Bullecourt, which the Australians had handed over to the British prior to their transfer, was lost once again in March 1918 before being liberated for good a few months later in September. This month is the 100-year anniversary of the first of two battles just east of the Hauts-de-France commune of Bullecourt. THE SECOND BATTLE FOR BULLECOURT. National Archives of Australia The First Battle of Bullecourt Primary Source Bullecourt On April 11, 1917, during World War 1, Australia attacked the German trenches, in the hope of taking over the In the following days the British and Australians were subjected to continuous shelling and, in some areas, the Germans attacked with flame-throwers. The 5th Brigade, cut to pieces by machine gun fire, was forced to withdraw before crossing the barbed wire and this brought to a halt the following waves of infantry. Gough reasoned that tanks would be able to lead the Australian cavalry through the barbed wire to take advantage of any breach in the enemy's line. The first Battle of Bullecourt was an unmitigated disaster that had the might of the German army mow down 3300 Australians with a barrage of bullets and explosives in just a few hours. In the following days the Australians strengthened their positions and dug a communication trench back to their home line to collect fresh munitions and evacuate the wounded. The battlefield was lit by bright moonlight, which made it very … The first battle on 11 April claimed more than 3,000 Australian casualties, a loss rate of 66 per cent from the 4 th Australian Division. The Second Battle of Bullecourt inflicted 7,000 more losses on the Australians with very little to show for the effort except for the capture of a minute portion of the Hindenburg Line. Hoping to take advantage of the Australian troop's disarray, the Germans launched an offensive at Quéant a few days later on 15 April. The 4th and 12th Brigades of the 4th Division were to carry out the assault east of Bullecourt supported by 12 British tanks which would take the place of an artillery ba… From that moment on till end of the war Australian forces in Europe received very few reinforcements.And yet in the course of 1917, after a dismally cold winter in the sodden trenches, Australia's soldiers suffered more heavy losses in the sector of Bapaume-Bullecourt and then in the quagmire of Passchendaele in Belgium. On 19 March 1917, during the German Army's withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line, the Australians entered the smouldering remains of the city of Bapaume. In addition to the forthcoming grand offensive at Arras, to be launched by the British 1st and 3rd Armies in early April 1917 as a prelude to the French offensive on Chemin des Dames Ridge, General Hubert Gough, chief of the British 5th Army to which the four Australian divisions belonged, proposed they should attack the narrow section of the front between the two strong points of the Hindenburg Line in the villages of Bullecourt and Quéant. The historical significance of each site is described in detai The following twenty-seven men were awarded for bravery during the 22nd Battalion’s involvement in the fighting during the Second Battle of Bullecourt on 3rd May 1917. Unsurprisingly Gough's improvised plans ended in disaster when he launched his infantry against the heavily fortified German line without proper artillery support... After an initial delay on 10 April to give the tanks time to arrive, the attack opened at dawn the following day. The Battleground Europe series of guides is designed for both the battlefield visitor and the armchair traveller. The Australians broke through the partially destroyed barbed wire entanglements, passing many of their comrades killed the month before and still lying in the mud. The two battles had a significant impact on the Australian Imperial Force. There has been much written about this Battle, so fuller accounts can easily be found online. While this objective was attained, casualties were high. They broke through the German line but at terrible cost, and they fought ferociously until – as suspected – they were hemmed in and forced to retreat. Today I had the privilege to walk through the battlefield of the Second Battle of Bullecourt; the battle that claimed the life of my great grandfather's brother, George Ethelburth Hubber.On May 3rd 1917, the 23rd Battalion, along with the 24Bn worked their way up through a small valley from the railway embankment south of Bullecourt… Instead, Bullecourt has a timeless, even haunting quality because its silence and stillness, and the subtle reminders of 1917 that remain, let the past speak. Australian lieutenant Wilfred Barlow, a volunteer, schoolteacher, husband and father of four, was killed at Bullecourt on 12 May, literally smashed to … The losses were so severe that a planned 6th Division of the AIF materialised only briefly before it was broken up to supply reinforcements. In the winter months of 1917, the Germans had withdrawn their men to what was known as the Hindenburg Line. 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