damaging them to the extent that it left holes in the hull leaving the crew exposed. Both retreated; their machine guns were unable to penetrate the armour on the German tank. Mitchell's "male" Mark IV continued to fire at the A7V, while on the move to avoid German artillery fire and the gun of the German tank. The movement meant Mitchell's gunner had difficulty in aiming the 6-pounders. The tanks fired at each other on the move, until the Mark IV stopped to allow the gunner a clear shot and the gunner scored three hits (a total of six shell hits). Nixe heeled over on its side, possibly as a result of crossing an incline at the wrong angle. The surviving German crew (out of 18 men), including Biltz, alighted from the vehicle and the British fired at them as they fled on foot, killing nine.

The British tank was next faced by two more A7Vs, supported by infantry; Mitchell's tank fired several ranging shots at the German tanks and they retreated. Mitchell's tank continued to attack the German infantry, firing case-shot. Seven of the new British Whippet medium tanks arrived, attacked the Germans, encountered some battalions "forming up in the open" and killed many infantry with their machine-guns and by running them down. Mitchell later remarked that when they returned their tracks were covered with blood. Only four of the seven Whippets came back, the rest were destroyed by artillery and five crew were killed.

Being the last tank on the field and slow moving, the Mark IV became a target for German artillery and Mitchell ordered the tank back, manoeuvring to try to avoid the shells but a mortar round disabled the tracks. The crew left the tank, escaping to a British-held trench, much to the surprise of the troops in it. Leutnant Biltz and his crew re-boarded "Nixe" and attempted to return to their base, but had to abandon the vehicle again when the engines failed. Attempts by the Germans to recover it were unsuccessful, and it was blown up by a demolition crew during the night of April 23–24. Earlier in the day, another A7V, No 506 "Mephisto", became ditched in a crater and was abandoned by its crew. It was recovered by British and Australian troops some three months later, and is now held at the Queensland Museum.

Fourth Army counter-attack

A captured "female" Mark IV tank C14 in 1917

About noon the 1st Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters had attempted a counter-attack. The British 25th Brigade was considered for an attack but this was cancelled. A tank with troops from the 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment made a spontaneous attack from the north, pushing the German line back about 150 yards (140 m). General Henry Rawlinson had responded even before he received orders from Marshal Ferdinand Foch to recapture the town. At 9:30 a.m. he ordered an immediate counter-attack by the Australian 13th Brigade under Brigadier General Thomas William Glasgow and the 15th Brigade under Brigadier General H. E. "Pompey" Elliott, both in reserve, though the 13th Brigade had suffered many casualties at Dernancourt nearby. Rawlinson intended an enveloping attack, the 15th Brigade attacking north of the town and the 13th Brigade attacking to the south. British troops would support and the 2nd Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment and the 22nd Durham Light Infantry would follow through in the gap between the Australians and "mop up" the town, once it was isolated. Artillery support was available but since German positions were unknown and to avoid alerting the Germans, there was no preparatory barrage to soften up the German positions. Instead the artillery would bombard the town for the hour once the attack began and then move its line of fire back beyond the line held by the Allies before the German attack.

Meanwhile, the 14th Brigade held its positions to the north, and provided guides to the 15th Brigade. The attack took place on the night of 24/25 April, after a postponement from 8:00 p.m. Glasgow argued that it would still be light, with terrible consequences for his men and that the operation should start at 10:00 p.m. and "zero hour" was eventually set for 10:00 p.m. The operation began with German machine gun crews causing many Australian casualties. A number of charges against machine-gun posts helped the Australian advance; in particular, Lieutenant Clifford Sadlier of the 51st Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross, after attacking with hand-grenades. The two brigades swept around Villers-Bretonneux and the Germans retreated, for a while escaping the pocket along a railway cutting. The Australians eventually captured the German positions and pushed the German line back, leaving the German troops in Villers-Bretonneux surrounded. The British units attacked frontally and suffered many casualties. By 25 April, the town had been recaptured and handed back to the villagers. The battle was a great success for the Allies, who had defeated the German attempt to capture Amiens and recaptured Villers-Bretonneux while outnumbered; the village remained in Allied hands to the end of the war.

Role of the Moroccan Division

According to Romain Fathi, in New Directions in War and History, the role of the Moroccan Division at the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux has been neglected by Australian popular historians. On 26 April, the French Moroccan Division attacked south of the town and rescued the Australian 51st and 52nd Battalions.

The personal diaries of journalist Charles Bean and a later account of the battle by the commanding officer of the 52nd Battalion, Lt. Colonel J. L. Whitham describe myriad problems arising from this being the first time the Australians and French had fought together on the Western Front. In particular, with the way each defended newly occupied ground and in the manner that the French expected to undertake relief of the Australian line.

While costly, the attack of the Moroccan division was a success, pushing the line further east than Australian troops had due to the strong German resistance they had encountered. The Moroccan Division's contribution to Second Villers-Bretonneux was crucial to the success of the whole operation. For its engagement, the 8e régiment de marche de zouaves of the Moroccan division was awarded a Légion d’honneur by the French President with the following citation: "The year 1918 finds them ready, once again, for all acts of boldness and all sacrifices. On 26 April they attacked Villers-Bretonneux and blocked the road to Amiens".

Aftermath

Analysis

Villers-Bretonneux - where Australian and British forces defended against a German invasion, as well as the follow-up attack only three weeks later. Villers-Bretonneux was a desirable point of advantage for both sides of the battle because it was less than 20km from the city of Amiens, a major British transport hub, where if the Germans advanced, they could be overthrown by the infantry.

Casualties

The fighting around Villers-Bretonneux in April resulted in the following Allied casualties: the Australian brigades had taken 2,473 casualties, British casualties were 9,529 and French losses were c. 3,500. German losses were 8,000–10,400 men.

Memorial

Main article: Villers-Bretonneux Australian National Memorial

In the 1930s an impressively towering memorial was established at the top of the Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery to honour the Australian soldiers who fell in France in the Great War. The cemetery is located between Villers-Bretonneux and Fouilloy on the hill (belonging to the latter but overlooking the former) from which the famous night attack was launched. Some 10 miles (16 km) east of Amiens and north of the Roman road to St-Quentin, it rises gently to a plateau overlooking Amiens, the Somme valley and the town. The cemetery contains 2,000 graves, of which 779 are Australian. A further ten Australian casualties of the battle are buried in the Villers-Bretonneux Communal Cemetery. The smaller Crucifix Corner British Military Cemetery just east of the town, in the shadow of a motorway embankment, contains the graves of Australian, British and French metropolitan and colonial (Moroccan) troops, the former including many Australians who fell in the area in fighting, which moved further to the east only on 8 August 1918 (but from then on rapidly). The victory gained at Villers-Bretonneux on the third anniversary of the Gallipoli landings is yearly commemorated by Australians. In 2008, to mark the ninetieth anniversary, the Australian and New Zealand Anzac Day dawn service was held for the first time on the Fouilloy Hill, as well as the traditional one held on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

References

Books

• Baldwin, Hanson (1962). World War I: An Outline History. London: Hutchinson. OCLC 988365.
• Bean, C. E. W. (1995) [1941]. The Australian Imperial Force in France During the Main German Offensive, 1918. The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. V (8th ed.). Sydney: Angus and Robertson. OCLC 17648469.
• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1998). Where Australians Fought: The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles (1st ed.). St Leonards, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-611-2.
• Edmonds, J. E.; Davies, C. B.; Maxwell-Hyslop, R. G. B. (1995). Military Operations France and Belgium, 1918: March–April, Continuation of the German Offensives. History of the Great War Based on Official Documents. Vol. II (Imperial War Museum and Battery Press ed.). London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-89839-223-3.
• Fathi, Romain (2017). "They Attack Villers-Bretonneux and block the road to Amiens'. A French perspective on Second Villers-Bretonneux". In Tristan Moss; Thomas Richardson (eds.). New Directions in War and History. Newport: Big Sky Publishing. pp. 53–71.
• Foley, J. (1967). A7V Sturmpanzerwagen. Armour in Profile. Leatherhead: Profile Publications. OCLC 30441493.
• Grey, Jeffrey (2008). A Military History of Australia (3rd ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
• King, Jonathan (2011). Great Battles in Australian History. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74237-457-4.
• Laffin, John (1992). A Guide to Australian Battlefields of the Western Front 1916–1918. Kenthurst, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press and the Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0-86417-468-3.
• Messenger, C. R. M. (1988). Hitler's Gladiator: Life of SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer and General der Waffen-SS Sepp Dietrich. London: Brassey's. ISBN 0-08031-207-1.
• Stanley, P. (2010). Bad Characters: Sex, Crime, Murder and Mutiny in the Great War. Sydney: Murdoch Books. ISBN 978-1-74266-216-9.
• Williams-Ellis, A.; Williams-Ellis, C. (1919). The Tank Corps. New York: G. H. Doran. OCLC 317257337. Retrieved 3 October 2013.

Journals

• Chatwin, Dale (December 2019). "The Light Blue & White: the 52nd Battalion AIF at Dernancourt and Villers-Bretonneux, April 1918". Sabretache. LX (4). Garran, Australian Capital Territory: Military Historical Society of Australia: 47–54. ISSN 0048-8933.
• Morgan, Joseph (March 2014). "Voices from Gallipoli and the Western Front: The Forgotten 26th". Sabretache. LV (1). Garran, Australian Capital Territory: Military Historical Society of Australia: 17–27. ISSN 0048-8933.

Theses

• Smith, Matthew (2010). The Relationship Between Australians and the Overseas Graves of the First World War (PDF) (Masters). Brisbane, Queensland: Queensland University of Technology.

Further reading

• Ellis, A. D. (1920). The Story of the Fifth Australian Division, Being an Authoritative Account of the Division's Doings in Egypt, France and Belgium. London: Hodder and Stoughton. OCLC 464115474. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
• FitzSimons, Peter (2017). Victory at Villers-Bretonneux : why a French town will never forget the Anzacs. North Sydney, N.S.W. ISBN 978-1-925324-67-9. OCLC 993680220.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Fuller, J. F. C. (1920). Tanks in the Great War, 1914–1918. New York: E. P. Dutton. OCLC 559096645. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
• Richert, Dominik (2012). The Kaiser's Reluctant Conscript. My experiences in the War 1914–1918. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-78159-033-1. OCLC 827738687.

External links

• AWM, Villers-Brettoneux
• Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux ww1westernfront.gov.au
• Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux historyofwar.org
• Villers-Bretonneux, 24 April 1918
• Mitchell's account; excerpt from "Everyman at War" (1930), edited by C. B. Purdom.
• Multimedia Presentation of Villers-Bretonneux