26 September 1916 - Supporting XV Corp
The Tanks on the Somme. 26th September 1916.
D Company with 64th Brigade, 21 Division, XV Corps, 4th Army
D Company intended to get 4 tanks into action on 26th September 1916
D Company –
XV 21 Div
D19, 753, Capt. Sellick SS
D2, 742, Capt Nixon.
D3, 728, 2Lt Head HG
D4, 541, 2Lt Storey CE
Notes:
2Lt Storey and Nixon's tanks tank identified in WBA
Background
It had been intended to use four tanks to support the attack on the 25th however three came to grief: 753’s OIC was wounded, Capt Nixons tank (742) was Knocked Out by a shell, and 728 threw a track and failed to make the start point. The Divisional commander didn’t wish to attack without Tank support so the assault was postponed until the 26th. (S2.p26f)
Orders
Four tanks were to support 21st Division’s attack by eliminating the MG nest at Point 91, N32d.9.1. which had been causing heavy casualties to the British over the previous weeks.
Account of operations
The other tanks being out of action D4 attacked alone on the 26th. The tank drove out of Flers early on the 26th, drove to Gird Trench and turned right at N26c.4.5 where the 8th Leicesters had set up a trench block the previous evening. The tank drove along the trench, closely followed by a bombing party, the Germans were driven along the trench, eventually emerging at Point 91 where they were captured by the Guards Division. The tank thus enabled the capture of 1500 yards of Gird trench and the capture of 366 prisoners in the process. D4 may now have driven into Gueudecourt and engaged the Germans there before turning back. Whilst returning through Flers the tank ditched and was abandoned (W2) at N33a2.7 with a broken left track (WBA)
Summary
Intended: 4
At start: 1
Failed to Start:
Engaged enemy: 1
Ditched / Broke Down: 1
Hit and Knocked out:
Rallied: 0
Penetrated by AP bullets: 0
Note
Aftermath
541 - an attempt was apparently made by Lt Head to salve the tank on the 3rd October 1916, it si decrbed as "a tricky job", (WBA) it was presumably unsuccessful as the tank is not refereed to again.
728 is possibly the tank that failed to arrive to support and attack by the New Zealand Division on the 28th September (S2.p53). It may have broken down as it was handed over to 711 ASC, it was still ditched on approximately the 15th October.
It is is probably the male tank photographed derelict near Flers in 1918 as its position, N31a.8.2 (WBA) is the same as that given for 547 "Die hard" (WBA) which also appears in one of the photographs.
IWM Q46138: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205280267
IWM Q46139: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205280268
753 was at the Loop on 1st October, having got there via Green Dump (WBA) and had still not seen action by 7th October 1916.
D4 - an attempt was made to recover the tank but the tank threw both tracks and was thus abandoned.
X7.p23
Sources
W4 - D Company’s War Diary. Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum.
S2 - Pidgeon, Trevor (2012), Tanks on the Somme
S12 - Chris McCarthy. (1998), The Somme. The Day by Day Account. Brockhampton Press.
S16 - Flers & Gueudecourt (2002) Trevor Pidgeon
S22 - Staedman, Michael (1995), Thiepval, Leo Cooper P. 86ff