Chapter 07 World War I
2847.4 Australians on the Western Front
After the Gallipoli campaign, the Australian infantry divisions went on to fight some of the
worst battles of the war in France and Belgium. Between 1916 and late 1918, 295 000
Australian soldiers served in this area of the Western Front. The Battle of the Somme in
France in 1916 and the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium in 1917 are the two battles that
most represent the needless slaughter of young Australian men on the World War I
battlefields.
Source 1 A map showing the location of the area known as the Western Front
Source question
Use source 1 to describe the area known as the Western Front.
The Somme in northern France
The Battle of the Somme (July to November 1916) was another doomed attempt at breaking
the stalemate on the Western Front. The British plan, coordinated by General Sir Douglas
Haig, was to launch a major attack on German lines in the Somme River valley. The assault
would begin with an intense artillery bombardment of German defences. Then, 1.2 million
soldiers would advance in wave formations along a 40-kilometre front. The aim was to cut
the Germans off from behind and make them so demoralised that they would surrender.
Source 2 A photograph showing the British artillery bombardment of German defences on
the Somme in July 1916
Source question
Identify the weapon shown in source 2 and one potential problem associated with its use.
The Germans had weeks of forewarning through:



overheard field telephone messages
the movements of British reconnaissance aircraft
the observations of their own pilots.
When the attack began on 1 July 1916:



German defences were well prepared
British mines went off too early and alerted the Germans that the attack was due to
start
British artillery fire failed to destroy the barbed wire protecting the German trenches.
285When the soldiers advanced into no-man's land, they advanced into a non-stop barrage of
German machine-gun fire. They became easy targets as their attempts to pass through the
German barbed wire only made them become more entangled in it. The Allied troops did not
have the machine-gun power needed to respond effectively. On the first day, the Germans
killed over 20 000 Allied troops and wounded 40 000.
The attack failed to achieve a large-scale breakthrough, and tactics focused instead on raids
on specific enemy targets such as those at Fromelles and Pozières.
RETROFILE


Corporal Adolf Hitler was probably among the German soldiers fighting at Fromelles.
The Germans had buried dead Allied soldiers in mass graves. These were discovered
in 2008. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has since exhumed
and reburied the bodies in individual graves at the new Fromelles Military Cemetery.
Fromelles
Australian soldiers' first battle on the Western Front was the ill-fated Battle of Fromelles on
19–20 July 1916. Their goal was to divert German attention from the main action to the south
and prevent them sending reinforcements there.
Planning was rushed, the soldiers lacked experience and the distance across no-man's land
was as much as 400 metres in some sections. After seven hours of Allied artillery fire,
German machine gunners, with the added advantage of being on higher ground, were well
and truly ready when British and Australian troops began their attack in the evening of 19
July. By the early hours of 20 July, the 5th Australian Division had 5533 casualties and one
of the greatest losses of Australian lives ever within a 24-hour period.
Pozières and Bullecourt
A few days later, the First Australian Division had the task of capturing the German-held
town of Pozières. This was achieved in a few hours on 23 July 1916, but it took another seven
weeks of horrific fighting against ongoing German artillery fire to consolidate the gain. By
this time, three more Australian divisions had become involved.
The assault at Pozières, continued the London officer, was one of the most difficult essayed
since the offensive began. The Germans set their heart on retaining the village. Sir Douglas
Haig's order was that Pozières must be taken. When the word was given to charge the
Australians swept across the approaches to the German lines. There was no shouting or
battle-crying. Each Tom, Dick and Harry with teeth set firmly, went forth to slay in silence.
When the German machine guns opened fire, the bullets whizzed in all directions …
Some crack German regiments were employed, but the Anzacs went for their men, and put in
terrible bayonet work. After a fierce contest the Australians and New Zealanders obtained the
upper hand … It was the most horrible night any soldiers ever experienced. By daybreak on
Monday we had a firm footing in the village. ‘The fighting at Pozières,’ continued the
London officer, ‘has proved that the Anzacs would face a wall of iron and go through it.’
Source 3 A news report on the attack on Pozières from the Sydney Morning Herald, 28 July
1916
Source question
What is the author's attitude towards the Australians? Identify words and phrases that provide
evidence of this.
In July 1916, there were 90 000 AIF soldiers serving on the Western Front. By the end of
August 1916, there were 23 000 Australian casualties from the Somme battlefields — nearly
as many as for the entire eight months at Gallipoli. All this was for a gain of about 1.5
kilometres.
By the end of the Somme campaign, the AIF had lost more than 32 000 soldiers, with an
overall gain in land of about 10.5 kilometres. Neither the average Australian soldier nor the
average British soldier had much faith in their military leaders after this.
In April 1917 the 2nd Australian Division at Bullecourt (France) captured two lines of
German trenches, and later succeeded in establishing a new allied position nearby — despite
the failure of the promised tank support. There were 3289 casualties.
Passchendaele in Belgium
From mid to late 1917, two Anzac divisions took part in fighting in and around Ieper (Ypres)
in Belgium. This was the third battle of Ieper, also known as the Battle of Passchendaele. The
battle was part of a British attempt to break through the German lines towards the North Sea
ports, where the German U-boats were berthed. There were 7000 Australian casualties during
the initial attack in June.
286In July 1917, the British resumed artillery shelling of German defences. The Germans had
the advantage of higher ground and a wide view of their attackers' movements. Over the next
fourteen weeks, Allied troops made ten attempts to break through to Passchendaele. Men and
equipment became bogged down in mud and flooded fields. General Haig insisted that the
attack proceed. When his chief of staff visited the battlefield, he reportedly had tears in his
eyes as he said, ‘Good God, did we really send men to fight in that?’ Overall, the Allied
forces suffered 300 000 casualties; 38 000 were Australian.
AWM E04599
Source 4 A photograph showing an Australian soldier attempting to rescue a comrade in
Chateau Wood, Hooge, Belgium in October 1917
Source question
What does source 4 show of:
1. the problems experienced by troops on the Belgian battlefields
2. the impact of war on the landscape?