The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread dedicated to the discussion of the Battle of Arras (1917).

Included for discussion on this thread are other accompanying battles and offensives including:

The Nivelle Offensive, First Battle of the Scarpe (9–14 April 1917), Battle of Vimy Ridge (9–12 April 1917), First Battle of Bullecourt (10–11 April 1917), Battle of Lagnicourt (15 April 1917), Second Battle of the Scarpe (23–24 April 1917, Battle of Arleux (28–29 April 1917), Second Battle of Bullecourt (3–17 May 1917), Third Battle of the Scarpe (3–4 May 1917

Source: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o...

Also: The Arras Offensive
http://www.1914-1918.net/bat18.htm

Also: The Battle of Arras - Vimy Ridge
http://warchronicle.com/wwi/battles/v...

Also: New Zealand Tunnellers
http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/news/media-rel...

Also: The Arras Tunnels
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/arras...

Also: France Reveals World War I - British Cave Camp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/738...

Also: Finding Private Adams
http://www.historicaleye.com/findingA...

Also: 14th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment
http://www.worcestershireregiment.com...

The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front.

For much of the war, the opposing armies on the Western Front were at a stalemate, with a continuous line of trenches stretching from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border.

In essence, the Allied objective from early 1915 was to break through the German defences into the open ground beyond and engage the numerically inferior German army in a war of movement.

The Arras offensive was conceived as part of a plan to bring about this result.

It was planned in conjunction with the French High Command, who were simultaneously embarking on a massive attack (the Nivelle Offensive) about eighty kilometres to the south.

The stated aim of this combined operation was to end the war in forty-eight hours.[4:] At Arras, the immediate Allied objectives were more modest: to draw German troops away from the ground chosen for the French attack and to take the German-held high ground that dominated the plain of Douai.

Initial efforts centred on a relatively broad-based assault between Vimy in the northwest and Bullecourt in the southeast. After considerable bombardment, Canadian troops advancing in the north were able to capture the strategically significant Vimy Ridge, and British divisions in the centre were also able to make significant gains.

In the south, British and Australian forces were frustrated by the elastic defence and made only minimal gains. Following these initial successes, British forces engaged in a series of small-scale operations to consolidate the newly won positions. Although these battles were generally successful in achieving limited aims, these were gained at the price of relatively large numbers of casualties.[3:]
When the battle officially ended on 16 May, British Empire troops had made significant advances, but had been unable to achieve a major breakthrough at any point.

Experimental tactics—for instance, the creeping barrage, the graze fuze, and counter-battery fire—had been battle-tested, particularly in the first phase, and had demonstrated that set-piece assaults against heavily fortified positions could be successful. This sector then reverted to the stalemate that typified most of the war on the Western Front.

More:
by John Keegan

One good book covering this battle is:


by Jonathan Nicholls
Publishers blurb:
In this book, Nicholls provides an account of the 39-day long battle of Arras, which remains the most lethal and costly British offensive of WW1. He reveals the horrors of trench warfare and the bravery of the soldiers who fought in the war.

Bloody April: Slaughter in the Skies Over Arras, 1917

by Peter Hart

Synopsis:

As the Allies embarked upon the Battle of Arras, they desperately needed accurate aerial reconnaissance photographs. But by this point the Royal Flying Club were flying obsolete planes. The new German Albatros scouts massively outclassed them in every respect: speed, armament, ability to withstand punishment, and maneuverability. Many of the RFC's pilots were straight out of flying school—as they took to the air they were sitting targets for the experienced German aces.

Over the course of "Bloody April" the RFC suffered casualties of over a third. The average life expectancy of a new subaltern on the front line dropped to just eleven days. And yet they carried on flying, day after day, in the knowledge that, in the eyes of their commanders at least, their own lives meant nothing compared to the photographs they brought back, which could save tens of thousands of soldiers on the ground. In this book Peter Hart tells the story of the air war over Arras, using the voices of the men who were actually there.

Thank you Jerome on these.

The first battle where air superiority played a major role.

Bullecourt: Arras

by Graham Keech (no photo)

Synopsis:

For much of World War I the village of Bullecourt was safely behind the German front line. All of this changed in February, 1917 when the Germans withdrew several miles to form a stronger defensive line. Bullecourt became incorporated in the Hindenburg Line defenses, with German strong points built into many houses and local hillsides. The position was attacked by the British as part of the Battle of Arras, on April 11, 1917. This battle was a preliminary to the larger Nivelle offensive, and was one of the first in which air superiority played a major role.No breakthrough was achieved, but the British command was satisfied with the results. The Australian authorities were extremely critical of the way in which their troops were handled in the engagement, and this was one of the battles that led to post-war demands for greater independence by Britain's colonies. This battle, the ingenious German fortifications and all the personalities involved are described in the accustomed Battleground Europe detail, with numerous illustrations, maps and a guide to the battlefield as it is today.

Thanks Jill

The author sets out to prove that the Battle of Arras was even more devastating than the horror that was Passchendaele.

Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras

by Jonathan Nicholls (no photo)

Synopsis:

Cheerful Sacrifice tells the story of the spring offensive of April - May 1917, otherwise known as the Battle of Arras. Probably because the noise had hardly died down before it started up again with the explosions at Messines, shortly to be followed by the even more horrible Third Ypres - remembered as Passchendaele - the Battle of Arras has not received the attention it deserves. Yet, as the author points out, on the basis of the daily casualty rate it was the most lethal and costly British offensive battle of the First World War. In the thirty-nine days that the battle lasted the average casualty rate was far higher than at either the Somme or Passchendaele.
Jonathan Nicholls, in this his first book, gives the Battle of Arras its proper place in the annals of military history, enhancing his text with a wealth of eye-witness accounts. One is left in no doubt that the survivor who described it as 'the most savage infantry battle of the war', did not exaggerate. Nor can there be much doubt that the author is destined to rise high in the firmament of military historians.

One of the battles in the encounter known as the Battle of Arras.

Vimy Ridge 1917: Byng's Canadians Triumph at Arras

by Alexander Turner (no photo)

Synopsis:

Vimy Ridge was one of the most important geographic features on the entire Western Front in World War I (1914-1918). In early 1917 it was considered practically impregnable, but on 9 April the Canadian Army Corps, under the command of the British Lieutenant General Sir Julian Byng, assaulted it as part of the Arras offensive. In one of the most spectacular operational attacks of the war, they seized almost the entire ridge in a single day. This book describes how the innovative efforts that went into every aspect of the preparation for this attack ensured that the Canadian and British troops achieved unprecedented success.

I have not read this book but it sounds absolutely heart rending.

To Arras, 1917: A Volunteer's Odyssey

by Walter Reid (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is the true and poignant account of the life and death of a young Scottish officer, Ernest Reid, who was pinned down and fatally wounded in no-man's land on the first day of the Battle of Arras, on Easter Monday, 1917. This gripping narrative does not just set out the events of Captain Reid's life, but also describes the cultural influences--the code of duty, an unquestioning patriotism--that molded him and his contemporaries for service and sacrifice in the killing fields of France and Flanders.

Even the cover is troubling. It looks so peaceful and yet....

An upcoming book:
Release date: June 2, 2017

An Army of Brigadiers: British Brigade Commanders at the Battle of Arras 1917

by Trevor Harvey (no photo)

Synopsis:

There have been two major studies in recent years that have explored the roles and responsibilities of British generals at different levels within the British Expeditionary Force’s command structure. Dr Simon Innes-Robbins has written about the generals at predominantly GHQ and Army levels whilst Dr Andy Simpson has explored the development of the role of corps commanders during the Great War. For the first time Dr Trevor Harvey’s study provides an analysis of command at the level of the infantry brigade. His study is based on a critical period during the Great War, the period from late in the Battle of the Somme to the end of the Battle of Arras in mid-May 1917.

Dr Harvey’s analysis is based on the service records of 116 brigadier-generals whose brigades played some part in the Battle of Arras. He explores their roles, responsibilities and backgrounds, both in theory and in practice, in the lead-up to and during the battle to explain and illustrate the range and limitations of their commands. Based on this analysis, Dr Harvey presents case studies of five brigadier-generals, their staff officers and their battalion commanders. Each brigadier-general has been selected from one of the five corps that participated in the Battle of Arras which provides an operational backdrop to the exploration of their roles. The brigadier-generals exhibit, in different combinations, their different operational experiences, their different career paths and their different personal characteristics. In undertaking his research, Dr Harvey has drawn on a wide variety sources, including diaries, letters and personal papers privately held by descendants of his chosen subjects.

From the evidence drawn from the case studies, Dr Harvey identifies a series of threads about the responsibilities and actions which these brigade commanders share. He argues that the application of these threads enables the orthodox ‘administration and training’ interpretation of the role of brigadier-generals to be successfully challenged as both unnecessarily narrow and unduly limited. Dr Harvey’s study has been praised by his examiners because ‘it provides unique and original insights on British operations on the Western Front in 1916-17 which will be of great interest to scholars interested in British generalship during the First World War’. This ground-breaking study is a significant addition to the historiography of generalship during the Great War.

Great adds

Another:
Release date: April 30, 2017

British Expeditionary Force: The Arras Campaign

by Andrew Rawson (no photo)

Synopsis:

This is an account of the British Expeditionary Force's actions during the spring of 1917. It begins with the Allied plans for the New Year and shows how they were undone by the German decision to withdraw to a pre-prepared defensive line. The story follows the cautious advance across devastated territory to the Hindenburg Line and the subsequent revision in Allied plans. The Arras offensive on 9 April resulted in the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadians and the longest advance by British troops since trench warfare began. But attempts to replicate the success at places like Oppy, Roeux, Monchy and Bullecourt ended in bloody failure. Each large battle and minor action is given equal treatment, giving a detailed insight into the most talked about side of the campaign, the British side. There are details on the reasoning behind each battle, the objectives and the tactics. There is discussion about how the infantry, the artillery, the cavalry, the engineers and Royal Flying Corps worked together. We see how they used new techniques or made costly mistakes during the attacks.

Over sixty new maps chart the day by day progress of each battle and action. Together the narrative and maps provide an insight into the British Army's experience during this important campaign early in 1917. Where possible the men who made a difference are mentioned; those who led the attacks, those who faced the counter-attacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the spring 1917 campaign experienced by the British Army and learn how its brave soldiers fought and died achieving their objectives.

Another WWI book to look forward to. Thanks for the mention.

Awesome Jerome! The prospective centennial collection on 1917 was feeling a little light.

Another:
Release date: August 19, 2018

A Battle Too Far: Arras 1917

by Don Farr (no photo)

Synopsis:

Sandwiched between the better-known Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, the Battle of Arras has scarcely received the attention it deserves. It was an important battle on several levels. It was conceived and fought in support of the French effort to win the war with one gigantic offensive initially targeting the Chemin des Dames. Preparations for it were sidetracked by the replacement of French Commander-in-Chief Joffre by General Robert Nivelle and the unsuccessful attempt by Prime Minister Lloyd George to subordinate Field Marshal Haig and the BEF to the new French C-in-C. Preparations were further slowed down by inter-allied disagreements over the sharing of railway facilities, BEF takeover of French-manned sectors of the Front and the appalling weather of the worst winter of the war. They were further thrown into confusion by the German decision to withdraw to the newly constructed Hindenburg Line, thereby not only conserving manpower but also forcing the Allies to maintain contact by advancing uncertainly over ground laid waste and booby-trapped.

When the British finally attacked on 9 April 1917, that day proved to be the most successful of the war to that date for the BEF. The First Army’s Canadian Corps all but completed the capture of the allegedly impregnable Vimy Ridge and the Third Army advanced further in one day than had ever previously been achieved. It would not last. The attack lost momentum and the Germans quickly began to recover from their early shocks. It proved more difficult than had been expected to capture and cling on to Monchy-le-Preux; the Fifth Army, launching its operation to capture Bullecourt village to assist Third Army’s main thrust, found itself embroiled in a bitter struggle that would extend over the following five weeks. Over the course of the same period the First and Third Armies renewed their assaults on several occasions with the gains, if any, counted only in yards.

The French launched their massive assault on 16 April. Although it achieved some success it soon became obvious that it was not going to deliver on the extravagant promises made for it by General Nivelle. It was this disappointment of expectations rather than anything else that led to the serious outbreaks of indiscipline in the French Army, amounting in many cases to mutiny. The implications for the BEF were significant. Nivelle had promised Haig that, if his offensive had not succeeded in 48 hours, he would call it off and throw his support behind Haig’s planned offensive in Flanders to clear the Belgian coast. Nivelle now showed no inclination to fulfill this promise, seemingly content to revert to the familiar Western Front attritional battles. Fully aware of his ally’s disciplinary crisis, Haig felt the need to support the French by prolonging the Battle of Arras well past the date when it would achieve anything of value. This led to the assaults described above and casualty lists that on a per day basis were the worst recorded in any battle fought by the British in World War One.

With Haig’s attention being increasingly distracted by his growing focus on Flanders, the Battle of Arras drifted to a close, a catalogue of unfulfilled promise and failure. There were several reasons for the final disappointing outcome. The tanks proved almost entirely ineffective, not surprisingly considering they consisted of obsolescent models with inadequate protection from German artillery, which had learnt of their vulnerability. The artillery had still not overcome the problem of getting forward over self-churned up ground in time to offer adequate support to follow-up infantry assaults. They were not helped by the damage being wrought on the RFC by the all-conquering German fighter squadrons, especially during ‘Bloody April’. The cavalry once again demonstrated that it was largely unsuited for use on a modern battlefield.

The author has examined in some detail the political, military and inter-allied aspects of the lead up to the Battle. He has then looked closely at the BEF and French plans and operations within the framework of the Battle of Arras and the Second Battle of the Aisne (Chemin des Dames). He evaluates the performances of the involved Allied armies and their leaders. Finally he looks at their careers and lives following the events of April-May 1917.

Ooh, published by Helion. A few more of these & Arras will no longer be 'neglected'

Thank you Jerome

The Nivelle Offensive & The Battle of the Aisne 1917 (Pen & Sword)

by Andrew Uffindell (no photo)

Synopsis:

Andrew Uffindell has written a number of books on the Great War and Napoleonic history, including a really good guidebook to the Marne 1914 battlefields which I used on the ground a while back.

This new title The Nivelle Offensive & The Battle of the Aisne 1917 (Pen & Sword 2015, ISBN 978 1 78303 034 7, 197pp, £14.99) is an in-depth battlefield guide to the battlefields where the Neville Offensive took place on the Chemin des Dames in 1917, and where the French Army mutinied.

The book breaks the battlefield up into sectors from Laffaux in the west to Malmaison and Craonne. The maps and illustrations are excellent, and there is a good mix of history and battlefield information.

The section on the first use of tanks by the French is especially interesting. Another great battlefield guide to a neglected aspect of the First World War.

About the Author:

Andrew Uffindel is one of the leading experts on the Napoleonic era. He is the author of many books and articles in this field, including The National Army Museum book of Wellington's Armies.

An upcoming book:
Release date: October 1, 2022

The Hardest Battle: The Canadian Corps and the Arras Campaign 1918

Wiliam F. Stewart (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Canadian Corps’ Second Arras campaign was its most significant operational assignment of the war. More pivotal than Vimy, Passchendaele, or Amiens, its task was to smash through a 15-kilometer zone of five fortified positions including the formidable Drocourt-Quéant Line and then cross the Canal du Nord. In doing so, it would rupture the German defenses on the Western Front. The commander of the Canadian Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie, considered the Corps’ actions in the campaign as 'the hardest battle in its history.' In his diary, he wrote he thought it a greater victory than Amiens.

The German High Command, well aware of the sector’s vital importance, defended it with all they had. The German formations that fought there deemed it momentous. Multiple elite divisional histories regarded it as one of the high points of their service in the First World War. Three German commanders received the rare Pour le Mérite, the highest German military order, for their performance at Arras 1918.

As Corporal Albert West of the 43rd Battalion wrote, 'If Germany cannot hold us here she cannot hold us at all.' It represented the German’s best opportunity to stop the Canadians during the Hundred Days. Unlike Amiens, the enemy expected an attack, defended a deep and heavily fortified zone, had ample reserves, and was fighting over terrain scarred by years of intense combat. Depleted in numbers, tired, and with lowered morale, German infantry – Landsers – still fought staunchly when they had the advantage. Their machine gunners continued to battle with skill and died hard. Hostile artillery was not the formidable force of 1916 and 1917, but it was difficult to fully suppress it. It remained a factor despite the best Canadian efforts. Unlike Amiens, the famous tank battle, the Corps did not benefit from surprise, masses of tanks, or an elite corps on its flank. Instead, it experienced hard, brutal combat at an unrelenting pace. What is more, the battle opened with only two of the Corps’ four divisions. At no point did Currie have all four Canadian divisions available to attack.

The book chronicles and analyses the nine-day campaign running from 26 August to 3 September 1918. Based on exhaustive research from Canadian, British, and German sources, it provides an in-depth operational history of the campaign that explains the Canadian Corps’ successes and failures. While it did reach the Canal du Nord, it could not cross it, but it still triggered a large-scale German retreat across a broad front. It provides a lens to examine why the Corps was so much more successful than the British had been in 1917 on the same ground. This then gives the necessary context to provide an answer to a larger question of men, matériel, morale, or method as the prime reason for the German defeat and Allied victory in this stage of the Hundred Days campaign.

This sounds interesting - it sounds very pro Corps however. Not that this a bad thing.

Another:
Release date: March 5, 2024

The Road Past Monchy: Fighting the First World War at Arras, 1914–1918

by Terence Loveridge (no photo)

Synopsis:

The Road Past Monchy offers a unique look at the land and air operations around the strategic village of Monchy-le-Preux at the center of the western front during World War I. The story of the Great War is usually one of condemnation or rehabilitation of strategists and consecration of the common soldier, while the story of those who planned, directed, and led operations on the ground has generally been overlooked.

The Road Past Monchy uses experiences of junior leaders fighting around the key terrain of Monchy-le-Preux to challenge the currently accepted views and reveal that the Great War, despite subsequent impression, was a surprisingly dynamic effort conducted in an arena of constantly evolving practices, techniques, and technology. Less well known than its contemporary campaigns at the Somme, Verdun, or Passchendaele, Monchy also carries less preconceived baggage and thus offers a prime opportunity to reevaluate the accepted wisdom of the events, personalities, and understandings of the Great War.

The Road Past Monchy offers readers a unique chance to uncover the "lost" perspective of junior war leaders in a theater of war that saw almost continuous operations from 1914 through to 1918.