page_title: Action of 22 October 1917
section_title: German counter-attacks
hierarchical_section_title: Action of 22 October 1917 / Attack / French 1st Division / German counter-attacks
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Karte: Württembergische Divisionen (26. Res.-Div., 27. Inf.-Div., 204. Inf.-Div.) in der Dritten Flandernschlacht 1917
context_page_description: The Action of 22 October 1917 was an attack during the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War by the British Fifth Army and the French First Army against the German 4th Army. British attacks had been repulsed at Passchendaele by the 4th Army at the Battle of Poelcappelle and the First Battle of Passchendaele. While the British waited for another dry spell and the completion of plank roads up to the new front line, the Canadian Corps and fresh British divisions were transferred to Flanders by the British Expeditionary Force.
  The Fifth Army planned an attack to capture the rest of Polecappelle and to close up to Houthulst Forest, while the French 36ᵉʳ Corps d'Armée on the left attacked simultaneously. The plan was for the Fifth Army to provide a defensive flank for the Second Army and to keep pressure on the defenders. It was important to prevent the Germans from transferring troops from Flanders against the French during the Battle of La Malmaison on the Aisne and to stop local redeployments before the Canadian attack towards Passchendaele, due on 26 October.
context_section_description: After a lull from 2:00–4:30 p.m., German troops attacked on the left side of the 16th Cheshire and overran the British defences. The survivors of the three Cheshire companies and a company of the 15th Sherwood Foresters were almost surrounded, retreated about 100 yd (91 m) from Houthulst Forest but were then pushed back to the start line. The retirement uncovered the left flank of the party in Maréchal Farm, which formed a defensive flank along the road back to Colombo House, with the right flank ahead of the farm. As the left flank of the Cheshires moved back, the left side of the 17th Lancashire Fusiliers conformed at 6:00 p.m., moving back to the support line under the impression that they were being left exposed in a salient. The retirement of the 17th Lancashire Company did leave Z Company of the Cheshires beyond Maréchal Farm isolated and it withdrew to Colombo House; the 18th Lancashire prolonged the line closer to the huts on the right flank. After the German counter-attack and the confusion on the British right, only the 14th Gloucester on the left flank next to the French remained on the final objective, in this area, the German attack was caught in a British barrage and was repulsed.
  The 14th Gloucester refused its right flank (angled it backwards) to link with the 16th Cheshire and a party from the 15th Sherwood Foresters filled the gap. As the German counter-attack progressed, troops assembled opposite the 17th and 18th Lancashire, who called for an SOS bombardment; when the Germans attacked they were repulsed with many casualties. It became much harder to communicate with the rear because of German standing barrages behind the British front line and the methodical German bombardment of battalion headquarters. Units began to mingle, the attacking battalions began to tire and the weather deteriorated, which made movement even harder. Despite this, parties took tea and rum forward for the troops in the front line. The German counter-attacks ended and the 23rd Manchester was relieved by the 20th Lancashire Fusiliers. A battalion was sent forward to Koekuit and the attacking battalions of the 105th Brigade were also relieved, the line being held by the 15th Cheshire with the 15th Sherwood Foresters in support.
caption: German diagram of Württemberg division positions, October 1917
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