page_title: Capture of Schwaben Redoubt
section_title: 28 September – 14 October
hierarchical_section_title: Capture of Schwaben Redoubt / Battle / 28 September – 14 October
caption_attribution_description: English: Diagram of the vicinity of Thiepval, September 1916 (Interweb search to identify draughtsman failed)
context_page_description: The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt was a tactical incident in the Battle of the Somme, 1916 during the First World War. The redoubt was a German strong point 500–600 yd long and 200 yd wide, built in stages since 1915, near the village of Thiepval and overlooking the River Ancre. It formed part of the German defensive system in the Somme sector of the Western Front during the First World War and consisting of a mass of machine-gun emplacements, trenches and dug-outs. The redoubt was defended by the 26th Reserve Division, from Swabia in south-west Germany, which had arrived in the area during the First Battle of Albert in 1914. Troops of the 36th Division captured the redoubt on 1 July 1916, until forced out by German artillery-fire and counter-attacks after dark.
  The British kept the area of the redoubt under bombardment until 3 September, when the 49th Division attacked the area from the west, in a morning fog. The 36th Division infantry got across no man's land but were defeated when German artillery and machine gun-fire swept the Irish troops as German infantry counter-attacked from the flanks, using hand grenades.
context_section_description: The area to the right (east) of Schwaben Redoubt was attacked by the 53rd Brigade of the 18th (Eastern) Division during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge (26–28 September). The 8th Suffolks captured Schwabengraben (Schwabian Trench) in a few minutes and after a ten-minute halt, advanced to Zollern Trench by 1:15 p.m., meeting troops of the 54th Brigade north of Thiepval. The advance towards the redoubt was stopped after 250 yd (230 m), by small arms fire from the front and flanks and the troops retired after dark. Attempts on the left to bomb forward during the evening also failed. The 54th Brigade was to capture the west end of Thiepval and advance about 0.5 mi (0.80 km) to Schwaben Redoubt. The battalion on the right captured the east end of Thiepval and the left hand battalion managed to get halfway through the west end of the village. A third battalion sent forward as a reinforcement, was severely bombarded by German artillery as it moved forward and the survivors dug in with the leading battalions, just ahead of the village on the right; the attack on Schwaben Redoubt was postponed.
  On 28 September, the 53rd Brigade formed up for the attack, on tapes facing north-west from Zollern Trench, the left-hand battalion to capture the redoubt. The advance began at 1:00 p.m. and easily captured Bulgar Trench. The Midway Line held out for longer but the area east of redoubt was approached by 2:30 p.m. On the left, the 7th Queen's advance on the redoubt, drifted to the left but managed to get into the southern face of the redoubt and take fifty prisoners. The battalion also managed to take the south-west corner, then attempted to attack to the north but was stopped and established a barricade. By 5:00 p.m., all of the south face had been captured and the troops were ordered to dig in. The capture of the south face of Schwaben Redoubt was observed by the crews of RFC contact patrols and artillery observation aircraft directed artillery-fire, which destroyed 16 gun pits, damaged fifteen and destroyed nine ammunition pits. Poor weather restricted flying on 29 September but the next day was bright and low-flying sorties discovered that most of the Schwaben Redoubt had been captured.
  On 29 September, the British positions in the redoubt had been consolidated and the 7th Queen's relieved. Next day, the 8th East Surrey was counter-attacked and forced out of the redoubt, until a bayonet attack restored the position but the west face was lost by the 7th West Kents. At 4:00 p.m., the East Surreys attacked the northern face and took the objective but the attack up the west face was repulsed. A German counter-attack from the west at 9:00 p.m., forced the defenders of the north face back to the Stuff Trench junction. The 55th Brigade in the Schwaben Redoubt, was attacked by II Battalion, IR 66 at 5:15 a.m. on 2 October, which gained a small area after a bombing fight had lasted all day. Both sides resumed bombing on 4 October, with no advantage gained by either side. Next day, the 8th Norfolks, tried a converging attack on the rest of the redoubt at 10:00 a.m., through deep mud which impeded movement and no ground was gained.
  In early October, the 39th Division took over from the 18th Division. Attacks by RIR 110 of the 28th Reserve Division, which had relieved the 26th Reserve Division, were made from 7–8 October. The German attacks were supported by Flammenwerfer detachments and repulsed by two 117th Brigade battalions. At 4:30 a.m., the 16th Sherwood Foresters made a surprise attack over ground, on the northern face beyond the crest, as the trenches had filled with mud but the Germans were waiting and repulsed the attack. On 14 October, the 4th/5th Black Watch, the 1st Cambridge and the 17th King's Royal Rifle Corps of the 117th Brigade, attacked the north side of the redoubt. The troops advanced over the open and captured the last part of the redoubt by 11:00 p.m., taking about 150 prisoners of II Battalion, RIR 110. Three German counter-attacks on 15 October, supported by Flammenwerfer detachments were defeated. A German attack on Schwaben
caption: Capture of Thiepval and advance on "Schwaben Redoubt", September–October 1916
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