Ruqayyah Snyder
The Western Front, encompassing Belgium and France, was the most important battleground during World War I. Australian soldiers and airmen fought in each of the major British campaigns on the Western Front, with over 295,000 Australians serving between March 1916 and November 1918. The battles they were involved in include Fromelles, the Somme, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel, Amiens, Mont St Quentin, and Montbrehain, the last battle of the war for the Australians.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Battles | Fromelles, the Somme, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel, Amiens, Mont St Quentin, Pozières, Mouquet Farm, Ypres, Montbrehain |
| Number of Battles | 29 |
| Number of Australians Serving | 295,000 |
| Casualties | 46,000 dead, 130,000-132,000 wounded |
| Victoria Cross Recipients | 55 |
| Date Span | March 1916 - November 1918 |
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What You'll Learn
Battle of Fromelles
The Battle of Fromelles, which took place on 19–20 July 1916, was Australia's first action on the Western Front in World War I. The battle was intended as a diversion from the Somme offensive, but it resulted in a tragic loss for the Australians with no strategic gains.
The attack was carried out by British and Australian troops of the 5th Australian and 61st British Divisions. They attacked at 6 pm on 19 July 1916 but suffered heavy casualties at the hands of German machine gunners. Small parts of the German trenches were captured by the 8th and 14th Australian Brigades, but they lacked flanking support and were forced to withdraw due to fierce counter-attacks. The battle ended by 8 am on 20 July 1916.
The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, rendering it incapable of offensive action for months. The 61st British Division suffered 1,547 casualties. German casualties were estimated to be just over 1,000. The attack was a complete failure, and the Germans quickly realised it was merely a feint, thus having no impact on the Somme offensive.
The Battle of Fromelles remains a symbol of tragic loss and is often described as the worst 24 hours in Australia's military history. Almost 2,000 Australian soldiers were killed in action or died of wounds, with some 400 captured. This is believed to be the greatest loss by a single division in 24 hours during the entire First World War.
The aftermath of the battle was grim, with Australian official war correspondent Charles Bean recording, "We found the old No-Man's-Land simply full of our dead... the skulls and bones and torn uniforms were lying about everywhere". The remains of the fallen soldiers were gathered to construct VC Corner Cemetery, the only solely Australian war cemetery in France, and the only one without headstones.
In recent years, archaeological investigations have uncovered the remains of Australian and British soldiers buried in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood by German troops during the battle. The identified remains have been reinterred with full military honours in the newly constructed Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery.
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Battle of the Somme
The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War I. Fought between July 1 and November 18, 1916, on both sides of the upper reaches of the Somme river in France, it involved the armies of the British Empire and the French Republic against the German Empire. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies.
The Somme offensive was planned during the Chantilly Conference in December 1915, with the Allies agreeing upon a strategy of combined offensives against the Central Powers in 1916. However, when the Germans began the Battle of Verdun in February 1916, the French diverted many of their divisions, and the British offensive became the principal effort. On the first day of the Somme offensive, the German 2nd Army suffered a serious defeat against the French Sixth Army and the British Fourth Army, with 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 killed.
The Australians fought in several battles that were part of the overall Battle of the Somme. Their first battle in France was at Fromelles on July 19 and 20, 1916, described as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history". The Battle of Pozières began with the capture of the village by the 1st Australian Division, the only British success in the Allied operation of July 22-23, 1916. The Battle of Mouquet Farm began on August 5, 1916, and saw the Australians suffer over 6,000 casualties. The Australians returned to the Somme in October, in the Flers-Gueudecourt sector, where they endured an exceptionally severe winter.
The Second Battle of the Somme began on March 21, 1918, with the Germans launching their Spring Offensive. The Australians tried to halt the offensive at several locations, distinguishing themselves by liberating Villers-Bretonneux on April 25, the third anniversary of Gallipoli. Australian troops crossed the Somme River on the night of August 31, breaking the German lines at Mont Saint-Quentin and Péronne. Together with British and American troops, they breached the Hindenburg Line during the Battle of St. Quentin Canal.
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Battle of Bullecourt
The Battle of Bullecourt was fought in two parts, with the First Battle of Bullecourt taking place in April 1917 and the Second Battle of Bullecourt occurring in May 1917. Bullecourt, a village in northern France, was one of several villages incorporated into the defences of the Hindenburg Line in 1917.
First Battle of Bullecourt
The First Battle of Bullecourt began on 11 April 1917, when the 4th Australian Division and 62nd British Division attacked the Hindenburg Line defences. The assault was hastily planned and executed, and the tanks that were supposed to support the Australian infantry either broke down or were quickly destroyed. Despite this, the infantry managed to break into the German defences. However, due to uncertainty about their advance, supporting artillery fire was withheld, and the Australians were eventually forced to retreat.
Second Battle of Bullecourt
The Second Battle of Bullecourt took place from 3–17 May 1917. The Australians repulsed German attacks, except at Lagnicourt, where German troops broke through, took prisoners, and destroyed artillery pieces. The Australians launched counter-attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans. By mid-May, the Australians had repelled dozens of counter-attacks and slowly closed in on Bullecourt. The Germans eventually withdrew, and the battle ended on 18 May, with more than 7,400 Australians killed or wounded. The Second Battle of Bullecourt was described as the most intense trench fighting of the war.
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Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines, fought between 7 and 14 June 1917, was one of the major battles of the First World War's Western Front in which Australian soldiers played a crucial role. The battle took place near the village of Messines (or Mesen in Dutch) in West Flanders, Belgium, and involved a major attack by the British Second Army, led by General Sir Herbert Plumer.
The objective of the offensive was to capture the German defences on the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge, which provided commanding views of the British defences and back areas of Ypres. The attack was preceded by a seven-day artillery barrage, and on 7 June, nineteen giant mines were detonated under German trenches, causing thousands of casualties in just twenty seconds. The British, Australian, and New Zealand troops then advanced across no man's land to storm the ridge.
The II Anzac Corps, consisting of the New Zealand Division, Australian 3rd Division, and British 25th Division, was tasked with capturing the village of Messines and the surrounding area. The 3rd Division, under the command of Australia's Major General John Monash, suffered heavy casualties during a German gas bombardment on Ploegsteert Wood. Despite this, the attack began on time, supported by four mine explosions at Trenches 122 and 127. The Australian and New Zealand troops advanced towards Messines village, capturing the German front line.
The battle continued over the next several days, with intense fighting as the Australian 4th Division moved to launch a new attack. The Australian soldiers reached and captured the Oosttaverne Line, located about two kilometres from the Allied frontline, after four days and nights of fierce combat. The German forces launched counterattacks, but the Australian and New Zealand troops held their ground. The Australian 10th Brigade endured a heavy artillery bombardment on 8 June, resulting in significant casualties.
The Battle of Messines was a significant victory for the British and Commonwealth forces, breaking a stalemate that had characterised the war up to that point. However, it came at a high cost, with the 3rd Division suffering nearly 6,800 casualties, and the New Zealand Division losing 5,000 men. The bravery and determination displayed by the Australian soldiers during the Battle of Messines contributed to the Allied efforts on the Western Front and is remembered as one of the key moments in Australia's military history.
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Battle of Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was a campaign fought by the Allies against the German Empire during World War I. It took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, with the goal of capturing the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders.
Passchendaele was the third and longest battle to occur at Ypres, following the First Battle of Ypres in 1914 and the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. The area surrounding Ypres was of strategic importance, as it was surrounded by German forces on three sides and overlooked by high ground, making it extremely vulnerable to enemy fire.
The battle was initiated by the British and French, who launched a massive offensive in the region. The Australian forces played a crucial role in this offensive, attacking and capturing German pillboxes one by one, as well as the village of Zonnebeke, located north of the ridge. The Australian units suffered significant casualties, with 38,000 losses recorded during the Passchendaele offensive.
The Battle of Passchendaele concluded in November 1917, with an Allied victory. However, this victory came at a high cost, as the ground gained would be abandoned by the Allies the following year. The battle exemplified the horrors of trench warfare and the mud, madness, and senseless slaughter associated with the Western Front.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia was involved in 29 battles on the Western Front, including Fromelles, the Somme, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel, Amiens, and Mont St Quentin.
By the end of 1918, 46,000 Australians had lost their lives and 132,000 were wounded. There were 18,000 fallen Australians with no known grave.
One of Australia's notable victories was the recapture of Villers-Bretonneux, where Australian and British troops stopped the German offensive towards Amiens. Another significant victory was the capture of Chuignes Ridge, the main German position forward of the Somme, which unhinged the German defences in the region.
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