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The Tanks at Villers Bretonneux. 24th April 1918
NOTE: THIS PAGE CONTAINS SOME ERRORS AND WILL BE REVIEWED SOON AS NEW MATERIAL HAS BECOME AVAILABLE TO THE AUTHOR.
1st Battalion, with 8th Division, III Corp, 4th Army (OH)
A, Company, 1st Battalion had 5 MK IV tanks in action on 24th April 1918 (w1a)
A Company – Major Pearsall HG MC
12 Tanks (W1a)
1 Section (s43.p196) – Capt Brown JC (W1a)
A1, 4086, Male, 2Lt Mitchell F (s42.p196)
Female, Lt Hawthorne E (W1a)
Female, Lt Webber J (W1a)
Section – Lt CFS Grove (W1a)
Male – Lt Gibbons WC
Female – 2Lt Bell SC
Female
The following tanks were salved by No 2 field Salvage Company in May and June 1918 from the Villers Brettenoux (mostly Querrie Wood) area and were therefore presumably with 1st battalion:
2037, 2315, 2320, 2606, 2627, 2682, 2732, 2738, 2831, 2867, 4086, 4611, 4612, 6009
Notes:
On 16th April the crews painted the distinctive red and white aeroplane recognition marks on the top of the tank’s cabs (W1).
On 17th April 3 complete crews from “B” Company and 2 crews from “C” Company were sent to man “A” companies tanks, their crews having been affected by gas (W1a) whilst in the Bois d’Aquenne (H1) at O34a and O34c (W1a).
The Report contradicts itself stating that each section had one male and two female tanks, later stating that Lt Grove’s section had one male and one female tank. (W1a)
Mitchell states his tank was 4066 (S43.p196), but 4066 had been burnt out when with 5th Battalion on 22 March 1918. 4086 is mentioned numerous times in the war diary of No 2 field Salvage Company and is therefore a likely candidate for Mitchell's tank.
Orders
Captain Brown’s section in Bois de L’Abbe O32.c.5.? (W1a)
The other three sections all in reserve in tankodrome T4a. (W1a)
Account of Operations
24th April
At 1:00am on the 24th Capt Brown withdrew his section to U1a.8.4 as the wood was being heavily gas shelled.
At 8:30am Capt. Brown was ordered by GOC 23rd infantry brigade to take his tanks forward and patrol the Cauchy Switch in U3b and U3c. The tanks reached this location by 9:30 when an enemy tank was seen in u4c (W1a), this tank was A7V 561 “Nixe”, OIC Lt Biltze (S6.p19f) which immediately fired on Lt Hawthorne’s and Lt Webber’s female tanks which fired back with their MGs, about 10am both tanks were hit and damaged by “Nixe” and thus withdrew. Meanwhile 2Lt Mitchell had been firing at “Nixe”, at 10am a second enemy tank, presumably the A7V commanded by Lt Muller-Albert, appeared about U4 central and started firing on 2Lt Mitchell’s tank. 2Lt Mitchell manoeuvred his tank into a good firing position and, at 10:15am, managed to hit “Nixe” three times (s43.p196), this tank was then abandoned by its crew. 2Lt Mitchell continued to manoeuvre whilst firing on the four enemy tanks that were now visible (W1a), two of the German tanks, Lt Muller Albert and 525, “Siegfried”, Lt Bitter now withdrew (H1) (S6.p15) (S43.p114f), the fate and identity of the fourth tank is not recorded.Lt Mitchell was able to watch as seven 3rd Battalion Whippets now attacked and routed two German infantry Battalions forming up 1000yds east of Cauchy U3d and u9b (S43.p194) (W3a), unnoticed by Lt Mitchell “Siegfried” engaged the whippets, and claimed to knock out three (S43.p114f). 2Lt Mitchell continued to patrol after the Whippets withdrew and was fired on by an A7V (S43.p114f), presumably “Siegfried” which remained on the field until 3:45pm,though its main gun had broken whilst engaging the Whippets (S42.p113f) . Just before 1am 2Lt Mitchell’s tank was hit (S43.p114f) and KO by an enemy artillery shell (W1a)
The official history states the two other German tanks (i.e. Lt Muller-Albert’s and “Siegfried” were both disabled, one crew fleeing and the other surrendering. This does not agree with the account in “Tanks and Trenches”. (S42.p103f)
The official history also states that the four knocked out whippets were hit by artillery fire, this also doesn't agree with the German sources quoted in “Tanks and Trenches” (S42.p103f)
At 8:40am Lt Grove was ordered to take his tanks (a male and a female) to O26b which he reached at 12:30pm. At 1:00pm the tanks went into action on the northern side of the railway. At 1:30pm Lt Gibbon’s tank was hit by artillery and KO at O27b.5.9. Lt Bell’s tank met the 1st Worcester’s at O27b.6.2, at their request he withdrew as they complained he was drawing enemy fire. Lt Grove sent Lt Bell forward again to deal with the situation in O29a and O29c, Lt Bell entered the village where he fired on numerous enemy MGs which were firing on the tank from the buildings. Four of the tanks MGs were put out of action (W1a), the OIC and three crew wounded (OH) and the tanks crew feeling the effects of enemy gas, the tank withdrew and reached British lines at 4:30pm. (W1a)
Notes
The War Diary states 4086 was knocked out at midday, the later hour given by Lt Mitchell is used above as it better agrees with the accounts of the Whippets and A7Vs.
Summary
Total Tanks: 5
Failed to Start:
Engaged enemy:
Ditched / Broke Down: 1
Hit and Knocked out: 2
Rallied: 3
Note:
Rallied includes the two damaged female tanks
Aftermath
Some of the surviving tanks fought again on the 25th.
2606 was handed from 2 Field Salvage Company to A (sic) Battalion on the 3 May 1918.
In addition the following tanask were salved by No 2 field Salvage Company in May and June 1918 from the Villers Brettenoux (mostly Querrie Wood) area and were therefore presumably with 1st battalion:
2037, 2315, 2320, 2627, 2682, 2732, 2738, 2831, 2867, 4086, 4611, 4612, 6009
Sources
W1– 1st Battalion’s War diary. Transcription from Bovington Tank Museum
W1a – HQ 3rd Tank Brigade. Report on operations South of the river Somme from 24th April 1918, to 26th April 1918 in PRO WO 95 / 109
H1 – 1st Battalion’s War History. Transcription from Bovington Tank Museum
OH – Official History 1918 Vol II Chap XXI, pg 881ff
S6 - German Panzers 1914- 1918 (2006) Steven J Zaloga
S42 – Tanks and Trenches (2001) David Fletcher
S43 - Tank Warfare (1933, 1987 edition), Frank Mitchell MC
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