The Year 1915 Illustrated/The Advance in Artois and Champagne

HE most important news from the Western Front since the Battle of the Marne came to hand in the last week of September, when reports were received from French headquarters and from Sir John French of a united advance of the Allied forces in Artois and Champagne, resulting in the capture of important enemy positions, besides prisoners and material.

The British part in the advance was south of La Bassée, where the German line was pierced on a front of five miles to a depth of four thousand yards. The village of Loos was captured and also the western outskirts of Hulluch, whilst the British line of trenches was advanced to the base of Hill 70. The fighting in this great battle of Loos took place in the midst of the mining district where the enemy had made use of every point of vantage in the rough and uneven nature of the ground for the construction of field fortresses and redoubts. Two of the most famous of the redoubts were captured and occupied by the British, although in the case of the Hohenzollern redoubt, in a counter attack which the Germans afterwards made, a portion was lost. On the front generally the British have been able to consolidate and maintain their positions. The captures from the enemy included over two thousand prisoners, besides guns and much other material.

In a long dispatch from Sir John French, issued on November 2nd, further details were published of the units taking part in the offensive. The main attack was delivered by the First and Fourth Army Corps of the First Army, under Sir Douglas Haig, Magnificent work was done by the 47th London Territorial Division, which dashed into Loos, occupied its southern exits, captured the cemetery, enclosures and chalk pits south of the village, and formed a strong defensive flank on the south. Sir John French gives well-earned praise to the deeds of these gallant men. The 15th Highland Division of the New Armies is also commended for most daring and successful work. This division cleared the rest of Loos, over-ran Hill 70 a mile to the east, and got beyond it. Unhappily, the lack of reserves prevented this attack bearing the full fruit that was anticipated.

The main German counter-attack was made on the afternoon of October 8th. "At all parts of the line except two the Germans were repulsed with tremendous loss, and it is computed on reliable authority that they left some eight to nine thousand dead lying on the battlefield in front of the British and French trenches." Sir John French pays a high tribute to the work of the artillery. "The efficiency of the artillery of the New Armies has exceeded all expectations." The nature of the siege warfare on the Western Front is indicated by the fact that the advance of the British was preceded by a prolonged bombardment of the German trenches lasting over a period of five weeks.

The French advance
The main French advance was in Champagne. On a front of twenty miles, the German first line trenches were pierced to a depth varying from three-quarters of a mile to two-and-a-half miles. The principal fighting was between Auberive and Ville-sur-Tourbe. Later dispatches reported further gains in Artois, east of Souchez. Hill 140 was captured and the ridge of Vimy occupied, whilst in Champagne progress had been made on the slopes of the Butte de Tahure as well as to the north of Massiges. Summarising the results on September 30th the French communiqué stated that in Artois and Champagne the Germans had lost in killed, wounded and prisoners at least three army corps (120,000 men). The prisoners exceeded 23,000, and seventy-nine guns had been captured. In the weeks which have followed since the advance, the Germans have made supreme efforts to regain the ground they had lost, but with very few exceptions the whole of the Allies gains have been maintained and in some cases a further advance has been made.