6 Battalion 23 August 1918
The Battle of Albert. 23rd August 1918
6 Battalion, with the 2nd Division, VI Corp, 3rd Army (OH)
6 Battalion had 15 tanks in action on 23rd August 1918 (H6):
A Company – Maj. Vandervell F
6 tanks (H6)
Section - Capt Lees J
A287, Capt Lees J
A289, Lt George R Reed
A294, 2Lt Pollitt
A351, Lt Black J
A360, Lt Muir
A363, 2Lt Innes
C Company – Capt Chapman AR
Section - Capt Morton MC
4 tanks including
A296, 2Lt Cummings
A334, Capt Morton MC
And two form those listed below
Section – 5 tanks from those listed below.
A339, 2LT Murrey JW
A333,
A349, 2Lt Bromley, FF
A350,
A356, 2Lt Millar W
A338,
A361,
Notes
A294 is also given the serial number A394, A294 is the more likely.
A287 was photographed being washed, presumably prior to the action http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/4699888610/
A289's OIC from a first edition of the 6th Tank Battalion War History annotated by George Reed. Information courtesy of Stephen Pope.
Orders
Gomiecourt had been captured in the morning of the 23rd by the 3rd Division supported by the 12th Tank Battalion the whippets were to exploit and support the 2nd Division in the capture of Ervillers, Behagnies and Sapignies. (H6)
“A” Company: Support 1st Kings and 2nd South Staffs (H6) of the 6th Infantry Brigade (OH). Three whippets to attack north of Evillers village and three to the south with the 2nd South Staffs. (H6)
“C” Company: Supported the 5th Infantry Brigade (OH).
Account of Operations
The Whippets left Monchy-au-Bois at 6am and met the infantry on the Blue Line at 8:30am. (H6)
“A” Company went with the 1st Kings and 2nd South Staffs to the starting point east of the Railway. A351 broke down (H6) at A10d.3.2. (W6) just before reaching the start point, while attempting repairs Lt Black was fatally wounded and Capt Atherton, the company engineer wounded. (H6)
Five tanks thus advanced, zig-zagging to ensure all MGs were found and silenced. The enemy fled from their trenches when the tanks approached and were thus shot down in the open, the infantry captured Ervillers by 12.05, the 1st Kings consolidated to the left of the village and the 2nd South Staffs to the right. The tanks went east of the village and covered the consolidation; A287 and A363 were both hit and burnt out at B13d.8.7 (H6). A363’s crew were all wounded, A287’s driver was wounded and missing, the wounded OIC was killed when he went to try and find him. (H6)
The infantry finished consolidating so the three surviving Whippets turned back, A360 and A294 were both hit and knocked out about 1000yds right of Ervillers (H6) , A360 at B10c.9.5 (W6) the crew were wounded (H6), A294 at B19d.6.7 (W6) had one crewman killed, the OIC was wounded and the third crewman shellshocked. A289 rallied (H6) and saw action again before rallying a second time (H6a)
“C” Company met their infantry north of Courcelles (H6) on the Blue Line at A9 central (W6) at 8:30am and then moved at 10:10am towards the railway which they crossed (H6) at G28 central at 11:00am in advance of the infantry (W3) in line of sections between Gomiecourt and Logeast Wood. Just after crossing the railway A334 and A296 were knocked out (H6) at H28a.5.5 (W6) by an AT gun hidden in the supposedly cleared railway embankment; A296 OIC and one crewman were severely wounded; A334’s driver was killed, the gunner wounded and the OIC shellshocked. (H6)
The barrage was slower than originally planned (H6) being 150yds a minute, too fast for the infantry and too slow for the tanks (OH). The remaining seven Whippets left the starting point at 11am, passed to the south of Gomiecourt intending to join the 5th Infantry Brigade to the south east of the village. The tanks stopped in the dead ground north of Achiet le Grand; A339 was ordered to the rallying point as the OIC and Sergeant had both been wounded and the driver had been fighting alone. (H6)
The remaining six Whippets were split into three pairs. (H6)
Some of the tanks passed through the British barrage and engaged large numbers of the enemy who had scattered into the open, inflicting many casualties (H6)
A338 and A361 were ordered to work towards Behagnies, both came under heavy MG fire. (H6) These were the only two tanks which carried out their original orders and thus supported the infantry attack on Behagnies, unfortunately they were insufficient to suppress the MG fire which stopped the infantry attack 1000 yds short of the objective (OH)
Heavy MG fire was directed on the tanks from the right about 200yds east of Achiet-le-Grand. Four tanks turned south to deal with the MGs and thus supported 99th Brigades attack (OH)
A333 and A349 advanced around the left side to the east side of Bihucourt, where they captured three field guns and inflicted many casualties. Both tanks then went to Sapignies but were not followed by the infantry and came under heavy MG fire, they thus returned and rallied. (H6)
A356 and A350 were ordered to go via the cross roads, round triangular copse, in front of Behagnies and Sapignies. The tanks failed to reach this point; A356 was hit and disabled, A350 broke down. (H6)
The tanks did succeed in helping the 99th brigade cut off a large number of the enemy who were north of Achiet le Grand and Bihucourt resisting the attack of the 6th Brigade (OH); these troops surrendered to the infantry. The appearance of the tanks in the enemy’s rear allowed the KRR to get through Achiet le Grand with little loss. (H6)
By 6pm the enemy had taken up a new line running through Bihucourt towards Behignes; the infantry dug in on the line G4 9.1 – G6b central (W6) and the Whippets rallied in F11c central (W6).
Summary
Total Tanks: 15
Failed to Start: 1
Engaged enemy:
Ditched / Broke Down: 1
Hit and Knocked out: 7
Rallied: 6
Notes
Hit and Knocked out includes A356.
Aftermath
A356 was towed back to the rallying point.
Sources
H6 – 6th Battalion War History, (1919) Naval and Military Press
H6a - 6th Tank Battalion War History, first edition, annotated by George Reed. Information courtesy of the current owner, Stephen Pope .
W6 – 6th Battalion War Diary. Transcript from BovingtonTank Museum.
OH – Official History, 1918, Vol. 4, pg.225f