Riding into Battle by Ted Glenn

Author:Ted Glenn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2018-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

The Hundred Days Offensive, August–November 1918, Battle of the Canal du Nord. Infantry supports going forward, 4th Canadian Division, September 27, 1918.

On the evening of September 27, scouts from Brutinel’s Brigade reported that the “opportunity for a break-through” was not likely to happen — the village of Raillencourt on Arras–Cambrai road at the Marcoing Line was still in enemy hands.14 The brigade remained at the ready through the night. This would become a familiar pattern for the next four days.

On the 28th, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Canadian Divisions resumed their ferocious attack. Based on reconnaissance received throughout the day, Brutinel’s Brigade moved to various jumping-off positions ready to advance. At 09:00, all units moved from Sains-lès-Marquion to a windmill on the Sains-lès-Marquion–Bourlon road. From here, they moved to Maison Neuve. Throughout the afternoon, brigade patrols kept in touch with units all along the Canadian front, but “no action developed.”15 The 3rd Division got held up north of Fontaine-Notre-Dame and the 4th near Sailly.

On the 29th, the brigade received reports that 4th Division infantry had advanced past the railway north of Sancourt. The brigade readied again — the Canadian Light Horse moved west of Sancourt, the 2nd CMMGB and two armoured cars moved up the road through Sailly, the 1st CMMGB and two armoured cars were dispatched down the main Cambrai road, and the Cyclists took up positions north of Sailly ready to support the CLH “in any action that might develop.”16 Once again, none did, owing to the lack of progress by advance forces.

On the 30th, the brigade moved forward once again, “ready to push forward at a moment’s notice.”17 Acting as patrols, Cyclists and cavalry kept in touch with forward units all day, but again no opportunity to advance presented as the fighting ground down: “The progress of our Infantry was very slow. The enemy, who had thrown into the battle opposite the Canadian Corps 3 or 4 fresh Divisions, offered a very determined resistance. The fighting became ‘sticky.’ No favourable opportunity for employment of Mobile Forces occurred. The Cavalry, Motor Brigades, and Cyclists were therefore ordered back to the same positions they had occupied on the previous night.”18

Despite the “sticky” fighting and mounting casualties, the 1st and 4th Divisions achieved their objectives — gaining five miles on September 28 alone — but then stalled into a series of deadly attacks by the Canadians and counterattacks by the desperate Germans. On both September 28 and 29, Canadian casualties were more than 2,000 each day, with another 1,000 on Sunday the 30th. By the end of the five days of fighting, 13,620 Canadians had been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. On October 1, Currie called a halt to “the deadly cycle of diminishing returns,”19 having captured more than 7,000 prisoners and 205 guns, overtaken the three defensive systems to the west of Cambrai, and secured strategic jumping-off points for the next phase of the battle. Little new development occurred between October 2 and 8 in the Canadian sector. On

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