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[Page 17]
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Patrols continued to work forward during the morning. The fighting of the previous day had proved too much for the Hun and it was evident that the backbone of his defence in this location at least was thoroughly broken. By noon the whole of the HINDENBURG Line and the mound of the Canal Tunnel were in our hands, with patrols working Eastwood towards LE CATELET, which was still strongly held by the enemy and where several 77 mm batteries were in action.
During the heavy fighting of the two previous days, the various battalions had been considerably disorganised. Re-organisation was at once taken in hand and at the same time preparations were made to continue the advance and capture LE CATELET and GOUY. Orders were received however, that no further advance would be made for the present; all ground that had been won was to be consolidated and the troops rested as much as possible. On the night of the 2nd. the various battalions of the Division were relieved by British troops and returned to their concentration areas of the 27th Sept., after having carried out to a successful finish one of the most difficult and glorious feats ever attempted throughout its fighting experience.
The whole operation was unique of its kind and presented many difficulties, both as regards policy and tactics. In the first place the leading battalions were met by strong opposition 4000 yards before reaching their proposed jumping-off line. The weather was misty and observation difficult, and although it was impossible to discover the nature or reason for the failure of the original plans, there was little confusion and the best was made of a situation which, in the hands of less experienced troops, might easily have spelt disaster. In the later phase, our troops had to attack an enemy fully prepared and expecting the continuance of the advance, over open country covered with wire, without the aid of tanks or artillery, and hampered day and night by the fact that parties of Americans were known to be lying up in shell-holes, and thus often in doubt as to whether the dark forms ahead were those of friend or foe. The fight in the HINDENBURG Line was an infantrymans' battle and one where sheer fighting qualities were able to carry them successfully through that which, according to all the laws of war, would have spelt annihilation.