page_title: Capture of Combles
section_title: British-French offensive preparations
hierarchical_section_title: Capture of Combles / Prelude / British-French offensive preparations
caption_attribution_description: English: Diagram French attacks 12 September south of Combles, Somme 1916
context_page_description: The Capture of Combles was a tactical incident that took place during the Battle of the Somme. Combles lies 30 mi north-east of Amiens and 10 mi east of Albert, on the D 20 Rancourt–Guillemont road, 8 mi south of Bapaume, in the Combles valley a hollow between outcrops of Bazentin Ridge, between Morval to the north, Ginchy to the north-west and Falfemont Farm to the west. North of the village the valley widens into a basin, which forks north-east around the Morval Spur. In late September 1914, military operations took place in the vicinity, when the II Bavarian Corps was engaged by French Territorial divisions in an encounter battle. The French divisions were forced back and the two divisions of the II Bavarian Corps, advanced westwards on the north side of the Somme, eventually being stopped around Maricourt, Montauban and Fricourt.
  Combles became a backwater until 1916, when it was used as a shelter for reserves, supplies and engineer stores and a staging area for reinforcements. Gallwitz Riegel the German third defensive position being built as the battle began, ran close behind the village.
context_section_description: The British conformed to the French preference for afternoon attacks, which meant that the final bombardment would take place in daylight. The British preferred dawn attacks to avoid the attacking infantry waiting for too long in the front-line, vulnerable to German counter-bombardment. Tank policy had been decided at a meeting on 19 September, where the vulnerability of tanks waiting in advanced positions from dawn to zero hour, led to a decision by the Fourth Army commander, General Henry Rawlinson to keep them in reserve, ready to advance if they were needed. The XIV Corps commander Major-General Rudolph Cavan put all four divisions of the corps in line, to give them narrower fronts, for an easier deployment of supporting infantry. The German defences on the flanks, were too close for an artillery bombardment, so the division substituted a Stokes mortar and machine-gun barrage, to begin at zero hour. At 5:50 a.m. on 24 September, the 1/9th Battalion London Regiment of the 169th Brigade, 56th Division, bombed down Combles Trench towards the French 73rd Regiment, as it attacked from the south-east towards the British but German reinforcements forced the bombers back to their start line.
  The 95th Brigade of the 5th Division held the right flank of a 2,000 yd (1,800 m) front from the north edge of Bouleaux Wood on the east slope of Ginchy–Telegraph Hill, on the left of the 56th Division which held the line in Bouleaux Wood. German posts had been dug on the near side of the valley and dug-outs in the light railway embankment were held by infantry and machine-guns. The 56th Division was to form a defensive flank facing south-east over Combles. During the night, two tanks allotted to the division moved forward to rendezvous in the quarry west of Leuze Wood. All three brigades of the division were in line, the 169th Brigade on the right between Combles and Leuze Wood, the 167th Brigade in the centre along Beef and Bully trenches and the 168th Brigade on the left in Middle Copse and in new trenches being dug ready to envelop Bouleaux Wood. The 1/4th London, the right-hand battalion of the 168th Brigade, was to clear the northern end of Bouleaux Wood and to establish a line of posts overlooking the ravine, while the London Scottish on the left continued the defensive flank in the direction of Morval.
  From 19–20 September, the pioneer battalion 1/5th Cheshire Regiment dug Gropi Trench, a connexion between Beef Trench and Middle Copse covered by the London Scottish who captured several German troops of II Battalion, Reserve Infantry Regiment 235, extended two trenches to the light railway and linked the copse to the Quadrilateral, which made a jumping-off line 900 yd (820 m) long facing Combles and Bouleaux Wood. At 4:30 p.m. on 24 September, the 4th Battalion of the London Regiment (Royal Fusiliers) marched from Casement Trench to assembly trenches in the Gropi–Ranger system and Middle Copse. The obliteration of landmarks confused some guides but Middle Copse was eventually reached. Gropi Trench gave good cover from snipers, who were active from the direction of Bouleaux Wood during the morning. From 15–16 September the weather was dry, then rain fell from 17–21 September, 22–25 September was dry and slight rain fell from 26–28 September.
caption: French attacks south of Combles, 12 September, Somme 1916
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