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The First Battle of Bullecourt
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Published on Feb 03, 2016
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1.
The First Battle of Bullecourt
By George Esber and Justin Yu
2.
Bullecourt
Village in Northern France, 13km north-east of Bapaume
Used defensively in the Hindenburg Line in WWI
Became the site of two of the battles in the Arras campaign
3.
Date and Duration
First Battle of Bullecourt - April 11th, 1917
Duration of about 10 hours, from 4.30am to around 2pm
Second Battle of Bullecourt - May 3rd to May 17th, 1917
4.
Who Was Involved?
British 5th Army - 4th Australian Division and 62nd British Division
Counterattacks launched by German 27th Württemberg Division
British 5th Army under command of General Sir Hubert Gough (British)
5.
Causes
The British wanted to attack Arras early to lure the Germans out to support a major French offensive
General Gough wanted to attack Bullecourt as a subsidiary to Arras to trap retreating Germans
News of initial British successes at Arras spurred General Gough to bring forward the attack
6.
What Happened?
General Gough substituted artillery bombardment with tanks
At this time, tanks were really unreliable and slow
Bullecourt was one of the strongest points in the Hindenburg Line
7.
Aim
4th Australian Division use tanks to breach Hindenburg Line east of Bullecourt
Link up with the 62nd British Division and take Bullecourt
Advance north-east together and capture Riencourt and Hendecourt
8.
What Happened?
The Australians approached at 4.45am with only three tanks supporting them
The Germans detected the approach and opened fire with machine-guns and artillery
Tanks broke down or were quickly destroyed
9.
What Happened?
Despite heavy causualties, some Australians reached the front line, but were caught on barbed wire
A few Australians used hand grenades to gain a hold in the German front line
The first two German trenches (OG1 and OG2) were captured by 5.16am
10.
What Happened?
The 4th Brigade caught up and nearly all of the assigned Hindenburg Line was captured by 7.00am
Lack of men and ammunition prevented the Australians from advancing
The 62nd British Division didn't come and communication for artillery support failed
11.
What Happened?
The Germans began a counterattack at 10.00am
The Australians were forced back to their starting line at 10.20am
The Germans opened fire again on the exposed Australians
12.
Results
4th Brigade lost 2,339 out of 3,000 men
12th Brigade lost 950 out of 2,000 men
1,170 Australians were captured
Overall 66 percent loss rate
13.
Effects of the Campaign
The 4th Australian Division withdrew as a fighting force for months
Although the Australians eventually breached and captured parts of the Hindenburg Line, no strategic advantage was ever gained
14.
Effects of the Campaign
When the Arras offensive ended, the British had successfully advanced up to 10km eastward
However, the larger French offensive it was supporting was a failure
Justin Yu
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