The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-15


II. f. l..
enter into the considerations which ac-
tuated me in deciding upon the plan, time
and place of my attack. AS mentioned
above, the main attack was carried out by
Units of the First army, supported by
troops of the Second army and the gem
eral reserve. The object of the main at
tack was to be the capture of the village
of Neuve Chapel and the enemy's posi-
ton at that point. and the establishment
of our line star forward as possible east
of that place.
THE object, nature and scope of the
attack and the instructions for the con-
duct of the operations We're communicated
by me to Sir Douglas Haig in a secret
memorandum dated February 10"
General French, after describing the
main typographical features and showing
how the Germans had established a strong
Lost with numerous machine guns among
the big houses. behind walls and in the
orchards which flanlxed approaches to the
village, proceeds:
The battle opened at 7:3O o'clock the
morning of March 10 by a powerful hom-
hardment of the enemy's position in
Neuve Chapel The artillery lombard
ment had been we'll prepared and was
most effective except on the extreme
northern portion of the front of attack.
AT sos o'clock the Twenty-third end
Twenty fifth brigades of the Eighth divi-
sion assaulted the German trenches on
the northwest of the village. At the same
hour the Carnival brigade of the Meerut
British India division, which occupied a
position south of Neuve Chapel. as
saulted the German trenches in its front.
The Carnival brigade and the Twenty
fifth brigade carried the enemy's lines of
entrenchment. where our shrapnel had
almost entirely swept away the wire en-
tanglements.
THE Twenty-third brigade, however. on
the northeast was held up BY wire en-
tanglements. At sos o'clock the artillery
was turned on Neuve Chapel, and at
S:35 o'clock the advance of the infantry
was continued. The Twenty-fifth and the
Carnival brigades pushed on eastward
and northeastward, respectively, and
gained footing in the village The
Twenty-third brigade was still held up
in front of the enemy's wire entangle-
ments and could not progress. Heavy
losses were suffered, especially in the
Middlesex regiment and the Scottish
Rifles.
THE progress. however, of the Twenty
fifth brigade into Neuve Chapel imme-
diately south of the Twenty-third brigade
turned the southern flank of the enemy s
N'eANiit'eo III iAObt VI tht Mtiity "a
brigade
This fact, combined with powerful ar.
tillery support enabled the Twenty third
brigade to get forward between 10 and II
a. m, and by IL O'Clock the whole of the
village of Neuve Chapel and the roads
leading northward and southwestward
from the eastern end OF that village were
IT. our hands,
During this time our artillery com
pletely cut off the village and surround
ing country from any German reinforce
ments. Steps were taken to consolidate
the positions won.
Considerable Delay
Considerable delay occurred after the
capture of the Neuve Chapel position.
The infantry was greatly disorganized by
the violent nature of the attack and by
its passage through the enemy's trenches
and the buildings of the village. 1t was
necessary to get the units to some extent
together before pushing on. The tele-
phonic communication being cut by the
enemys fire rendered communications
between the front and the rear difficult.
The fact of the left of the Twenty third
brigade having been held up had kept
Tack the Eighth division and had involved
a portion of the Twenty-fifth brigade in
fighting to the north, out of its proper
direction of advance. All this required
adjustment. An orchard held by the
enemy north of Neuve Chapel also
threatened the flank of an advance to-
ward the Aubers bridge.
Il am of the opinion that this de-
lay would not have occurred had the
clearly expressed order of the general
officer commanding the first army been
carefully observed.
Difficulties above enumerated might
have been overcome earlier in the day
if the general officer commanding the
fourth corps had been able to bring
his reserve brigades more speedily into
action. AS it was a further advance
did not commence before $3.50 p. m.
. he twenty-first brigade formed in the
open on the left without shot being
fired at it, thus showing that at the
time the enemy's resistance had been
paralyzed.
"The brigade pushed forward in the
direction of Moulin-du-Pietre At fire..
1t made good progress, but subsequent
~ was held up by machine gun fire
from houses and from a defended work
in the line of the German entrehcE-
ments opposite the right of the twen-
ty-second brigade.
Farther to the south the twenty
fourth brigade, which had been direct
ed on Pietre, similarly was held up by
machine guns. The twenty-fifth brl-
gade, on the right of the twenty fourth,
also was held up by machine guns froin
q bridge held by the Germans over the
River Les Layes.
Moved to Attack
while two brigades of the Mecrut
division were establishing themselves
on a new line the Dehra Dun brigade,
supported by the Jullunder brigade OF
the Lahore division, moved to the at
tack of the Bots du Biez. but We're
held up OH the line of the River Les
Layes by German post At the bridge
which enfiladed them and brought
them to a standstill.
"The defended bridge over the River
Les I4ayes and it's neighborhood imme-
eiately assumed considerable import
ance. While THO artillery fire was
brought to beaf as far as circum-
stances would permit on this point
Gen. Sir Douglas Haig directed the
first corps to dispatch one or more bat
talions of the first brigade In sup
rort of the troops attacking the bridge.
Three battalions were thus sent to
Richebourg st. Waist