The German Army in the Spring Offensives 1917: Arras, Aisne, & Champagne by Jack Sheldon

Author:Jack Sheldon [Sheldon, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War I
ISBN: 9781473872868
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2015-09-21T04:00:00+00:00

By evening, the situation on this part of the front was that the French were in possession of everything forward of the K3 line, which was still being defended stubbornly by Infantry Regiment 142, with the exception of one small pocket of resistance holding out on the left [eastern] flank. Defensive positions, echeloned back in depth, prevented this from being expanded further and junction points with Infantry Regiment 112 to the right and Infantry Regiment 113 on the left had been established and manned. This was significant. Hardly any French meaningful progress had been made and they were forced to dig in along the high water mark of their assault. Similarly, overnight Infantry Regiment 142 so arranged its deployment as to ensure that six companies were manning and improving the defences of the Hauptriegel and the other six the R1 Line. The temporary construction company retained its independence and was used wherever the need for repair was greatest. There was still a total of twenty three serviceable machine guns available to the defence, so the overall outcome here was stalemate, with advantage remaining with Infantry Regiment 142.16

Infantry Regiment 113, responsible for Mont Cornillet, estimated that when the attack began on their front they were also faced with odds of three to one. Three major assault groups, backed by a further three waves of infantry reinforcements, bore down on their forward positions. Here a combination of darkness and snow squalls meant that visibility was so poor than none of the signals to the artillery were seen and the machine guns could only open up at the very last minute. The lightly held forward positions were simply overrun, though the remnants of 11th Company, under Leutnant Neuhoff, held out briefly in places. Unfortunately, most of the German soldiers present were ration carriers who did not have their weapons with them for some reason and the supply of hand grenades soon ran out. The experienced Vizefeldwebel Gerber pointed out the severe risk of encirclement so, just in the nick of time, Neuhoff, who was suffering from the effects of gas inhalation, led his thirty remaining men back to the Cornillet Tunnel where, having reported in, he collapsed at the feet of the regimental commander, Oberstleutnant Kuhlmann.

The companies of 1st Battalion that were on standby were deployed exactly as they had been rehearsed the previous day. Although all the tunnel entrances were under fire they were nevertheless able to deploy swiftly and without heavy casualties. Sad to relate, Offizierstellvertreter Thurner was killed as he was mounting a machine gun above one of the air vents. Nevertheless, as the French arrived, puffing and panting, along the crest of the Cornillet they came under heavy fire. During the ensuing confusion, these troops were thrown back off the ridge and back down its southern slopes. Leutnant Neuhoff’s little group then inserted itself into a gap between 4th and 3rd Companies but, despite this redeployment, it proved impossible to push the counterstroke any further forward. The French gains were then sealed off by a heavy curtain of fire to their front.

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