Battle of the Ancre Heights The Battle of the Ancre Heights 1 October – 11 November 1916 , was the continuation of British attacks after the Battle of Thiepval Ridge from 26 – 28 September , by the Reserve Army ( renamed Fifth Army on 29 October ) from Courcelette near the Albert – Bapaume road , west to Thiepval on Bazentin Ridge . British possession of the heights would deprive the German First Army of observation towards Albert to the south - west and give the British observation north over the Ancre valley to the German positions around Beaumont Hamel , Serre and Beaucourt . The Reserve Army conducted large attacks on and . Many smaller attacks were made in the intervening periods , amid interruptions caused by frequent heavy rain , which turned the ground and roads into rivers of mud and grounded aircraft . German forces in footholds on the remaining part of the ridge at the east end of ( Regina Trench ) and in the uncaptured parts of ( Schwaben Redoubt ) to the north and Stuff Redoubt ( ) north - east of Thiepval , fought a costly defensive battle with numerous counter - attacks and attacks , which delayed the British capture of the heights for more than a month . Stuff Redoubt fell on 9 October and the last German position in Redoubt fell on 14 October , exposing the positions of the 28th Reserve Division in the Ancre valley , to British ground observation . A German retreat from the salient that had formed around St . Pierre Divion and Beaumont Hamel either side of the Ancre , was considered by " Generalquartiermeister " Erich Ludendorff and the new army group commander Field Marshal Rupprecht , Crown Prince of Bavaria and rejected , due to the lack of better defensive positions further back , in favour of counter - attacks desired by General Fritz von Below the First Army commander . General Max von Gallwitz the Second Army commander , noted in early October that so many of his units had been moved to the First Army north of the Somme , that he had only one fresh regiment in reserve . The German counter - attacks were defeated with great loss . By 21 October the British had managed to advance and the Germans had been able to retain their hold on the eastern part of ( Regina Trench ) . A French offensive at Verdun on 24 October forced the Germans to suspend the movement of troops to the Somme front . From British attacks were postponed due to more poor weather , before the capture of of the eastern end of Regina Trench by the 4th Canadian Division on 11 November . Fifth Army operations resumed in the Battle of the Ancre ( 13 – 18 November ) . Background . Tactical developments . At the end of September 1916 the Anglo - French armies had crossed the Péronne – Bapaume road around Bouchavesnes , taken Morval , Lesboeufs and Geuedecourt in the centre and captured most of Thiepval Ridge on the northern flank . On 29 September Sir Douglas Haig instructed the Fourth Army to plan operations to advance towards Bapaume , reaching Le Transloy on the right and Loupart Wood north of the Albert – Bapaume road on the left . The Reserve Army was to extend the attacks of the Fourth Army by making converging attacks on the Ancre valley , attacking northwards from Thiepval Ridge towards Loupart Wood – Irles – Miraumont and eastwards on the north bank of the Ancre , by attacking towards Puisieux on a front from Beaumont Hamel to Hébuterne , with the right flank meeting the attacks from the south at Miraumont , to envelop German troops in the upper Ancre valley . The Third Army was to provide a flank guard north of the Reserve Army , by occupying a spur south of Gommecourt . The Reserve Army operations were to begin by 12 October , after the Fourth Army had attacked towards Le Transloy and Beaulencourt and the French Sixth Army had attacked Sailly - Saillisel around 7 October . The French Tenth Army south of the Somme , was to attack on 10 October north of Chaulnes . Normal autumn weather in the Somme region would be an obstacle but an exceptional amount of rain and mist grounded aircraft and created vast mud fields , which caused many attacks to be postponed . Haig issued a much less ambitious directive on 7 October but the poor weather , German tactical changes and reinforcements on the Somme front , led to the costly failure of many attacks by both sides . After meeting with Rawlinson and Gough , Haig cancelled the Third Army operation on 17 October . The Reserve Army plan for a converging attack towards the Ancre , was limited to an attack up the valley on 23 October . The failure of the Fourth Army attack of 18 October caused another revision of the plan , with II Corps of the Reserve Army to capture the rest of Thiepval Ridge on 19 October , the Fourth and French Sixth Armies to attack on 23 October and the less ambitious Reserve Army attack to begin on 25 October . Gough issued a new operation order on 15 October and began another reorganisation on the north side of the Ancre . There was more heavy rain on 19 October , which led a delay of the II Corps operation until 21 October . The attack succeeded but the rains returned on 24 October and the main attack for 25 October was postponed . Gough was given discretion by Haig to make further postponements , on 27 October Gough set 1 November as the provisional date , postponed it again on 29 October to 5 November and on 3 November Haig gave Gough the choice of cancelling the attack ; Haig also suggested a subsidiary attack while waiting for the weather to improve , if the state of the ground justified the effort . Gough proposed an attack on 9 November but preferred to wait for better weather . Haig agreed that no attack should begin until the ground was dry enough for infantry to move freely , when there was a forecast of two days of fair weather and another postponement followed . In August the German armies on the Somme had been subjected to great strain . IX Reserve Corps had been " shattered " in the defence of Pozières , the 18th Reserve Division having lost . Ten fresh divisions had been brought into the Somme front and an extra division had been put into the line opposite the British . Movement behind the German front was made difficult by constant Anglo - French artillery - fire , which added to equipment shortages by delaying deliveries by rail and interrupting road maintenance . Damage , wear , defective ammunition , capture and destruction had caused guns and guns out of the two German armies to be out of action by the end of August . The artillery situation was only slowly improved by Gallwitz ' s plan to centralize counter - battery fire and use the reinforcements of aircraft to observe artillery fire , which had little effect on Allied air superiority but did eventually increase the accuracy and efficiency of bombardments . The Second Army had been starved of reinforcements in mid - August to replace exhausted divisions in the First Army and plans for a counter - stroke had been abandoned for lack of troops . The emergency in Russia caused by the Brusilov Offensive , the entry of Rumania into the war and French counter - attacks at Verdun put further strain on the German army . Falkenhayn was sacked from the supreme command ( ) on 28 August and replaced by Hindenburg and Ludendorff . The new supreme command ordered an end to attacks at Verdun and the despatch of troops from the area to Rumania and the Somme front . On 5 September proposals for a new shorter line to be built in France , were ordered from the commanders of the western armies , who met Hindenburg and Ludendorff at Cambrai on 8 September , where they announced that no reserves were available for offensive operations except those planned for Rumania . Ludendorff condemned the policy of holding ground regardless of its tactical value and advocated holding front - line positions with the minimum of troops and the recapture of lost positions by counter - attacks . On 15 September Rupprecht was ordered to prepare a rear defensive line and on 23 September work on the new ( Hindenburg Position ) was ordered to begin . On 21 September , after the battle of Flers – Courcelette ( 15 – 22 September ) , Hindenburg ordered that the Somme front was to have priority in the west for troops and supplies and by the end of the Battle of Morval ( 25 – 28 September ) Rupprecht had no reserves left on the Somme front . During September the Germans had sent another thirteen fresh divisions to the British sector and scraped up troops wherever they could be found . The German artillery had fired of field artillery shells and of heavy ammunition , yet the début of the tank , the defeat at Thiepval ( 26 – 28 September ) and the number of casualties ( September was the costliest month of the battle for the German armies ) had been severe blows to German morale . On 7 October Rupprecht had begun to anticipate a British attack north of the Ancre river in mid - October . Anxieties about the situation at Verdun also increased and on 19 October the despatch of reinforcements from Verdun to the Somme was suspended . Defeats inflicted by the French Tenth Army ( 10 – 21 October ) led to the sacking of Gallwitz ' s Second Army Chief of Staff , Bronsart von Schellendorf . Prelude . British offensive preparations . The front - line of the Reserve Army had not moved far since the beginning of the battle , except in the south near the Albert – Bapaume road and the ground behind the front - line was far less damaged than that behind the Fourth Army . When supply routes to the Fourth Army were washed out by rain in October , movement remained relatively easy in much of the Reserve Army area . Gough began to concentrate more troops north of the Ancre , for the attack intended for 12 October . In early October the north bank had been held by the 39th Division of V Corps , up to the boundary with the Third Army at Hébuterne . On 1 October the 2nd Division was moved in on the left of the 39th Division , to hold the ground from Redan Ridge to the army boundary . On 4 October the XIII Corps headquarters was brought out of reserve , to control of the front line , up to the junction with the Third Army and the left flank of the 2nd Division was relieved by the 51st Division . The 39th Division was transferred to the command of II Corps on 2 October and then took over the area immediately south of the Ancre on 5 October , by extending its right flank to relieve the 18th Division at Thiepval . By 7 October XIII Corps had the 51st and 19th Divisions in line and on 8 October , V Corps relieved the 2nd Division with the 3rd and 63rd divisions . Gough issued instructions for the attack on the north bank from and arranged for the 1st Cavalry Division and the 3rd Cavalry Division to move closer to the front line . The artillery of V Corps and XIII Corps steadily bombarded the German defences on the south bank , where II Corps operations against ( known as Regina Trench by the Canadians and Stuff Trench to the British ) continued and simulated an offensive on the north bank with artillery bombardments , wire - cutting and smoke screens . Patrols and raids were carried out on the north bank , although mud and thick fog made it hard to keep direction . On 31 October a patrol got into the German front - line near Hébuterne and found no Germans within . On the night of 2 November two V Corps patrols reached the German second line near Serre and a raid by the 31st Division of XIII Corps on 7 November took four prisoners . The 1st Cavalry Division , twelve batteries of siege artillery and three divisional artilleries from the Third Army was transferred to the Reserve Army and all in France were brought to Acheux . The constant postponements of the offensive , gave tank commanders time to study the ground but the deterioration of the surface made tank operations unlikely . Tunnelling began in October between Beaumont - Hamel and Serre , to repair Russian saps ( shallow trenches dug as tunnels , whose surfaces could be broken through , by crouching soldiers standing up ) and to plant a mine at Hawthorn Ridge under the crater made by the mine blown on 1 July . In the II Corps area south of the Ancre , the 25th Division had observation on its eastern flank over the Ancre valley around Grandcourt but the Germans had held on to the crest , from the northern face of Stuff Redoubt ( ) to the west end of the ridge . Preparations began for the capture of the rest of the redoubt and the higher ground just beyond , to gain observation over the rest of the Ancre valley . Assembly areas were prepared in Wood Post on the Authuille road and Blighty Valley and new communication trenches and deep dug - outs were built , before wet weather forced a postponement of the attack . British plan of attack . Operations north of the Ancre waited on the completion of the capture of the ridge north of Courcelette and Thiepval , by the Canadian Corps and II Corps . The remainder of Stuff and redoubts were to be captured and the front line was to be advanced to Regina Trench / Stuff Trench ( ) on the reverse slope of the ridge , the attack being set for 1 October . On 5 October Gough issued a " Memorandum on Attacks " which summarised the lessons of the battle . Gough pointed out that maintaining the momentum of an attack required that succeeding waves and reserves should not be kept waiting for opportunities to intervene in the battle , because communication delays left them with no time to act . Brigadiers should reorganise the troops holding successive objectives , since these troops became reserves once the advance had moved on . Brigadiers should move with the advance and divisional commanders should create reserves by reorganising their brigades . Headquarters should be placed where attacks could be seen , to keep in touch with events when communications broke down , a chronic problem whch was increased by distance from the front line . Telephone links in the rear were far easier to maintain but became less important once the infantry battle began . Corps headquarters also had the benefit of air observation and less need of direct communication with troops on the battlefield , since their main role was counter - battery artillery - fire , which was independent of the infantry battle . The attack was to be maintained by the use of reserves moving towards objectives laid down before the attack , so as to make them independent of messages from the front line , which were often delayed and out of date if they arrived . German defensive preparations . In the first fortnight of October the six German divisions from Le Transloy to the Ancre were replaced by seven divisions , two of which were quickly relieved in turn . By 20 October the changes ordered by the new supreme command had begun to take effect . A large number of guns had arrived on the Somme front , heavy batteries for the First Army and the Second Army ; batteries had been replaced . Systematic relief of tired divisions could be attempted , aircraft reinforcements were used to increase the amount of air observation for counter - battery fire , even more ammunition being fired in October than in September , which improved German infantry morale and slowed the advance of the Franco - British armies . Some of the changes were delayed in effect because of the French offensive at Verdun 24 October , which led to the suspension of transfers of troops to the Somme . The relief of divisions opposite the British was achieved between 24 October and 10 November , by using more divisions from the Sixth and Fourth armies . After the British capture of Regina / Stuff Trench of 21 October , an evacuation of the salient from St Pierre Divion to Beaumont Hamel was proposed by Rupprecht but not implemented , because of objections by Below , that the high ground still held gave valuable observation which would be lost and that the remaining defences were strong and well - placed . The German troops north of the Ancre were reinforced , despite a suggestion from Lossberg the First Army Chielf of Staff , to withdraw to the east of Lesboeufs . An attack was not expected east of Grandcourt , on the south side of the river and the success of a Second Army counter - attack against the French Sixth Army at La Maisonnette on 29 October increased German optimism that the battle of the Somme was almost over . In late September the Marine Infantry Brigade , which had an infantry strength equivalent to an army division and was composed of well - trained and rested troops of excellent quality , was moved from the Belgian coast and on 30 September relieved the 8th Division on the Ancre Heights in ( Stuff / Regina Trench ) , south of Grandcourt and Miraumont . Reserves could be sheltered nearby at ( Boom Ravine ) which was difficult for British artillery to bombard from the south because of the obstruction of the ridge . had been dug as a supply route to ( " Stuff " Redoubt ) and was on the reverse slope , which proved a considerable advantage against an attack from the south . In the long periods of poor visibility , artillery observation aircraft were grounded , which made British bombardments even more inaccurate but the Marine Brigade still had a stream of casualties caused by shell - fire . Nightly supply and frequent reliefs enabled the Marines to hold their positions . British harassing fire and raids continued until another big attack on 21 October . Battle . Reserve / Fifth Army . On 1 October the 2nd Canadian Division attacked Regina Trench at with two brigades either side of the Courcelette – Miraumont road , despite many British shells falling short onto their jumping - off line . On the extreme right the 4th Canadian Brigade dug in forward and connected on the right with the 23rd Division north of Destremont Farm . Three 5th Canadian Brigade battalions attacked on a front west of the road , the right hand battalion of which was caught by artillery and machine - gun fire , half way to Regina Trench . Hardly any troops reached the objective , where the wire was seen to be uncut and who were then forced to retreat . The centre battalion reached Kenora Trench but was not able to advance much further to Regina Trench beyond , due to German machine - gun fire . The left battalion advanced at first , until the 3rd Canadian Division battalion of the 8th Canadian Brigade to its left , was driven back by a German counter - attack and German bombers made their way down Regina Trench . By nightfall the 5th Canadian Brigade held most of Kenora Trench , with outposts in the western of the two Courcelette – Miraumont roads and Courcelette Trench , running north parallel to the eastern Courcelette – Miraumont road , before being relieved by the 6th Brigade before dawn . On the left a brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division was stopped by German artillery , uncut wire and machine - gun fire before reaching Regina Trench , where it conducted a bombing fight before withdrawing at A resumption of the attack was delayed by bad weather until 8 October . In the II Corps area west of the Canadian Corps , the 25th Division relieved the 11th Division on 1 October and began consoldation of the new front line in rain and mud , while waiting for an improvement in the weather to attack the rest of Stuff Redoubt . A brigade of the 18th Division continued the fight for Redoubt on 2 October , when the Germans began a big counter - attack at from the east end of the redoubt , to the old front line south of St . Pierre Divion . After fighting all day the Germans gained a small amount of ground . At next morning a British battalion attempted to bomb their way into Redoubt from two directions but bogged in deep mud . The 18th Division was relieved by the 39th Division on 7 October , which was then attacked in the British part of Redoubt by German troops and a flamethrower detachment , which was repulsed by two battalions of 117th Brigade . The Canadians connected their advanced posts along a line about from Regina Trench and began to send scouting parties forward each day , who reported that the wire in front of the trench was being cut but that the Germans were putting out " concertina " wire to fill the gaps . The 1st Canadian Division attacked on 8 October at in cold rain . The 1st Brigade on the right with two battalions , took the front trench of the Le Sars line from Dyke Road to beyond the Quadrilateral , then repulsed a counter - attack with artillery - fire . As the Canadians reorganised before resuming the attack on the Quadrilateral , a heavy German bombardment fell in the area and a counter - attack began from two directions . After hours of costly fighting the Canadians withdrew to their jumping - off trenches , when they ran out of bombs having had out of and taken . After night fell a trench was dug on the right to link with the 23rd Division . The right - hand battalion of the 3rd Brigade was delayed by uncut wire but forced its way through and took part of Regina Trench on its right flank . The left - hand battalion was stopped in front of the trench with many casualties and the brigade withdrew at nightfall . A few troops of the right - flank battalion of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Canadian Division , got into Regina Trench , through some German sally - ports but were overwhelmed . The left - hand battalion reached Regina Trench where it met Courcelette Trench but was then forced back . Part of the 7th Brigade reached Regina Trench and began to bomb westwards and also worked its way up West Miraumont Road but was eventually forced back by German counter - attacks . The left hand battalion was obstructed by new German barbed wire covered by machine - guns and was not able to advance up Kenora Trench . Relief of the Canadian Corps began on 10 October . In a II Corps operation on 9 October , a battalion of the 39th Division attempted a surprise attack on the northern face of Redoubt at but the German defenders were ready for them . Some troops on the right managed to reach the trench but were then forced out . At a battalion of the 25th Division attacked Stuff Redoubt , with the support of an " intense " barrage and by captured the objective and pushed advanced posts forward to the north - east , although the high ground to the north could not be captured . Two counter - attacks in the evening were defeated by artillery and machine - gun fire . The 7th Brigade of the 25th Division began to prepare another attack on 10 October to take " The Mounds " not captured the day before . Next day , German counter - attacks were made at Stuff Redoubt against the 25th Division and continued on 12 October , including two supported by a flame - thrower detachment , which were repulsed . 13 October was quiet and on 14 October the 25th Division attacked " The Mounds " , with the 7th Brigade . Six minutes before the attack began at , a German barrage began on the British line but the attackers advanced to the objective behind a dense creeping barrage . Prisoners later said that the assembly for the attack had been seen but that the officer in command had ordered the German artillery to cease fire , just as the British attack began . Possession of The Mounds gave observation over Grandcourt and observation posts were pushed forward over the ridge . Work began on the extension of communication trenches soon after the attack , to be ready for another advance planned for 19 October . The 39th Division attacked Redoubt at with two battalions of the 118th Brigade and one from the 117th Brigade in support and captured the remaining German positions in the redoubt , in fighting which went on until , as a third 118th Brigade battalion pushed forward on the left . Next day the Germans counter - attacked the redoubt three times , two of the attacks using flame - throwers . On 16 October the 116th Brigade moved from the north bank of the Ancre and took over the redoubt , which was shelled all through 17 October . An attack by II Corps intended for 19 October was postponed because of heavy rain . On 21 October a German attack at occupied parts of Redoubt , before being forced out by bombing attacks from two battalions of the 39th Division . The British attack delayed from 19 October began with the 4th Canadian Division on the right and the 18th , 25th and 39th divisions in line to the left , on a front . The fire of guns and howitzers and the field artilleries of seven divisions , was found to have severely damaged Stuff / Regina Trench and cut most of the wire . The 4th Canadian Division attacked Regina Trench ( the east end of ) at with the 11th Brigade , supported by an overhead machine - gun barrage and took Regina Trench . East of the Courcelette – Pys road a defensive flank was formed , with outposts pushed forward from Regina Trench and the left - hand battalion linked with troops from the 18th Division . Three German counter - attacks were defeated during the afternoon . Two battalions from the 53rd Brigade of the 18th Division attacked and reached their objectives in Stuff Trench despite a delay at the Courcelette – Grandcourt road , where troops from the 25th Division joined in a bombing fight , against troops from a unit . As the objective was being consolidated twelve Germans arrived , unaware that had been occupied and were taken prisoner . The 25th Division attacked with three battalions of the 74th Brigade on the right and with three battalions and an attached company of the 75th Brigade on the left . Standing artillery barrages were placed on all known German trenches , strong - points and machine - gun nests and the creeping barrage was fired by three divisional artilleries . The advance began at in three waves and reached Stuff Trench ( ) where the German defenders inflicted many casualties on the 74th Brigade before being overwhelmed . Some of the attackers advanced too far and the 75th Brigade on the left reached Stuff Trench with no troops on their right . At a contact aircraft reported a gap of between the brigades , which was closed by bombing parties and the Stokes mortar battery of the 75th Brigade attacking eastwards . The attack took thirty minutes and was only stopped by the British protective barrage . At Stump Road a short bombing fight took place to capture German dug - outs along the road , , and three field guns being captured . Touch was gained with the neighbouring divisions by and a communication trench was dug just after dark . Later in the day the 116th Brigade of the 39th Division attacked and captured Stuff Trench ( ) while troops from the 117th Brigade attacked Pope ' s Nose and gained some ground . Observation beyond the objective was found to be unstisfactory because of the convex slope . During the night of 22 October , the 19th Division relieved the 25th Division and part of the 39th Division sector and the 18th Division moved its left boundary to the Pozieres – Miraumont road . Prisoners were still being found and by the end of the day been taken . Next day a battalion of the 4th Canadian Division tried to advance along Regina Trench towards Farmer Road but were stopped by flanking machine - gun fire and a German artillery bombardment . On 26 October , the 19th Division drove off a German attack on Stuff Redoubt at . On 28 October the Special Brigade R . E . fired " sk " ( lachrymatory ) 4 - inch Stokes mortar bombs into Beaumont Hamel , phosgene bombs into the village and Y Ravine nearby and thirty White Star ( 50 % chlorine - 50 % phosgene ) mortar bombs into Serre . Vigorous raiding and patrolling began on the north bank of the Ancre . On 29 October the 39th Division took more ground at Pope ' s Nose , before bad weather stopped operations in II Corps on the south bank , until the night of 10 / 11 November . A patrol from troops of XIII Corps on the north bank entered the German front - line near Hébuterne on 31 October and found it empty and a raid by the 30th Division killed on 7 November . Mud prevented movement on 9 and 10 November and in II Corps another gas bombardment on Beaumont Hamel took place on 11 November . bombs were fired from 4 - inch Stokes mortars at and at drums were fired into the village and fired at Y Ravine . At midnight two 10th Brigade battalions and a company from an 11th Brigade battalion of the 4th Canadian Division , attacked the east end of Regina Trench and established advanced posts to the north - east , close to the German positions of the Le Sars – Pys line , before defeating several counter - attacks . The Battle of the Ancre began on 13 November with more attacks by II Corps on the south bank , combined with attacks from V Corps and XIII Corps on the north bank . Air operations . In October the Germans concentrated more than on the Somme front , including the new Albatros D . II and Albatros D . III , which were superior to the best British and French machines . The deployment of two of the new " Jagdstaffeln " ( fighter wings ) , challenged the air superiority of the Anglo - French air services . On 5 October a dogfight of over north of Bapaume was watched by German troops until the British aircraft withdrew . The troops who had spent periods on the Somme front earlier in the battle , were much encouraged by the sight of German aircraft challenging Allied aircraft , which continued during the infrequent periods of good flying weather in October . British reinforcements also reached the Somme front between August and October , three being new squadrons from England and five from the Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) brigades further north , being replaced by four more new squadrons from England . The two squadrons of Royal Aircraft Factory B . E . 12 ' s were withdrawn from fighter operations when they became badly outclassed and many squadrons on the Somme were tired and had lost many crews . Pressure was put on the Admiralty to send Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS ) aircraft down from Dunkirk and Naval Squadron No . 8 ( Naval 8 ) arrived at Vert Galand on 26 October . In the morning of 1 October two III Brigade squadrons attacked the railway station at Miraumont with bombs , which caused fires to burn all afternoon and aircraft from 19 Squadron attacked German billets at Havrincourt . During the Canadian attack that afternoon , British artillery observation aircraft sent calls to the artillery to fire on German artillery batteries and sent by balloon observers . Rain fell all next day , grounding British aircraft ; a formation of German aircraft surprised the British by appearing over the front - line , where one was shot down by anti - aircraft fire . Very little air activity took place until 10 October when the rain abated . Aircraft from both sides flew many sortie s and several British aircraft were shot down , all by Boelcke ' s " Jasta 2 " . An offensive patrol attacked seven German aircraft over Vélu and drove them off , despite the superior speed and manoeuvrability of the German aircraft , one aircraft from each side being shot down , along with three more from each side lost near Morval and Pozierès . British aircraft attacked Douai aerodrome and the railway stations at Cambrai , Marcoing and Vitry overnight . More bad weather restricted flying until 16 October , when British and German bombers began operations before dawn . Cambrai was bombed again and the Germans attacked the aerodrome of 9 Squadron , wounding two ground - crew , destroying one aircraft and damaging another . In the afternoon the British attacked Havrincourt , the station and aerodrome at Hermies and then Ruyaulcourt , two British aircraft being shot down . British corps aircraft were frequently attacked by German fighters , one being shot down and another damaged and four German and one British aircraft were shot down , in fights with British offensive patrols . The better weather continued on 17 October and a supply dump was blown up at Bapaume station . A reconnaissance by Third Army aircraft at the north end of the Somme front , met twenty German fighters and two aircraft were shot down by each side . A British aircraft was driven down by German fighters and two German aircraft were forced down by 24 Squadron near Vélu ; rain and sleet then stopped flying for two days . On 20 October , aircraft of 11 Squadron on photographic reconnaissance near Douai , were attacked by , which shot down two aircraft and damaged two more . Nine aircraft of 27 Squadron made a long - range attack on Aulnoye junction near Maubeuge , for no loss and 70 Squadron aircraft which photographed Valenciennes and Le Quesnoy returned . Thirty - three German aircraft crossed the British front line and made many attacks on British aircraft ; three German aircraft were shot down and seventeen claimed damaged . German night bombers attacked Querrieu , Corbie and Longueau , where an ammunition waggon was blown up ; British aircraft attacked Vélu and Péronne . After the German morning attack on ( Schwaben Redoubt ) on 21 October , the British attack planned for the afternoon followed up the German repulse , with the assistance of contact patrols from two squadrons , which in good visibility directed artillery - fire and destroyed ten gun - pits , damaged fourteen and blew up seven ammunition pits . Zone calls from British aircraft silenced many German guns , including nine German batteries firing on the Canadian troops attacking Regina Trench . Long - range bombers attacked an ammunition dump at Ath ( near Mons ) which had been reported by a French spy . An aircraft bombed from and set fire to the dump , before the formation returned safely . Quéant station was bombed by thirty more aircraft and escorts , which were intercepted over the target and one bomber shot down . An escort flying a Nieuport 17 turned back after the bombers reached British lines and was forced down in a dogfight with a faster German aircraft . On other parts of the Somme front two German aircraft were shot down , three damaged and ten driven down . On 22 October there were many sorties by German flyers . Six aircraft attacked a Sopwith 1½ Strutter of 45 Squadron and wounded the observer , who shot one down . Later in the day , three 45 Squadron aircraft were shot down and an F . E . 2b shot down one aircraft and damaged another , before the observer was mortally wounded ; four British aircraft were shot down beyond German lines . During 23 October two Reserve Army artillery observation aeroplanes were shot down by . On 26 October , despite poor weather both sides flew many sorties ; a fight between five Airco DH . 2 ' s of 24 Squadron and twenty Halberstadt D . II ' s was indecisive but later in the day a formation of eight aircraft led by Boelcke , shot down one British observation aircraft , forced down two more and a British fighter which intervened . One German fighter was then shot down when a formation of British fighters from 32 Squadron turned up . Boelcke was killed on 28 October , when he collided with a German aircraft during an attack on two British fighters , which returned safely . For the rest of the battle of the Somme , both sides flew in rain , mist , sleet and westerly gales , often at dangerously low heights , to direct artillery and attack troops with guns and bombs . 3 November was a clear day and German aircraft shot down five British aircraft . On the night of 6 November German night bombers hit an ammunition train near Cerisy , which exploded next to a cage for German prisoners of war and devastated the area . Better weather came on 8 November and many German aircraft made ground attacks on British troops , a tactic which the " Luftstreitkräfte " began to incorporate systematically into its defensive operations . The British attempted to divert German attention next day , with bombing raids on Arleux and Vraucourt . The raid on Vraucourt by twelve bombers and fourteen escorts , became the biggest air fight of the war , when approximately thirty German aircraft attacked the formation as it crossed the front lines . Most of the bombs were dropped over the target but six British aircraft were shot down and three German aircraft were claimed . Three more British aircraft were shot down later in the day ; one pilot was killed , one wounded and an observer were wounded in aircraft which returned . The railway station at Vitry and German airfields at Buissy , Vélu and Villers were attacked after dark , while German night bombers attacked the airfield at Lavieville . The British attacked Valenciennes aerodrome next morning , where five parked aircraft , hangars and sheds were bombed . Next day , German air operations were less extensive ; three aircraft were shot down and three damaged for the loss of one British aeroplane . " Naval 8 " drove down two German aircraft on 10 November and overnight 18 Squadron retaliated for the attack on their airfield at Lavieville by bombing Valenciennes , Vélu , transport on the Bapaume road , balloon sheds , a train near St . Léger and a second train which was set on fire ; a German headquarters at Havrincourt Château and Douai aerodrome were also attacked . German bombers attacked Amiens station and returned on the night of 10 / 11 November , when one aircraft was forced down with engine - trouble and the crew captured . On 11 November operations began for the Battle of the Ancre , the last British attack of the Battle of the Somme , before the offensive was stopped for the winter . German First Army . On 30 September the Marine Brigade moved up through ( Boom Ravine ) and relieved the 8th Division on the right of the 4th Division , in ( Stuff / Regina Trench ) , which they found to have disappeared due to the effect of the British artillery bombardments . On 1 October the British artillery bombardment increased in intensity to " drumfire " , while the German artillery stayed silent because of a shortage of ammunition , being limited to firing only when the British infantry attack began . British aircraft flew overhead at observing for the artillery , strafing the ground when they saw movement and throwing hand - grenades . At about the British artillery lifted towards and Miraumont . The German defenders of the 8th Division saw waves of Canadian infantry advancing , while the division was being relieved by the Marine Brigade and fired rockets to alert the German artillery , which opened fire immediately . Numerous counter - attacks by battalions of the 1st and 2nd Marine Regiments eventually forced the Canadians to withdraw , before attempting to attack again by dribbling forward from shell - hole to shell - hole . The Canadian attacks ceased at nightfall , having been costly to both sides . On 2 October parts of the 66th and 170th regiments of the 52nd Division , attached to the 26th Reserve Division , attacked at the east end of ( Redoubt ) and the German lines further east and gained a small amount of ground . On 7 October the 110th Reserve Regiment of the 28th Reserve Division , which was relieving the 26th Reserve Division , began attacks on assisted by " Flammenwerfer " detachments , which continued on 8 October . Another British attack on 7 October captured parts of before the 2nd Marine Regiment and part of the 1st Marine Regiment repulsed the attack , with many casualties on both sides . fell on 9 October and counter - attacks by the 111th Reserve Regiment from were defeated . A British attempt at a surprise attack on was repulsed and the last part of the was lost on 14 October , which left the 28th Reserve Division positions in the Ancre valley , under British ground observation and the ground around St . Pierre Divion and Beaumont Hamel in a salient . A hasty counter - attack collapsed into chaos on the night of 14 / 15 October , despite the participation of Stormtroops ( ) and detachments . A company refused to attack for fear of being hit by German artillery and when a second attack was ordered another company refused to attack . On 21 October was lost except for the east end of the trench and the 5th Division , which had relieved the Marine Brigade on was pushed back for . By 22 October the British had captured from the 28th Reserve and 5th divisions , which were relieved in turn by the 38th Division and the 58th Division , which counter - attacked and the lines to the east on 26 October . The attack failed with many casualties in the 107th Regiment of the 58th Division and the 2nd Guard Reserve Regiment of the 1st Guard Reserve Division further east . Divisions which had already fought on the Somme and were being sent for a second time , found that their fighting power had been seriously eroded . French operations . The French Sixth Army operations to outflank Péronne from the north continued in October and the British Fourth Army co - operated with the Sixth Army in the Battle of Le Transloy ( 1 October – 5 November ) . Waterlogged ground of the Somme valley obstructed progress further south but XXXIII Corps which operated on both sides of the Somme , attacked on the south bank on 18 October , to counter German mining and improve the line from La Maisonnette to Biaches , although a German counter - attack on 21 October regained some ground . On 29 October XXXIII Corps was pushed out of La Maisonnette , at the end of the salient south - east of Biaches . A French attempt to retake the village was delayed and eventually cancelled . The Tenth Army attacked from 10 – 21 October and captured woods near Chaulnes . The line was advanced towards Pressoir , Ablaincourt and Fresnes on a front from Chaulnes to to the north - east . More attacks by the Tenth Army were delayed by bad weather until 7 November , when Bois Kratz , Pressoire and Ablaincourt were captured ; numerous German counter - attacks , including a big attack at Bois Kratz and Pressoir on 15 November were defeated and preparations were begun by the French to advance to a line Mazancourt – Happlincourt – Biaches , ready for a spring offensive . Aftermath . Analysis . The loss of Thiepval was a huge blow to German morale but the loss of and redoubts was considered by some German officers to be worse . Rather than order a withdrawal from these exposed positions , Rupprecht and Ludendorff accepted Below ' s argument that there were no better positions to withdraw to and supported his an attempt to recapture the redoubts , which added to German losses . Reports made after the battle by units of the Canadian Corps stressed that battalion command was impossible once an attack began , companies and platoons needed to be given objectives before the attack and discretion on how to reach them . The attacking troops should have in the line to study the ground , followed by in reserve to receive a detailed briefing . The equipment to be carried was discussed and it was suggested that the first wave should not carry tools but a light load of of ammunition , two hand grenades , two days ' rations and a ground sheet . Some units pointed out that most of the tools carried by the leading troops were thrown away anyway . The importance of carrying enough hand grenades was stressed , since uncut wire forced the attackers into German communication trenches , where many more were used to fight forward compared to an advance on the surface , which used up the stock intended for repelling counter - attacks . Where barbed wire was cut , the infantry could move above ground , bypassing isolated German defences and leaving them for mopping - up parties . The value of Lewis guns and enough ammunition was emphasised in many reports , as was the importance of moving them forward quickly in an attack , to support the infantry and then be ready to engage German infantry counter - attacks . By the end of the battle of the Somme each platoon had a Lewis gun , giving battalion . Opinion divided over the Stokes mortar because of its rate of fire , each bomb weighed about , which meant that it was impractical to carry many forward in an attack . The mortar was most useful in static positions at the rear , until supply routes had been built to the new front line . Tanks were judged to have serious limitations in mechanical reliability , mobility and armour protection but were considered a useful accessory to infantry operations , having overcome German strongpoints and attracted German artillery - fire , which would have been fired at infantry . It was found that tank - infantry co - ordination had been impossible , since tanks and infantry moved at different speeds but that when infantry led an attack , tanks could mop - up behind them and when tanks led , they could destroy German defences before the infantry arrived . Tactics were considered and a new platoon organisation was proposed by Major - General R . B . Stephens of the 5th Division , in which there would be four specalist sections , equipped with rifles , rifle - grenades , bombs and a Lewis gun . Advancing by flanking manoeuvres was favoured , to exploit the German defensive change from trench lines to strong - points , when they had been forced out of their front - line defences on the Somme . Infantry could follow a creeping barrage to within of German defences , crawl another and then rush the Germans , before they could emerge from their shelters . It was recommended that infantry waves be equipped for different tasks , with the first wave comprising about half of the attacking force , carrying rifles , bombs and Lewis guns , the Lewis gunners and bombers moving beyond the objective to form advanced posts and the second wave carrying tools and trench stores for consolidation . Opinion about the allocation of objectives varied , with some reports favouring the first wave moving on from the first objective and others advocating that following waves " leap - frog " through the wave ahead , while that wave consolidated and recovered from the stress and exertion of the advance . Details of infantry formation within lines and waves ( groups of lines ) was discussed , with dispersal advocated to present small targets to German machine - gunners and artillery and concentration emphasised to keep troops close enough together , to be able to overwhelm German defences . An attack on 1 October , with three waves of infantry standing apart , advancing against Regina Trench which turned out to be undamaged , was called " suicidal " . If infantry waves passed beyond initial objectives , the ground would need to be searched and garrisoned , to prevent German troops firing on them from behind . It was recommended that mopping - up parties should form the attacking force and be ready to act as local reinforcements should the attack bog down . Some units wanted a third wave of attackers who could prepare captured ground for defence without delay . Regaining contact with field artillery after the attack was considered essential , so that German counter - attacks could be engaged with shrapnel fire , to obstruct German troops as they concentrated for attack and to create a barrier against the survivors . Advanced posts pushed beyond the objective , gave early - warning of German attacks and forced then under cover outside grenade - throwing range ; the advanced posts could also be connected later . Communication was essential and all the reports stressed the efficiency of the telephone and some units despensing with visual communication means , since the smoke and dust of battle made them invisible . Runners were the second most reliable means of maintaining contact between advanced troops , battalion and brigade headquarters . The Canadian Corps decided to use telephones , runners , pigeons and visual signals , given the unpredictable characteristics of the battlefield . Aeroplanes on contact patrol had been found to be ineffective and more training of the infantry in contact - patrol liaison was recommended . Casualties . Losses in the 2nd Canadian Division October were . Casualties of the 3rd Canadian Division October were . The 18th Division lost casualties October . Canadian Corps casualties on 8 October were . When the Canadian Corps was relieved , its casualties during the Battle of the Somme were , roughly the forces involved . The Marine Brigade lost in one regiment and up to 41 % of the other two until it was relieved by the 5th " Ersatz " Division on the night of 11 / 12 October . See also . Victoria Cross . James Cleland Richardson of the 16th Battalion ( Canadian Scottish ) , 3rd Brigade , 1st Canadian Division was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross " for Valour " on 8 October 1916 .