Page:Breaking the Hindenburg Line.djvu/178

150 The capture of the Brigade objectives was thus complete by 9.45 a.m. All enemy resistance now ceased, though, throughout the morning, desultory machine-gun fire from Hennechies Wood, and a field gun firing at 1,400 yards range from near the Borne des Trois Evêchés, forced our men to lie low.

On the left of the attack, the 138th Brigade advanced on a two-battalion front, the 4th Leicesters being on the right and the 5th Lincolns on the left, the 5th Leicesters being held in Brigade Reserve. When forming-up, a few casualties were caused through the enemy shelling the Brigade assembly-area with high-explosive and gas shells, but at zero minus one hour, forming-up was complete and, when the barrage opened, all were ready to advance.

Here also the fog caused trouble and, at 7 a.m., the O.C. 4th Leicesters reported that he had under his command elements of the Cameron Highlanders, Black Watch and Loyal North Lancashires—all from the 1st Division on our left—also men from both Sherwoods and Lincolns, besides remnants of his own companies. This being so, it was inevitable that machine-gun nests should have been overlooked during the advance and, here also, these "unscotched scorpions" caused many casualties. No particular hitch occurred on the Divisional front, however, but machine-gun fire from the high ground about Les Gobelets and Belle Vue proved very harassing. These strong-points were cleared in the face of great opposition by the 1st Battalion Loyal North Lancashires. This same battalion was later on of the greatest assistance in clearing the left edge of Andigny les Fermes, in which village the enemy put up a very stiff fight.

Instructions were issued from Divisional Headquarters that, immediately Andigny was occupied, strong patrols