18 November 1916 - Supporting 32nd and 37th Division

The Tanks on the Somme. 18^th November 1916.

D Company with, 32^nd and 37^th Divisions, III Corps, 4^th Army

D Company intended to get 6 tanks into action on 18^th November 1916

D company

2Lt Partington, W

Notes:

Orders

Assemble at Q12 central. Five tanks ditched whilst proceeding to the assembly point on the 16^th November. ^(s2.p145)

Lt Partington ordered to start at Zero and move north to cross Beaucourt Trench near its junction with Frankfort Trench. Continue along Frankfort Trench to Leave Alley. Cover infantry’s consolidation then return by same route and rally in Beaucourt Avenue. ^(s2.p145).

Account of operations

The tank crossed the junction of Beaucourt and Frankfort trenches at 6.45am, fired continuously on the enemy, reached as far as Q6b.2.4, silencing many MGs, then, as the infantry hadn’t advanced, re-crossed the German front line at 9.07am and rallied ^(S2.p145).

Chris McCarthy writes III Corp, 3rd Div attacked this area but makes no mention of a tank ^(s12).

Summary

Intended: 1

At start: 1

Failed to Start: 0

Engaged enemy: 1

Ditched / Broke Down: 0

Hit and Knocked out: 0

Rallied: 1

Penetrated by AP bullets: 0

Note

Aftermath

The tanks were next in action at Arras in April 1917.

Sources

W4 - D Company’s War Diary. Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum.

S2 - Pidgeon, Trevor (2010) Tanks on the Somme

S12 - Chris McCarthy. (1998) The Somme. The Day by Day Account. Brockhampton Press.

S22 - Stedman, Michael (1995) Thiepval, Leo Cooper P. 86ff

18 November 1916 - 32 and 37 Division map

Somme 1916 Narratives