No man's land
The division's attack on 1 July (the Battle of Gommecourt) was a costly failure. The artillery observers watched the infantry cross No man's land, clear the German front-line trench and take the initial objectives, but German artillery retaliation and counter-attacks were intense, no reinforcements could cross No man's Land and no further progress could be made. The wire-cutting guns were now tasked with long-range fire into the enemy's rear areas, but the guns were worn out after the long bombardment, many were out of action with broken buffer springs, and their fire was ineffective. The division was pushed back into the German front-line trench and lost very heavily. Afterwards, its commander criticised the plan, especially the long-drawn-out artillery preparation, which allowed the enemy to prepare their response.