23 November 1917 E Battalion

The Tanks at Cambrai. 23rd November 1917

Composite Company, E Battalion, with 107th Brigade, 36th Division, 3rd Army

E Battalion had 11 tanks in action on 23rd November 1917 (W1tb)

Company Commander Maj.

1st Phase [13 Company]

?? Section. Capt Tatnell

4507, 2Lt Ball

Exterminator, 2Lt Green

?? Section. Capt Roberts in Explorer

Eclipse II, m, Lt Tripe

Explorer, m, 2Lt Lenard

?? Section. Unknown commander.

2815, Escapade, f, 2Lt Black

Eradicator II, 2Lt Briant

2nd Phase 

[14 Company]

?? Section. Capt Bagshaw

Esme, 2Lt Johnson

Eve, 2Lt Fairbank

Eileen II, 2Lt Carter

[15 Company]

?? Section. Lt Battersby

Eager, 2Lt Bayliss

Essex, 2Lt Gower

Eager is named Eager II on the 20th November Battlegraphs

Orders

First phase, Zero 10:30 (W8.9RIR p9)

Two platoons B Company 8/9 Royal Irish rifles were to attack Lock 5 (W8.9RIR p9)

Escapade and Eradicator II: Objective: Starting from E27c.3.9. to work up Canal Trench to Lock No: 5 (W1tb p102)

Two platoons, one from B Company and one from D Company 8/9 Royal Irish rifles were to attack Round trench. (W8.9RIR p9) B company 10 RIR in support (W10RIR p51)

Eclipse and Explorer: Objective: Starting from E27b.3.5. Objective: Round Trench E of E21 Central. (W1tb p102)

15th Royal Irish Rifles on the right supported by 10th RIR to take Hindenburg support line to E15c.3.1 (W8.9RIR p9) This was a continuation of the attack made by the 15th RIR the previous day when they had failed to take some strong points before their objective (W10RIR p51) (W15 RIR p7)

Two tanks (4507 and Exterminator (W1tb p102)) to start between Hindenburg trenches due east of E22 central (E22a.5.50) at Zero (10.30am) and proceed to work northwards and westward between the trenches until the canal was reached. A company 15 RIR was to follow 100 yads behind the tanks and cooperate with them, mopping up and picketing all strong points in the Hindenburg system up to the canal. (W15RIRo p7)

Second phase Zero 1pm

The reminder of the 8.9 Royal Irish Rifles was to move from the trenches north of the Cambrai Bapaume road to assembly positions in the Hindenburg support E21b.1.6 to E22b0.3. they were then to attack and consolidate quarry wood in cooperation with the 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers on their left (W8.9RIR p9)

Eager and Essex. Objective: Quarry Wood (W1tb p102)

The 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers were to leave their trenches in E27b at 12:10pm to move to their assembly positions. (W1RIF p49)

Esme, Eve and Eileen II. Objective: Double Trenches in E15 central and E19c (or E9c).

All five 2nd phase tanks and survivors of 1st wave to mop up continuation of Hobart Street.

Account of Operations

First phase

On 107th Brigade's left the 8/9 RIR took Round Trench and Lock No 5 but were unable to advance any further due to determined enemy opposition. On the Brigade's right one tank was ditched [4507] and the other lost direction [Exterminator], thus the attack of 15th RIR was held up by MG fire. (W107b, p56).

[Exterminator] arrived 15 minutes late, A Company RIR started to follow it but it veered off eastward towards Bourlon wood. This left A company unsupported and surrounded by enemy strongpoints. One strongpoint at E22d.8.8 was taken and held, then others remained in German hands the infantry suffered under fire from them until they withdraw at dusk. (W15RIRn p12)

Escapade advanced along Canal Trench until Lock 5 was reached, it then advanced on Round Trench but was hit and set afire about E21a.79. Whilst sheltering in shell holes two Other Ranks were killed and another three seriously wounded. Left on field. (W1tb p103ff)

Eradicator II reached Lock 5 and quelled enemy there until 1pm however the infantry refused to advance and occupy the position. The tank then advanced with tanks from 15 Company towards Quarry Wood via Round Trench, it finally stopped between Round Trench and Hindenburg support and fired on the later until dusk when it rallied. (W1tb p103ff)

Eclipse II suffered a Direct Hit at about E21d central and left on field. OIC and 3 Other Ranks killed, 3 Other Ranks wounded. (W1tb p103ff)

Explorer forced the enemy in Round Trench to surrender, but they picked up their rifles and resumed firing when the British infantry refused to advance; with four crewmen wounded and being out of ammunition Explorer now returned to resupply and then set off again but was recalled by the Company Commander due to the gathering darkness. (W1tb p103ff)

4507. Ditched at start in a communication trench. Rallied. (W1tb p103ff)

Exterminator. Lost direction, proceeded towards E17a and disappeared (W1tb p102), it was later determined that it had been hit and burnt out, only 3 other ranks surviving (H5).  This is presumably the tank that Maj WHL Watson of "D" Battalion mentions being hit and set afire on the ridgeline (S62.p90) George Edwards, who commanded "Dalliance" on this date, annotated a copy of Watson's work and states this was an "E" battalion tank (S62a))

Second phase

Round trench was still in enemy hands when the five Second Wave tanks set off at 10.20am. (H5)

The failure of the 10th and 15th RIR on the right meant the infantry detailed for the second phase came under heavy fire whilst moving forward to their assembly positions. The 8.9 Royal Irish rifles reached a line E21b2.2 to E22a.8.1 where they lay down in the open (W8.9RIR p9)

The 1 Royal Irish Fusiliers left their trenches in E27b at 12:10pm to move to their assembly positions. They immediately came under heavy MG fire, a tank told them a strongpoint on the road leading to their assembly positions had not fallen.  The Fusiliers attacked the strongpoint, only three officers and thirty other ranks reached the German wire on the main position; 8 officers and 225 other ranks having become casualties. (W1RIF p49) This is the only mention of tanks in the Fusiliers war diary on this date.

The 8.9 RIR and the Fusiliers were withdrawn at 4:25pm, Lock 5 and round trench were held. (W8.9RIR p9)

The first group of second wave tanks Eileen II, Eve and Esme all engaged the enemy in Round trench. The three tanks crossed the front line of Round Trench and then went up and down along the trench firing at the enemy. The trench being cleared of enemy infantry the tanks signalled for the infantry to come on, but the infantry were pinned down; at least partially by fire from Moeuvres on the far side of the Canal. Esme proceeded towards Lock 5 then turned back to Round Trench and became ditched at about E21a.3.8. [possibly E21d.3.8], Eileen II ditched in the German front line sometime after Esme, both tanks were attacked by parties of German bombers who killed one of Eileen II’s crew and wounded four others. Eileens II was Unditched after about half an hour but then suffered three direct hits and was set afire. Esme’s crew were assisted by Eve which stayed at Round Trench but the British infantry still refused to advance. At some time after 3pm Eve was rolling out [flattening] some wire when it suffered a direct hit and was set afire at E21b.3.0. (W1tb p102 and 104)

Eileen II attacked SE of Moeuvres. The first wave failed to take its objective so he advanced on Round Trench, crossing and re crossing the system many times under fire, inflicting many casualties and crushing the wire. the tank became ditched for 90 minutes in the German front line. the enemy were held at bay with the tanks MGs. The tank was eventually unditched but not before the corporal was killed and two other crew members wounded. The tank was unditched but was then hit three times and set afire. The crew sheltered in a shell hole for three hours before retiring to Graincourt (H5) (W1tb p103ff)

The other group d of 2nd Wave tanks Eager and Essex both crossed over both trenches of the Hindenburg Support Line and drove along the rear line engaging the enemy.  Essex was hit and knocked out at about E21 central, the Officer and one Other Rank were killed, two Other Ranks were wounded and four others were missing.  Eager’s fuel tank was holed so the tank returned to rally at 6.30pm. (H5) (W1tb p103ff)

Gibot and Gorczynski (S37.p98ff) quote the tanks’ account of their actions contained in the Summary of operations (W1tb). These appear to be taken from the (missing) Battle History Sheets.

Summary

Intended: 11

Reserve: 0

At Start: 11

Started: 10

Engaged enemy:  10

Ditched / Broke Down: 1

Hit and Knocked out: 6

Rallied: 3

Note:  4507 also rallied after being unditched after dark.

Aftermath

Escapade was photographed in German hands:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/2184828321/in/set-72157601074582281/

http://wwimodeller.co.nz/category/6-interesting-photos/1-land/#jp-carousel-14298

Eve was photographed in German hands:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/2918617119/in/set-72157601074582281/

Eclipse II was photographed whilst derelict, presumably in German hands:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/2919458930/in/set-72157601074582281/

Eileen, Eclipse and Eve were all photographed close together by the Germans: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7700258@N05/2919462348/in/set-72157601074582281/

30th November and 1st December 1917 

"E" Battalion deployed their remaining tanks as mobile strong points on the 30th November; they did not see action (H5). 

"E" and "D" battalions were supposed to deploy a fourteen tank composite company to support the attack of the 3rd Guards brigade on the 1st December 1917, however this company did not get into action because the "E" Battalion tanks got lost and the "D" Battalion tanks could not obtain petrol. (OH.p240) As indicated above "E" Battalion's War Diary and War History make no mention of this attempted action.

Sources

W21= 1st Brigade Tank Corps Summary of Operations 20th to 23rd November in the 1st Tank Brigade War Diary. download from PRO:  WO-95-98-7 p101f

H5 – History of the 5th Tank Battalion. Transcript from Bovington Tank Museum and download from PRO:  WO-95-111-2 p16ff

S37 - Following the Tanks, Cambrai. (1999) Jean-Luc Gibot and Phillippe Gorczynski

S62 - A Company of Tanks (1919) WHL Watson

S62a - A Company of Tanks (1919) WHL Watson, with annotations by George Edwards, OIC "Dalliance", information courtesy of Stephen Pope.

W107b -107th Infantry Brigade War Diary, download from PRO: WO 95-2502-1

W1RIF – 1 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers War Diary, download from PRO: WO 95-2502-2 p49

W9.9RIR – 8/9 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers War Diary, download from PRO: WO-95-2503-3 p9

W10 RIR – 10 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers War Diary, download from PRO: WO-95-2503-4 p51

W15RIR – 15 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers War Diary,

W15RIRo – 15 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers Operational Order No.30 download from PRO: WO-95-2503-6 p7f

W15RIRn – 15 Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers Narrative covering operations 29th to 27th November 1917 download from PRO: WO-95-2503-6 p11ff

NOTES

E Battalion’s War Diary. Transcription from Bovington Tank Museum (W5) does not contain the reports pertinent to this action.

107th Infantry Brigade's November 1917 Appendixes are not in WO 95-2502-1

  E Battalion 23 Nov 1917 Map

Cambrai Narratives