The Battle That Broke Germany in WW1– Mont St Quentin Explained

By the Summer of 1918 the British Army had become a force to be reckoned with and much had been learnt from bitter experiences of fighting over the preceding four years. New tactics had evolved to bring together the fighting capabilities of the infantry, artillery, tanks and air power as demonstrated with the successful capture of Le Hamel on the 4th July. Lieutenant General Monash’s outstanding planning for this operation became the template for the Battle of Amiens which started on the 8th of August and began the ‘Hundred Days’ offensive which would ultimately win the war on the Western Front. The Australians, now fighting as a fully fledged Corps, would make another incredible contribution between the 31st of August and the 4th of September 1918 in taking the vital stronghold of Mont St Quentin.

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Credits:
• Research & Script: Dan Hill
• Narration: Dan Hill
• Editing: Simon James
• Thumbnail Design & Production: Linus Klassen
• Music & Sound Effects: Shane Greer
• Dubbing: Lydie Moreno & Julius Houben

By the summer of 1918, the British army had become a force to be reckoned with, and much had been learned from the bitter experiences of fighting over the preceding four years. New tactics had evolved to bring together the fighting capabilities of the infantry, artillery, tanks, and air power. As demonstrated with the successful capture of Liamel on the 4th of July, Lieutenant General Mach’s outstanding planning for this operation became the template for the Battle of Amy, which started on the 8th of August and had begun the 100 days offensive, which would ultimately win the war on the Western Front. The Australians, now fighting as a fullyfledged core, would make another incredible contribution between the 31st of August and the 4th of September 1918. in taking the vital stronghold of Mon San. At the start of 1918, what had originally begun as a small British expeditionary force of just six divisions had become a completely different beast, numbering millions of men under arms across the globe. Amongst them, having fought for years and earned a legendary reputation on the battlefield, were the men of the Australian Imperial Force. That said, by the summer of 1918, the Aussies were nearing exhaustion. Why was this? Well, Australia had already undergone two referendums to instigate conscription back home. But both of these have been defeated at the polls, and so the ANZAC cause still relied exclusively on volunteers who were becoming ever harder to find. Despite the exhaustion of those diggers on the front lines, they were still numbered amongst the very best Allied troops on the Western Front, as they would show yet again in the battle to come. The German army was also utterly exhausted after experiencing significant losses in the battles of attrition of 1916 and 17 at Verda, the Som and Third E. Their manpower reserves were running low. Their battlefield tactics had also been revised and they had adopted a method known as defense in depth. Front lines would be sparssely manned whilst areas to the rear would be strongly fortified with huge numbers of troops and dedicated counterattacking formations. On the home front too, things were not going well. The British naval blockade was exerting ever heavier pressure on the German population and both civilians and soldiers on the front line were suffering from major food shortages. Essentially, Germany was starving. Although in all likelihood, by mid1918, the war was unwininnable for the central powers, it wasn’t over yet, and several more bitter months of fighting were to come. But to truly understand the situation, we need to go back in time a little to the end of 1917. Two major events had taken place in that year. First, in April, the Americans had entered the war on the side of the Western Allies, and by 1918 were bringing ever more soldiers to the Western Front. Physically strong, well-armed, and importantly motivated for the fight, they would take on an everinccreasing role, relieving some of the burden of the warweary French and British. But before that happened in late 1917, the Soviet government, following a revolution in Russia, had left the war. This meant that for a short time in early 1918, the Germans had a manpower superiority as their forces on the Eastern Front no longer had an enemy in sight. Seeing an opportunity, the Germans turned west, unleashing their full might on the French and British in hopes of destroying them before the Americans arrived in large numbers. That series of attacks launched on the 21st of March 1918, collectively known as the spring offensive, had driven the British fifth army back across the SO battlefield and come perilously close to breaking the Allied line. Repeated assaults in April, May, and June had all ultimately been held with the Germans stopped in part by Australian forces outside the town of Vier Bretonu. This was in effect the high tide of the German army in the First World War. Exhausted and having suffered almost a million casualties, the momentum switched and the Allies would attack once more. On the 8th of August on the outskirts of Amy, the big push had begun, smashing through the German lines with the first large-scale use of all arms warfare pioneered by Australian troops at Leamel. Within days, the Germans were falling back, desperately trying to hold on to vital pieces of ground to slow the Allied advance. Each strategic position took on new importance, and the fighting for those dominant features in the landscape was often bitter and costly. Right at the top of that list of significant ground, was a hilltop overlooking the river and the valleys beyond, known as Monsan. Unsurprisingly, when the fighting was at its fiercest, the battleh hardened Australians were called on once more. In preparation for an Allied offensive in that summer, Sir John Mes’s Australian Corps had remained in the SOM sector and joined the British Fourth Army. It looked like this. The first Australian division was under the command of Major General Sir Howard Walker. Second division under Major General Sir Charles Rosentol. Third division under Major General Jean Jellybrandt. Fourth Division under Major General Euan Sinclair Mcccleagen and Fifth Division under Major General Joseph Talbert Hobbes. Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves of a few commonly used terms in the Great War in reference to military units. What exactly they represent and how they interconnect in the military structure of the time. The most basic unit in the First World War was the section made up of usually 12 men and led by a corporal. Four sections made up a platoon of around 50 men under the command of a left tenant or second left tenant with a sergeant assisting. Four platoon made up a company officially 227 men often commanded by a major or a captain. Those four companies along with a machine gun section, battalion headquarters, and various specialist troops made a battalion commanded by a lieutenant colonel. It was on paper at least around 30 officers and a thousand men in all. For most of the war, four battalions formed a brigade commanded unsurprisingly by a brigadier general. Again, with various attached troops, it was about 4,000 men in total. Finally, three brigades, usually made a division, commanded by a major general. This consisted of a total of 12 infantry battalions. three field artillery brigades, two engineer field companies, one signal company, one divisional ammunition column, three field ambulances, and various additional specialist troops. All told, a complement of some 16 to 18,000 men. Having been heavily involved in the advance following the battle of Amy, where all five Australian divisions had fought together for the very first time, the Aussies were already tired when on the 23rd of August, they began another advance. this time towards the major town of Pyon and the banks of the river Som. Rotating his tired units in and out of the lead of the advance, Mish’s men and move forwards through this area over 5 days, eliminating determined enemy positions along their way. Until by the 28th of August, the Australians found themselves arrayed along the SO. It was here that they encountered several major problems. First was the river itself. Measuring several hundred meters in width. The Germans had destroyed most of the major bridges crossing it in this sector and along the nearby Som Canal. In addition, the ground on either side of the river was incredibly marshy for hundreds of meters, making it almost impossible for infantry. Beyond that ground, the Germans, who had fairly hastily arrived, had an elaborate network of pre-built trench systems from earlier in the war to fall back into and use for defense. Finally, to the north of the line the Australians were approaching was this Monsan Cont. In truth, it wasn’t an insurmountable height, only a little over 100 m of elevation, all told, but it was perfectly situated for the defenders, with dominating views over the riverline and the town of Pyon to its south. Whoever held it controlled the ground below. Importantly also for the Australians, possession of the Mont denied the opportunity for the enemy to dig in to its east, meaning that if it fell, the Germans would have no opportunity to defend again until they reached the once mighty Hindenburg line. Let’s take a closer look. Seen here with the modern view, we can understand its importance a little better. Of course, back in 1918, it looked different. The wood, which today dominates the hilltop, was substantially smaller at the time and had been badly shelled over the preceding years, leaving just a few visible remnants around the largely destroyed scattering of houses just short of its crest. Around the Mont in all directions were a series of wellestablished, if a little old, trenches that at various points had been in both German and French hands. Also protecting the area were the everpresent belts of barbed wire behind which were well dug in machine guns with clear lines of sight for hundreds of meters. Also of note in the fight to come were the village cemetery and beyond that an area known as the crater. On the western approaches and in the village itself were a number of walled enclosures, each of which offered a further opportunity for defense. and to the southeast, a sugar factory, the location of which has largely been covered by the modern expansion of Pyon Town. In short, a very difficult task to capture. So, what about the plan? MES had elected to employ the highly regarded second Australian division to make the main assault across the S and onto Monsan at 5:00 a.m. on the 30th of August. To do that, he would first secure a river crossing here at Hull, whilst to their south, men of the Australian fifth division would also attempt a river crossing or at the very least cause a distraction for the German defenders. That crossing achieved, the fifth brigade of the second division would advance straight up the slopes of Monsan, capturing the crest and thus forcing the Germans in Pyon to withdraw. Relaying the outline of his plan to army commander Henry Rollinsson on the 29th of August, he received the following reply. So, you think you’re going to take Monsan with three battalions? What presumption. However, I don’t think I ought to stop you. So, go ahead and try and I wish you luck.” Rollinsson’s somewhat skeptical response was, in fairness, wellfounded. Not only was the Fifth Brigade attacking uphill into a German stronghold defended by dozens of machine guns, but it was also massively under strength, mustering perhaps only 1,200 infantry as opposed to the 4,000 it should have been on paper. Added to that, the Aussies would face men of three German divisions, including the elite second Prussian guards. And so it was at 4:30 p.m. on the 30th of August, the fifth brigade, comprising the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th battalions began their approach to the SA. Immediately things went wrong. It was found that although the bridge crossing the river Al was still standing, the causeway beyond was under fire and totally unsuitable for their advance. The same problem struck to the north at Omiko where the bridge was badly damaged and impossible due to enemy fire. So fifth brigade had no choice but to make a slow and tiring detour back westwards to the village of Fier, cross the SO there and then advance along the northern bank, now hours behind schedule, passing through the ranks of the third Australian division who occupied the sector and eventually take up positions right here on the evening of the 30th of August. With no daylight left and the men exhausted, unsurprisingly, the attack was postponed to the following morning. Let’s take a look at what they would face when advancing from this new direction. All told, three battalions would lead the advance, starting by crossing this large ditch, today the canal Dun. But in 1918, just the incomplete and thankfully dry canal workings. Once across, the 400 men of the 19th battalion who had eventually managed to cross the Som at Omikor during the night would advance to the right closest to the river SO capturing and holding Agram and Gallat’s Alley trenches, thus securing the right flank of the advance. In the center, the 17th would make the main advance up a small rise to capture Braso Redout and then onto Gotle and Save Trenches before pushing through Elsa Trench to capture the village, the crater, and the wood crowning the summit. Finally, on the left, the 20th battalion would advance through Oda Trench and Monavil Alley to this road, taking Fuyako on their left and the sunken road on the lower slopes of Monsan on the right. In support of the three battalions and available to help those with the greatest need were the men of the 18th battalion, ready to play their part. It was at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday the 31st of August that the Australian troops of the fifth brigade began their advance beneath a strong artillery barrage. The initial element of surprise was key. Despite their lack of numbers and disadvantage of fighting an uphill battle, the 17th battalion stormed into Braso Redout, yelling at the top of their voices as they charged, carrying the Redout in minutes with the shock defenders soon seen flooding back to the east. The 20th battalion on their left also made good progress, charging with bayonets fixed and bombing the enemy from Gotautle and Oda trenches and along Winville alley before moving on to the embank sunken road northwest out of the village. The Germans were simply staggered by the direction, speed, and ferocity of the attack. And within minutes, prisoners were streaming back through the Australian lines, pressing on as fast as they could to make the best of the element of surprise. By 7:00 a.m., the 17th in the center had reached and occupied the village of Monsan and the remnants of the wood on the summit of the hill beyond. With over 700 prisoners taken, it was clear that they had remarkably overcome a force far larger than what they themselves had attacked with. Back at British headquarters, Rorinsson was astonished when he learned of the capture of Monsan and it actually changed Phil Marshall Hag’s focus from unlocking the SOM region through Bopam to Monsan. What they didn’t know though was the number and condition of the troops on the ground and the fact that they were struggling to make contact to form a cohesive defensible line. Given their limited numbers and the time spent marching and fighting over the past few days, the Aussie positions were still tenuous. And knowing that the Germans would be reluctant to lose such an important position, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable counterattack came. Australian official historian Charles Bean gives a vivid account of the attack and the tenuous hold the Australians had. The Australians, who had expected heavy fighting, hurried with mines now carefree, half running, trying to catch the enemy and taking occasional shots. As each new group of Germans broke from the trenches, the Lewis gunners would throw themselves down for a minute to fire. Those in high command would have been even more amazed had they known the full extent of the Australian force that had won the hill. eight very tired companies comprising some 550 guns with a handful of machine gunners and four companies of 22 in close support. Given this small force, the situation on the Mont was actually quite grim. At 8:00 a.m., General Mache ordered the sixth Australian brigade, followed by the seventh and 14th brigades to cross the north bank of the SO in order to consolidate the newly won ground. But this would take time and there was much confusion with so many troops squeezing into such a small area. Mash was hoping that the sixth Australian brigade could pass through the fifth currently holding Monsan Kan and exploit the open ground beyond. But by 11:30 a.m. the first elements of the sixth brigade were ordered to push southeast to protect the right flank which unknown to him was already being partly held by the 18th battalion. Around the same time, the Germans put down a ferocious artillery barrels on the front line held by the 20th and 17th battalions, which killed and wounded a great number of men and severely affected communications. Moments later, the 20th started taking fire from the hill and a brick wall of an enclosure to their right. Clearly, the 17th had fallen back, and this is why. The Germans had rallied behind the artillery barrage and in minutes had enveloped the 17th battalion men who were holding Monsan Cont. The German attack made by three whole battalions of the 94th Infantry Regiment and two companies of the Prussian guards pushed through from the northeast and forced the Aussies from the summit back through the village to an old German position known as Elsa Trench. Now more Prussian guards attacked the left of the 20th battalion, threatening their open flank as the Aussies of the Third Division had yet to advance. Things were looking dire for the exhausted Australians. Apart from a few pockets of resistance, all the gains the Australians had achieved on the slopes of Monsan had to be relinquished as they dug in as best they could. But miraculously, the 20th battalion, now in Oda Trench, the 17th Battalion in Elsa, and the 19th in Agram Alley, had all managed to link up to form a new but very thin defensive line. It was now that the reserves of the 18th Battalion came forward, plugging gaps in a desperate bid to hold off the enemy attack. They succeeded. Brought to a standstill by Lewis gun and rifle fire, grenades and bayonets, the Aussies held, but only just. By the afternoon of the 31st of August, relative peace had temporarily returned to this part of the battlefield. Lieutenant Percy Smay of the 24th battalion in the sixth brigade was one of four brothers who had answered the call. He brought his platoon forward to Gotautle Trench and recalled the aftermath of the fight. At first, all was silent, but when those who still lived saw that we were there, they began to moan pitiously for help. Without hesitation, we set to work to do what we could for them. Kneeling down by the first living man, I saw that he was in a pretty bad state. Besides other wounds, his right arm was hanging to his shoulder by a small strip of skin and flesh. He begged me to cut the useless limb right off. and I tried to do it with a blunt jack knife but could not manage it. Helping the wounded through the night was not the only thing on Lieutenant Smay’s mind because he also needed to prepare his men to counterattack as orders had arrived at 4:00 a.m. that a new assault was to be launched at dawn to recapture the Mont and force the Germans from the hill. Here’s the basic outline of the new plan. The 14th Australian Brigade, who are now also on the north bank of the Som, would press southeast to capture Peron, while the 15th Brigade under Brigadier General Pompy Elliot would try to cross the Som further down river and enter the town from the south. This would allow the sixth Australian brigade to pass through the exhausted men of the fifth with the 24th battalion on the left going towards Fukov, the 23rd battalion on the right passing south of the Mont and the 21st battalion coming up behind and between the two to capture and consolidate the village. This was all to be coordinated with an attack by the third Australian division on their left and third core further to their north. Zero hour on the 1st of September, Watt Day in Australia was set for 6:00 a.m. and the artillery barrage started at 5:30. The guns were firing deliberately long as not all of the fifth brigade positions were known. So what happened? Let’s take a look at each sector in turn. As a light rain shower started to fall, the 24th battalion advanced towards the Fior piron road with an overall objective of taking torti trench in the far distance. Amongst them was Percy Smay who recalled that some of the troops immediately started drifting off to the right and he and his platoon ended up crossing the road near to the northern end of the village where they were not only held up by stiff German defenses but also in danger of running into their own artillery barrage. Realizing his men were too far forward, Smay pulled them back to the cemetery and finally to a slightly more protected sunken lane. But losses continued to mount. At 1:30 p.m., following a renewed artillery barrage, the 24th battalion started to advance again, taking numerous prisoners to the north of the village on the way to Plevenner Trench. It’s at this point that Smay encountered a machine gun officer, one Lieutenant Edgar Towner. He remembered the moment. The machine gun officer, Mr. Towner, put his company into the trench near us. Besides his own guns, he also mounted a number of German guns in order to make our line more secure against counterattack. Mr. Towner had been wounded in the head, but refused to go out of the line, saying there would be nobody to look after the guns if he went. He struck me as being extraordinarily cool and game. Nothing seemed to trouble him, and he worked tirelessly at getting his men and guns organized in the best possible positions, often incurring a lot of personal risk in doing so. His habitual calmness went a long way towards encouraging the men. Refusing to be evacuated for medical treatment, Towner continued firing his gun as German pressure increased later in the day and the situation grew critical. Eventually, the Australians were forced to retire a short distance, but with all its crew having become casualties. One gun was left behind. Alone, Towner dashed out over no man’s land and retrieved the weapon. With this gun, he continued to engage the enemy wherever they appeared, putting a German machine gun out of action with his accurate fire. After fighting for over 30 hours, most of them badly wounded. His conspicuous bravery, initiative, and devotion to duty earned him the Victoria Cross. In the meantime, the left of the 24th battalion had arrived at Fuyakor to find that the right flank of the third Australian division, whose zero hour had been 30 minutes earlier, had already crossed the canal dun and entered the village by 7:00 a.m. Although good progress was made east of the road towards Alen, the left of the 24th was also held up by staunch German opposition here. Turning back the clock at 6:00 a.m. the 23rd battalion were far to the right of the 24th in Florina Trench, ready to head towards the southwestern side of Monsan. As they jumped off from their start line, they came under a murderous German machine gun fire from a barricade to their north. At times like this, it was only brute force and initiative that sometimes saved the day. Private Bob Mtiierre, a young runner, was sent to investigate and took matters into his own hands. He scaled the barrier in front of the machine gun, bombed the position and captured the entire crew. Then Maktier pushed on to capture another machine gun and was killed whilst trying to destroy a third. For this action, he was also awarded the Victoria Cross. With the 23rd battalion now able to move forward, they passed the weary remnants of the fifth Australian brigade who had spent the night holding Elsa Trench. They advanced through a broken wall into an enclosure south of the village. But heavy fire from the sugar factory to the east of the village forced them to pull back to Elsa Trench. The right-hand companies of the 23rd also attacked, heading towards the old aerodyome south of the village and suffered terrible losses before retiring to Gotle Trench. By the early afternoon, the 23rd Battalion was down to just 120 men. So it teamed up with three companies of the 21st battalion who had advanced in the center and were now mixed up in the same area. With another bombardment now hitting the village to disrupt the defenders, the mixed force began their attack at 130. Accompanying them at this time was an official war photographer who took this fascinating shot capturing Captain Sullivan and men of the 21st moments before they advanced. Turning to his right and taking one more image from inside Elsa Trench, he captured the men charging towards a walled enclosure and into the western edge of the village. Now both battalions fought up the slope against tenacious defenders. The crest was eventually reached by the 23rd battalion, but their right flank was in the air, having lost all touch with the men to their right. At that moment, one company of the reserve 22nd battalion came forward and propped up the line on the right. With the village taken, the men of the 21st were eventually able to link up with the 24th on their left, who were met near the cemetery. But a little further up the hill, around a large crater studded with enemy machine guns, another act of incredible individual heroism was unfolding. Sergeant Albi Loison of the 21st Battalion led his men up to this position and the citation for his Victoria Cross tells it all. During the attack on Monsan north of Pyon, when very strong opposition was met, and every foot of ground was stubbornly contested by the enemy, regardless of heavy enemy machine gun fire, Sergeant Lison moved about fearlessly directing his men, encouraging them to still greater effort and finally led them on to the objective. On reaching the objective, he saw that the left attacking party was held up by an enemy strong post heavily manned with 12 machine guns. Under the heaviest sniping and machine gun fire, Sergeant Lrison rallied seven men as a storming party, directing them to attack the flanks of the post, rushed the strong point, and by effective bombing captured it together with 12 machine guns and 30 prisoners. The loss of the wood at the top of the Mont and the crater over which Lison and his men had stormed broke the back of the German resistance in the area and any remaining defenders fled or were flushed out by the advancing Aussie troops. M Sanont had fallen. When the dust had finally settled over the ruins of the village, the exhausted Aussies had a chance to draw breath and count their losses. All told, some 3,000 diggers were killed or wounded in the assault. Many of them veterans of those early days of warfare on the Western Front. Bravery, too, was recognized with a remarkable eight Victoria Crosses awarded to men who had fought across these very fields in 1918 and who were proud to call themselves men of the Australian Imperial Force. Today, the battlefield of Monsan has partly disappeared. The growth of nearby Peron has covered much of the ground the Aussies once fought over and the trenches have long since gone. But the Mont still stands. Nearby is this a memorial to the men of the second Australian division overlooking the slopes they climbed to capture the village. Commemorating all of those who fought and fell in a battle that General Rollinsson described as the finest single feet of arms of the war. Of course, the fight for Monsan didn’t end the First World War, but it was another major blow to the hard-pressed Germans. Over the coming days, bitter fighting would continue around Piron, and the attacks would go on as the enemy fell back to the Hindenburg line. That last defensive bastion was broken at the end of September again with the help of Australian troops who had already given so much. Finally, on the 11th of November 1918, the war on the Western Front came to an end. It had been the most destructive four years in the history of mankind to that point, one which had seen fighting in over 40 countries on four continents and at the cost of millions of lives. Of the 340,000 Australians who would go on to see overseas service in the Great War, 213,000 would become casualties, with 54,000 making the ultimate sacrifice. Thousands more returned to Australia at the end of the Great War, carrying unseen wounds, ones which in many cases would never heal. A sacrifice we shouldn’t forget. That brings us to the end of this series following the root of the men of the Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front in the Great War. We hope you found it rewarding and a fitting commemoration of the sacrifice of those men.