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[Page 5]
(2).
4. To permit of this concentration, and as they were to take no part in the battle, all personnel of the 65th. American Brigade were withdrawn from the Line and reported to their Brigade at ALLONVILLE on night 4th/5th, August.
5. The 9th. and 10th. Field Coys. A.E., with 3rd. Aust. Pioneer Battalion were allotted for duty under the C.E. Corps, from 6th. August, - two Coys. of the 2nd. Aust. Pioneer Battalion being placed at the disposal of G.O.C. 3rd. Aust. Division from the same day.
6. The attack was to be carried out by the 9th. and 11th. Inf. Brigades, the 9th. Inf. Brigade being on the South and the 11th. Inf. Brigade on the North; inter-brigade boundary is shown on Map "A".
7. The 9th. Inf. Brigade was to attack with two battalions in line, the 33rd. Battalion on the right and 35th. Battalion on the left, and the 34th. Battalion in support. The attack was to be launched in two waves of two lines each, and the Support Battalion was to follow with two Coys. in rear of the right flank of 33rd. Battalion and two Coys. in rear of the left flank of 35th. so that the weight of the attack would fall on the flanks of the WOOD. In case the troops moving through the Wood should be held up after the main attack had passed around the flanks, Lieut.-Colonel MORSHEAD, D.S.O. (who was in charge of the operations for the capture of ACCROCHE WOOD) had the right to call on a battalion of the 10th. Inf. Brigade (37th Battalion). This battalion was to be ready to encircle the Wood, two Coys. passing around the North and two Coys. around the South, and then attack it from the East.
8. The 11th. Inf. Brigade was to attack with two battalions in line (44th. and 42nd. from right to left). The 41st. Battalion, plus one Coy. of 43rd. Battalion, was to be in Support, and the 43rd. Battalion, less one Coy., was to be in Reserve. Upon reaching a line about 200 yards East of the GAILLY-WARFUSEE Road in Q.l.b., Q.7.a, and c., and P.18. b. (which line was well marked by the steep re-entrant LONG Valley and by the Cross-roads in P.7.a. and the Village of GAILLY); the 41st Battalion, plus one Coy. of 43rd. Battalion, was to leapfrog through the 44th. Battalion and, with the 42nd. Battalion, continue the advance and consolidate the GREEN Line.
Attached to the 42nd. Battalion were to be two platoons of the 39th. Battalion (10th. Inf. Brigade) who were to establish liaison with III Corps North of the River SOMME, and follow along the North bank to ensure that any machine gun nests were dealt with, and that the North flank of the 42nd. Battalion was protected.
9. - For the operation the 3rd.Aust. Machine Gun Battalion was to be disposed as follows:-
Eight guns of each of the 9th. and 11th. Coys. were to move with the 9th. and 11th. Inf. Brigades respectively in the attack as "Opportunity" guns. The 3rd. Aust. Machine Gun Battalion, less the above 16 guns and plus one coy. of the 4th. Aust.Machine Gun Battalion, from ZERO till limit of range was reached, were to be employed on barrage work. At ZERO plus 4 hours each of the 9th. 10th. and 11th. Machine Gun Coys. were to come under the command of the Brigades as which they are affiliated, and the 23rd. Machine Gun Coy. was to become Divisional Reserve.
10. "B" Coy. of 13th. Tank Battalion was to operate with the 9th. Inf. Brigade and "C" Coy. of the same Battalion with the 11th. Inf. Brigade.
One Supply Tank was to be allotted to each of the 9th. and 11th. Inf. Brigades; but, unfortunately,the one allotted to the
P.T.O.