F v

R s

 

- south of the Somme.

STR DOUGLAS HAIG'S DISPATCH B

the command on appointment to Versailles, accord-
ingly returned to his old Army, and at 4.30 p.m. on
this day assumed command of the British forces
At the same time the con-
struction of new defence lines made necessary by the
enemy's advance called for the appointment of an
able and experienced Commander and Staff to direct
this work and extemporize garrisons for their de-
fence. [ accordingly ordered General Gough to un-
dertake this important task.

THE ATTACK-ON ARRAS.

(45) Meanwhile between 7.0 and 8.0 a.m. on the
morning of March 28 fighting of the utmost intensity
had broken out north of the Somme from Puisieux
to north-east of Arras. .Finding himself checked on
the northern flank of his attack, the enemy on this
day made a determined effort to obtain greater free-
dom for the development of his offensive, and struck
in great force along the valley of the Scarpe at Arras.

The development of the battle, which had been

~ foreseen as early as.March 23, involved the right of

the XIII. Corps under command of Lieut.-General
SieH de Bode leisle, K.C.B., D.S.0O., on the right of
the First Army, and represented a considerable ex-
tension of the original front of attack. A German
success in this sector might well have had far-reach-
ing effects. There is little doubt that the enemy
hoped to achieve great results by this new stroke, and
that its failure was a serious set-back to his plans.

After a bombardment.of great violence three fresh
German divisions advanced to the assault along the
north bank of the Scarpe River against the positions
held by the 4th and 56th British Divisions, under

the command respectively of Major-General T. G. .

Matheson, C.B., and Major-General F. A. Dudgeon,
C.B., and were supported in their attack by the two
German divisions already in line. According to cap-
tured documents, the enemy’s immediate object was
to gain the general line Vimy—Bailleul—St. Laurent

- —Blangy, when three special assault divisions were

to carry the Vimy Ridge on the following day. Im-
mediately south of the Scarpe four German divisions
were engaged, to two of which were assigned the
tasks of capturing Arras and the heights overlooking
the town. This assault, the weight of which fell on

_ the 3rd and 15th British Divisions, Major-General

P Beed VO, CB, CMG., commanding the

- latter division was supported by powerful attacks,
in which eleven hostile divisions were engaged, along

our whole front southwards to beyond Bucquoy.
Still farther south, <as far as Dernancourt, strong
local attacks were delivered at different points. The
methods followed by the enemy on this occasion were
the same as those employed by him on March 21,
but in this instance the thick {fog which had played
so decisive a part on that day was absent. In conse-
quence, our artillery and machine-guns were given
every opportunity to engage the Germaninfantry
both when assembling and while advancing tothe
attack, and the heaviest losses were inflicted on them
by our fire.

~

Immediately prior to the assault, masses of Ger-
man infantry with artillery in rear of them were ob-
served drawn up in close formation on Greenland
Hill, and were shelled by our artillery. North of the
Scarpe, about Reeux, great execution was done at
point-blank range by single guns, which we had
placed in forward positions close up to our front line.
The enemy’s infantry in this sector are reported to
have advanced almost shoulder to shoulder in six
lines, and on the whole front our machine gunners
obtained most favorable targets.

The weight and momentum of his assault and the
courage of his infantry, who sought to cut their way
through our wire by hand under the fire of our
machine guns, sufficed to carry the enemy through
the gaps which his bombardment had made in our
outpost line. Thereafter, raked by the fire of our
outposts, whose garrisons turned their machine guns
and shot at the enemy’s advancing lines from flank
and rear, and met by an accurate and intense fire
from all arms, his troops were everywhere stopped
and thrown back with the heaviest loss before our
battle positions.

A second attack launched late in the afternoon
North of the Scarpe, after a further period of bom-
bardment, was also repulsed at all points. At the
end of the day our battle positions astride the Scarpe
were intact on the whole front of the attack, and in
the evening successful counter-attacks enabled us
to push out a new outpost line in front of them.
Meanwhile the surviving garrisons of our original
outpost line, whose most gallant resistance had
played so large a part in breaking up the enemy’s
attack, had fought their way back through the
enemy, though a party of the 2nd Battalion, Sea-
forth Highlanders, sth Division, remained cut off
at Rceux until successfully withdrawn during the
night, ’ -

On the southern portion of his attack the enemy's
repulse was, if possible, even more complete than
on the new front East of Arras. Attacks on the
Guards Division and on the 31st Division were de-
feated after all-day fighting. The 42nd Division
drove off two attacks from the direction of Ablain-
zevelle, and the 62nd Division with an attached
brigade of the 4th Australian Division also beat off
a succession of heavy attacks about Bucquoy with
great loss to the enemy. : :

Less important attacks at different points between
Hebuterne and Dernancourt were in each case re-
pulsed, and led to the capture of a number of prison-
ers by our troops. '

THE 'ENLD) OF. THESEIR ST STAGEH:

(46) With this day's battle, which ended in the
complete defeat of the enemy on the whole front of
his attack, the first stage of the enemy’s offensive
weakened and eventually closed on April 5. During
these days hostile pressure continued South of the
Somme, and after much fierce and fluctuating fight-
ing in this area, accompanied by a number of strong
local attacks. also on the northern portion of the