Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 117
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[Page 117]
August. It was then explained to us in full with aerial photographs of the ground to be covered also maps. The stunt was to open up on a front of 22 kilos. There would be 2 tanks per Battalion and a supply tank. The barrage would last 3 minutes; the first salvoes sent over being H,E, and the rest shrapnel, so that the tanks could advance amongst it they moving forward as soon as the barrage opened up and the men a couple of minutes after, so that they would be right on Fritz before he had time to fight. The barrage was to be the heaviest in the history of the world, for the shortness of duration, and the length of front.
Our Brigade the 5th was to give the ,"Kick off"', to the stunt and the usual leap frog methods were to be employed; the 19th and 20th batts forming the first and second waves the 18th and 17th the 3rd and 4th waves 2 companys of each in a wave. We were to take up our position near the C,T, to the outpost and our objective was along the Amiens Cambrai road and to the right, 4300 yards ahead, near the village of Wharfusee Albancourt. Before we reached the objective the 60 pounders would put a barrage on it to soften the ground. At 10 oclock the 5th division was to go through us to an objective 6 kilos further on.