The Canadian Corps Takes Courcelette

Fighting at Courcelette by Fortunino Matania

The Canadians, originally in the Ypres sector, missed the first months of the Battle of the Somme, but had relocated there by early September. Their first action on the Somme, the Battle of Courcelette, or the Battle of Flers-Courcelette,  fought from 15 to 22 September 1916. The overall attack was an effort to restar the Somme Offensive which, in two and one-half months of fighting had yielded disappointing results and enormous casualties for the the British Army.  

Capturing the well-defended village of Courcelette and the fortified sugar factory which guarded it's approach were key objectives of the 15 Septemberr attack. Field Marshal Haig’s scheme was to use the assault to break through German defenses between the villages of Flers and Courcelette. Both were well behind German lines at the start of the battle, but a thrust between them parallel with the Albert-Baupame highway meant that a full cavalry corps could seize Bapaume. The village stood immediately astride  the key road  and on the souther flank of the strong Regina Trench position of the German forces.

Click on Map to Enlarge

In the fighting to come, the Canadians would benefit from two tactical innovations: a creeping artillery barrage, and the first employment of tanks in combat.

Instead of trying to annihilate the enemy, the new creeping barrage resulted in thousands of shells slowly raking through the enemy lines, advancing 100 yards, or 91 meters, per lift. This barrage was not meant to destroy the enemy trench systems, although this sometimes happened, but to drive defenders into their protective dugouts. The infantry would closely follow the barrage, called "leaning on the barrage," in order to cross No-Man’s-Land before enemy troops could emerge from cover to fire at them.

Fortified Section of the Captured Sugar Factory

To assist with cutting barbed wire and silencing enemy machine-guns, seven tanks, or armored land cruisers, accompanied the Canadians in their first major battle at Courcelette on 15 September. Mechanically unreliable and as slow as a walking person, tanks nonetheless struck fear into the enemy, many of whom surrendered when the tanks first appeared.

Mark I Tank, "Crème de menthe," That Supported
the Canadian Attack

At 6:20 on the morning of 15 September, the 2nd and 3rd Divisions attacked German lines outside of Courcelette. Accompanied by one tank and following behind a creeping artillery barrage, they overtook the German trenches and a sugar refinery by 8 a.m. The successful advance of Canadian units included the capture of the village of Courcelette by Lt. Col. T.L. Tremblay’s 22nd Battalion (French Canadians) and the 25th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles) as well as the capture of the  sugar factory  by the 21st Battalion (Eastern Ontario). Elsewhere, the attack stalled, and hopes for a decisive success faded, as the Germans launched strong counterattacks or withdrew to fortified positions. For the Canadian Corps, despite thousands of casualties, it was a tactical victory, one of the few for Allied forces on the Somme. After the war Courcelette was chosen as one of the sites for a Canadian war memorial.

Just Out of the Fight at Courcelette, Canadian Soldiers
Aboard an Autocart Celebrate

Further attacks through September and October were just as costly but less successful. Operations against Desire Trench and Regina Trench, to the north of Courcelette, were grinding affairs where soldiers attacked and counterattacked repeatedly over the same ground, and always under heavy enemy fire. In late October, the three battered divisions of the Canadian Corps limped off the Somme having suffered 20,000 casualties. The 4th Canadian Division, fighting with British troops, finally captured Regina Trench in November, as the offensive came to a halt in the mud all along the Somme front.

Source:  Canadian War Museum; Canadian Encyclopedia; Library and Archives