15 Company 20 September 1917

The Tanks at 3rd Ypres. 20th September 1917

15 Company, E Battalion with 174th Brigade, 58th Div, XVIII Corp, 5th Army

This was E Battalions First Action, and 15 company’s only action prior to Cambrai on 20th November 1917.

15 Company had 10 tanks in action on 20th September 1917. (W21)

9 Section

E41, 2349, m, “Elephant”, 2Lt Gower

E45, 2351, m, “Elles”, 2Lt Dawson,

11 Section

E43, 2587, “Eldorado”, 2Lt Bayliss

E51, 2817, f, “Egypt”,  2Lt Barringer

E52, 2350, m, “Etna”,  2Lt Testi

E53, 2846, f, “Eager”, 2Lt Shires

12 Section

E57, 2585, f   , “Enchantress”, 2Lt Ll Davies

E58, 2594, f , “Eastern”, 2Lt Atkinson

E59, 2590, f , “Empress”,    2Lt Whyte

E60, 2347, m , “Emperor”,  2Lt Griffiths

Orders (W5a)(W21)

11 Section and E41

E51 final objective:  Arbre.

E41, E53  final objective: Von Tirpitz Farm.

E52, E43 final objective: Stroppe Farm.

12 Section and E45

E57, E59, E45 to support 2/8th London Regiment, 174th Brigade, against Triangle Farm and Triangle redoubt; then attack NE towards Genoa and Hubner Farms.

E58, E60 to operate against strongpoint’s near Triangle about D1c.1.0

Account of Action

11 Section

E53 Broke down with radiator trouble prior to start, E43 was brought forward to replace her (W21).  E53 was successfully repaired and joined the other four tanks.

The section moved off from the starting point, C5d.9.1 [probably C6c.9.1], in single file at 5.20am. The tanks proceeded in the order E51, E41, E53, E52, E43. Almost immediately E51, E41 and E43 ditched; E52 returned and pulled out E43, but failed to extricate E41 which was subsequently hit and knocked out, one crewman being Killed (W5a). E51 was irretrievably ditched and was abandoned along with E41 at C6d.1.2. and C6d.5.0 respectively; E41 subsequently being handed over to salvage (W21). E43 remained ditched for 6 hours and thus did not get into action (W5a); eventually E52 and E43 returned to Canal Bank (W21) (W5a).

E53 meanwhile had ploughed onwards, ditching and unditching on the heavily crumped ground. By 11.20am she had reached c6c.9.2 [probably D1c.9.2] when her unditching gear was smashed off by a shell. The tank turned back and suffered a direct hit on her right hand side at about C6c.1.15 [probably D1c.1.15] (W5a) or C6c.5.c. (W21)

12 Section

E45 passed through St Julien at Zero hour, 5.40am; reached the cross roads at C6c.8.55 at 6.25. then carried on along the road running South East firing on the enemy at about 900yds range. It reached the crossroads at c6d.1.1 at 6.45 and found infantry held up at Triangle Redoubt, the road to the redoubt was blocked by the ditched E60 and E58, and a derelict tank (probably D27 knocked out on 27th August).  E45 turned to the south side and about 7am and fired about a dozen rounds at Triangle Redoubt, then stopped as a party of infantry advanced to assault the redoubt. The left sponson fired its Lewis Guns and two rounds of case shot at the enemy as they retired from the redoubt. The right sponson meanwhile fired two rounds of 6Pdr at an enemy MG 250yds away and destroyed it. E45 then proceeded in a North Easterly direction across country, becoming ditched and unditched several times; the right hand gunners fired ten to fifteen rounds at a fort whose occupants thus abandoned it and were rounded up by the infantry [presumably near Marine View]. At 7.45 the tank became irretrievable ditched at C6d.8.2, having lost its unditching beam earlier. The tank formed a strongpoint and covered the infantry (2/8th London) consolidating in Hubner trench until 11.15am when the tank was abandoned.

E57 and E59 Started at 1.45am and followed E45 from the starting point to St Julien. E57 then developed Autovac trouble and was delayed until 5.10am when she set off through St Julien down the Janet Farm road. Reached Jury Farm then turned left and passed cemetery on the right, thence ditched near Spot Farm (W5a) C12b.6.5 (W21) at 7.15am. The tank was held as a strongpoint until at least 1pm. OIC and 2 OR wounded (W5a). 

E59 Got stuck behind D Battalion tanks for an hour, eventually reached the Triangle one and a half hours late.  Infantry had already captured first and second objectives the tank supported the 3rd wave with machine Gun fire directed at small parties of the enemy to the infantry’s front.  The tank then became ditched (W5a) about C6d.5.0 (W21) close to E60, E58 and E45. The later managed to unditch, the other three tanks were subjected to heavy shellfire and were thus abandoned (W5a).

E58 and E60 moved from deploying point at 1am and reached St Julien at 4.15am, they got stuck behind two D Battalion tanks which delayed their arrival at the starting point until 6.50am. Infantry now pursuing retreating enemy; E58 Tank fired a few rounds of indirect fire, then, at 7.30am, ditched about C6d.5.0. E60 fired eight rounds from her left hand 6Pdr at Blunt Nose Redoubt then ditched at 6.45am [presumably 7.45am meant] (W5a) about C6d.8.0 (W21). As both tanks had had their Unditching gear blown away they were abandoned; E58 at 9am and E60 at 11.15am. (W5a) 

All but one of the thirty (sic) tanks allocated to support XVIII Corps ditched and failed to reach their objectives. the attack nevertheless succeeded. (OH) 

A vague and seemingly inaccurate account of “Eldorado’s” action is given by the tank’s driver, Pte Valentine Field in S41.p39ff.

Summary

intended: 10

At Start: 10

Failed to start: 0

Engaged enemy: 6

Ditched / Broke Down: 6

Hit and Knocked out: 2

Rallied: 2

Notes

Aftermath

E52, 2350, “Etna”; E45, 2351, “Elles”; E59, 2590, “Empress”;  - No further record. 

E53, 2846, “Eager” salvaged by the crew on 24 Sept 1917, no further record. 

E60, 2347, “Emperor”; E57, 2585, “Enchantress”; E58, 2594, “Eastern”; the battalion had failed to salvage these tanks by the 24 Sept 1917. 

E41, 2349, “Elephant” salvage attempt abandoned on 27 Sept 1917 as tank had received a direct hit. 

E43, 2587, “Eldorado” attempted to get into action on 21st September 1917. 

E51, 2817, “Egypt” must have been salvaged as she was sent from Central Workshops to 4th Tank Battalion in February 1918. 

Sources

W5a - E Battalion Tank Corps. Report on Operations September 20th 1917 (signed 26/09/1917). PRO WO 95/111

W21 –  1st Tank brigade War Diary – Relevant Battlegraph and report.

S41 - Richard Pullen (2008) Beyond the Green Fields

OH – Official History, 1917, Vol 2, Pg.268

   E Battalion 20 Sept 1917 - Map

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