The British Second Army now took over the principal role from the Fifth. General Sir Herbert Plumer decided to advance along the high ground in three short steps, with intervals long enough to enable guns and supplies to be moved forward. In these battles the Gordon Highlanders were engaged, either in the Second Army or in the supporting attacks of the Fifth on its left.
The first of the battles was fought on September 20th. Whereas the earlier fighting of the First World War had been confined to a very narrow zone and farmers were to be seen at work in the fields within a couple of miles of the enemy, the struggle had now taken on a broader aspect. The enemy used his long-range artillery to good effect. His aircraft bombed the camps behind Ypres and caused many casualties, particularly among horses in the transport lines. He used mustard-gas shell in vast quantities, and in wet, windless weather this would render ground, especially in hollows, dangerous for well over twenty-four hours.
Characteristically, Major-General Harper, commanding the 51st Division, decided to carry out his attack with a single brigade on a front which broadened to about 2,000 yards on the final objective. He was always inclined to attack in thinner formation than was customary, but now he had the additional incentive to doing so that the enemy's defence was largely governed by the amount of shelter in concrete blockhouses available. On the other hand, the enemy would use troops thickly in counter-attacks, so that the divisional commander had to be ready to support his leading troops quickly. Fortunately the ground was drier, though, of course, cut to pieces by fire. September was generally a fine month. The volume of artillery support was enormous. In the creeping barrage the no. 3 guns of each battery fired smoke shell. Special barrages, including 6-in. howitzers and 60-pdrs. were laid beyond it, dwelling on all known strong points and working up and down communication trenches. In the infantry a special body of troops was allotted to each blockhouse, first to take it, then to hold it.
The front faced the village of Poelcappelle, which, however, lay beyond the objective of this offensive, only some 1,200 yards.
The leading battalions of the 154th Brigade secured their objectives, but only after heavy fighting. The experience of July 31st was repeated. Platoons or even sections of the Highlanders manoeuvred and fought for every strong point. They met with tenacious and even heroic resistance, but time and time again they prevailed. They lost heavily, however. By the time the 7th Argylls and 4th Gordon Highlanders went through to take the final objective, they had both already been involved in savage fighting for the remains of the German third line east of the Steenbeek and had suffered severely.
Three fortified farms in particular, Malta House, Delta House and Rose Farm, gave the Gordons great trouble. When the final objective was reached it was found that the six platoons upon it did not average much more than ten men apiece and three officers all told. The battalion also had to deal with a problem often faced by the 51st Division, an open flank. The division on the left was 1,000 yards in rear, and the Gordons had to cover half this distance with their own reserves. The first counter-attacks were made against the company allotted this duty, but both were small and were promptly wiped out. A tank which had progressed along the Poelcappelle road and had then broken down and been abandoned by the crew was put to the best possible use. A corporal kept its 6-pdr. in action; its Lewis guns were used either from it or from trenches; its reserve of ammunition was distributed ; and the company commander made it his headquarters.
Another counter-attack at 3 p.m. was stopped. At 5.30 however, the enemy advanced in great strength and so rapidly that the British barrage fell behind him. He was fought and held till the ammunition supply gave out. Then at last the front cracked and men streamed rearwards. For a time it looked as though all that had been won on the left flank was lost. However, officers—in some cases sent up to fill gaps—rallied the troops and led them back. The former front could not be re-established, but a satisfactory one was organized and held. Two days later a major German counter-offensive at this point was routed with heavy loss. The exact casualties of the 4th Gordons are not given.
Bron: The life of a regiment vol.IV the Gordon Highlanders in the First World War; door Falls C.
