3rd Battalion, 24 April 1918
The Tanks at Villers Bretonneux. 24th April 1918
3rd Battalion, with 8th Division, III Corp, 4th Army (OH)
X Company, 3rd Battalion had 7 Whippet tanks in action on 24th April 1918 (w3a)
H Section – Lt Hore
A286, "Crustacean III", Lt Hore
A255, 2Lt Roberts
A244, 2Lt Ritchie
A256, 2Lt Dale
E Section – 2Lt Elsbury
A233, "Crossmichael", 2Lt Elsbury
A236, "Crawick", 2Lt Oldham
A277, "Centaur III", Sgt Parrott
Note:
Tank names correct for 5th August, they were probably not used in April. (W3).
A277 had a "P" on the turret, the first letter of the commanders name. (S42.p106) Presumably all the tanks were similarly marked.
Background
"X" company was formed from tanks in brigade reserve on 19th April 1918 the crews being drawn from "B" Company 3rd battalion which had been fighting as a Lewis Gun Company since the start of the German offensive. (H3)
"C" Company 9th battalion crews were transferred to 3rd tank battalion on the 16th April, a like number of 3rd battalion personnel being transferred to 9th battalion. (W23)
Orders
At 10:20am the Company was ordered to ascertain and clear up the situation in front of Cauchy (w3a)
Account of Operations
The tanks set off at 10:30am, (s42.p103f) moved around the North and East of Cauchy (w3a) and, having liaised with the infantry (Northampton’s) and determined the presence and location of two battalions of enemy infantry, Capt Price put the seven whippets in Line about 50 yards apart (s42.p103f) . They then charged southwards over a crest and into the two enemy battalion massing in U3 and U9, the tanks moved amongst the enemy, killing an estimated 400 of them and scattering the others.(w3a) German accounts do not give such heavy losses but do acknowledge the German 77th Reserve Division fell back about 1,000M before the counter attacking infantry and Whippets (S73.p29). Two enemy tanks were spotted (w3a) A7V 525 “Siegfried” and, probably A7V 504 "Schnuck" (S73.p29) commanded by Lt Muller Albert, and they fired on the Whippets (S43.p114f), (233, 236, 255 and 286 BHS all record they were fired on by an enemy tank (95-93)), A7V 504 "Schnuck" did not see the Whippets but A7V 525 “Siegfried” claimed to hit three of the four that were hit (S73.p29) (S43.p114f), though the commander of a nearby German Guards field battery claimed to have hit all 4 tanks (S73.p29) and the Whippet's company commander also put the losses down to artillery hits. (w3a) (OH) Three Whippets were knocked out and a fourth damaged (95-93)
From Summary of battle history Sheets:
244 fired 250 MG rounds and shot or ran over a large number of MGs (95-93) but was knocked out at U3c8.3 (w3a) its OIC was wounded (95-93)
255 fired 300 MG rounds and inflicted severe casualties on dense advancing waves of hostile infantry. Was shot at by a hostile tank but was not hit (95-93). The tank was knocked out at U9b.2.6 r. (w3a), one crewman was wounded (95-93).
256 was burnt out at U4d9.5. (w3a), inside the German lines, (95-93). The OIC was killed and the two crewmen captured (H3)
236 fired 250 Mg rounds, killed a number of enemy in shell holes, was shot at by a hostile tank, was damaged but rallied (95-93), its OIC wounded (W3) this tank was not in action on the 25th (95-93)
The remaining three tanks were all in action for about two and half hours and rallied (95-93).
233 fired 500mg rounds and was shot at by a hostile tank, it also rescued another tank crew (95-93); this incident may have been observed by Frank Mitchell (S43.p194)
277 fired 200 MG rounds, shot or ran over a large number of enemy MGs. One Crewman was wounded (95-93).
286 fired 500 MG rounds and was shot at by a hostile tank (95-93).
The surviving tanks rallied at 2:30pm (s42.p106)
Note:
Capt Price later stated that only one whippet was lost, to a battery positioned in Hangard Wood (S42.p105). This does not agree with the accounts given just after the action (W3a) (95-93)
Summary
Total Tanks: 7
Failed to Start:
Engaged enemy:
Ditched / Broke Down:
Hit and Knocked out: 3
Rallied: 4
Note:
The report (W3a) indicates four tanks were knocked out this presumably includes 236.
Aftermath
233, 277 and 286 fought on the 25th April. (W3a)
236 was back with the battalion by 8th August (W3)
244 and 256 were both recovered by No 2 Salvage Company; they were initially unable to locate 256, but eventually did so. (W42)
255 is not mentioned in the sources again
Sources
W3 – 3rd Battalion’s War Diary. Transcription from Bovington Tank Museum
W3a –3rd Light Tank Battalion. Operations of “X” Company near Cauchy on 14th and 15th April 1918 in PRO WO 95 / 106
W23 - 3rd Tank Brigade War Dairy Appendices in PRO 95 / 105
95-93 – Summary of Battle History Sheets of No. 3 Battalion Tank Corps in PRO WO 95 / 93
H3 – 3rd Battalion’s War History – in PRO WO 95 / 104
OH – Official History 1918 Vol II Chap XXI, pg 392f
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
S73 - Sturmpanzer A7V (2010) Rainer Strasheim and Max Hundleby