Roads littered with broken waggons and ambulance carts

At this time 100 years ago, the New Zealand Division including Artillery were relieving British and Australian troops in the line at Ypres. The New Zealand 2nd Army Brigade rejoined the rest of the Division on about 6 December, after having spent several months serving at Nieuport near the coast.

Sydney Williams war record says he rejoined 'Z' Trench Mortar Battery on 3 November from hospital. However it is unclear from excerpt below from New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18, just where he was - with the Batteries being numbered.

The New Zealand Field Artillery moved into the line in support of their own troops in the first week in December. Batteries being still without guns, the gunners were taken up from Boeschepe in motor lorries, and took over the guns of the artillery then covering the Division. In this manner the 1^stPAGE 206Brigade (less the 15th Battery, which did not go into action until some few days later) relieved the 14th Brigade, R.F.A.; the 2nd (Army) Brigade, which had returned from the Belgian coast at the end of November, relieved the 3rd Australian Field Artillery Brigade; and the 3rd Brigade relieved the 18th Brigade, R.F.A. The relief was completed by December 6th. The Brigades covering the Division were grouped as follows:— "B" Group—2nd Brigade and 52nd Brigade R.F.A., under Lieut.-Colonel Sykes; "C" Group—3rd Brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Falla; "D" Group—1st Brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Symon. Headquarters of "B" Group were at the Tuilleries, of "C" Group at Halfway House, and of "D" Group at Hooge Crater. 

The prospect of wintering in the salient was faced with the philosophic acceptance of events that becomes a characteristic of the soldier. The men were nearly all quite familiar with the nature of the country, but the scene that unfolded itself as they left the lorries at the Birr Cross Roads, and proceeded on foot to the battery positions, was forbidding in the extreme. The way lay through the country over which the attacking divisions had fought their way in the Third Battle of Ypres, and on every hand the fighting had left its indelible impress. Nothing had been left untouched by the shell storms that had swept up and down and over every inch of the land. The roads, so busy through the long hours of darkness, were deserted by day and were littered on either side with broken waggons and limbers and ambulance carts, and all the wreckage of transport and material that accumulates along a road line during heavy fighting. Batteries of the 1st Brigade were situated about the slopes forward from Hooge Crater; the 9th and 6th (Howitzer) Batteries of the 2nd Brigade were near Glencorse Wood, and the 2nd and 5th, with the 12th Battery of the 3rd Brigade, were on the left of Westhoek; the remaining batteries of the 3rd Brigade, the 11th, 13th, and 4th (howitzer) were very close together near the Westhoek Cross Roads.

Passchendaele - 12 October 1917

As New Zealand History online says, "Passchendaele has been a byword for the horror of the Great War. In terms of lives lost in a single day, the failed attack on Bellevue Spur on 12 October was probably the greatest disaster in New Zealand’s history." The day left 843 New Zealand soldiers dead or mortally wounded, and a total of 2730 casualties (killed or wounded).

I have been following the lead-up to the battle in New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18. As many will know, heavy rain in early October had left the area a muddy quagmire - providing atrocious conditions, and difficulty moving men, machines and animals. New Zealand History online says, "An attack on 9 October by British and Australian troops was to open the way for II ANZAC Corps to capture Passchendaele on the 12th. The plan failed. Without proper preparation and in the face of strong German resistance, the 9 October attack collapsed with heavy casualties."

Yet despite this, and the weather conditions becoming worse, "orders were at once issued for a renewal of the attack on the 12th, and instructions concerning the artillery support were received by the New Zealand Brigades on the afternoon of the 10th," according to New Zealand Artillery in the Field (published in 1922). It went on to sum up the situation on the 11 October:

 

Apart from the difficulties of haulage, the constant blocking of the roads by heavy guns caused a great deal of delay, and hung up the transport of ammunition as well as the moving of the guns. Only a small percentage of the guns had been brought forward, and they were without platforms to keep them from sinking in the mud. The situation was distinctly unpromising, but all had been done that was humanly possible in the time and under the conditions. The situation was such, however, that Brigadier-General Johnston, C.R.A. of the New Zealand Division, reported to both the Divisional and Corps Commanders that they could not depend on the artillery for the attack on the following day.

The account of the day is headed 'The Tragedy of October 12th", and includes:

Very heavy casualties had been suffered by both Brigades of Infantry which took part in the attack; the losses in killed and wounded numbered 2730. Communications were utterly disorganised, the greatest difficulty was experienced in getting rations and water to the men in the forward areas, and the condition of the wounded was pitiable in the extreme. Many lay all night in the mud, exposed to the hail and rain and the bitter cold....
From the moment the attack opened, the artillery barrage was weak and patchy as a direct result of the conditions under which the guns had to shoot; but this deficiency, though serious in itself, was not the chief factor in the tragic failure. The primary causes of the failure of the attack were the deep and continuous belts of uncut wire which faced the attacking infantry, and the massive concrete blockhouses, or pill-boxes, from which the enemy machine gunners shot down everything that moved. In short, it was lack of preparation. The Division was supported in the attack, in addition to heavy artillery, by eight brigades of field artillery, which totalled one hundred and forty-four 18-prs. and forty-eight 4.5in. howitzers. Some of these were still blocked on the road when the attack opened, and in the case of those that had reached the forward positions, the ground was so soft and water-logged that the guns simply sank up to the axles after the first few shots had been fired, and in some cases before a shot had been fired. The provision of stable platforms is an essential to good shooting at any time; but on the 12th it was only by desperate expedients that guns were kept in action at all. All the New Zealand batteries fired in the barrage; the gunners secured logs, odd bits of timber, anything, in fact, that would provide a foundation, and so contrived to keep their guns in action. ...

Despite the fact that the artillery was almost reduced to total immobility and that even movement on foot was a matter of extreme difficulty, orders were actually issued to certain batteries about this time regarding the provision of mobile sections of 18-prs. in readiness to co-operate in case of a rapid advance on the front by cavalry. And this at a time when even unburdened animals became so hopelessly bogged that extrication became impossible and they had to be destroyed. 

Fortunately, "the opportunity of assisting the cavalry in a "rapid advance" never arose."

One week before Messines - "incessant and destructive fire"

From New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18, one week before the attack on Messines Ridge, things turn more brutal and incessant. When one thinks of how many wars of various scales have been waged since these events 100 years ago - it is such an incredible waste of machine power and human lives:

On the last day in May most of the batteries spent some time cleaning up uncut wire in their zones, and by the end of the day all the wire within wire-cutting range in group zones was reported cut. From 6 a.m. this day onwards fire was maintained continuously, day and night, on all roads, bridges, communication trenches, light railway junctions, and transport halting places on the front. Thus there was no road or approach by which the enemy could transport stores or ammunition, or bring up reliefs for his weary and harassed infantry without being subject to this incessant and destructive fire. What mental and physical agony this meant when prolonged for over a week may readily be conjectured. The enemy guns were very active during the night of June 1, Hyde Park Corner, where there was always much traffic, being persistently shelled. A practice barrage with 75 per cent. of the guns only, was fired on June 2nd, and the same night the German positions in front of Messines were liberally gas-shelled. The weather continued bright and warm, and practice barrages were fired again on the 3rd and 5th. On the 3rd enemy planes were active low down over battery positions and Ploegsteert Wood was heavily shelled; but on the 5th hostile fire was particularly severe and effective. The positions of three batteries of the 311th Brigade, R.F.A., which were attached to "G" Group, were shelled practically all day. About 1,300 rounds of ammunition were destroyed, and the position was almost burnt out. The personnel were withdrawn, but returned at 3 p.m. to take part in the corps practice barrage. Two minutes after this practice barrage started the men of one battery had to evacuate the position, owing to the danger from burning ammunition dumps in rear. All the rations and stores were destroyed, and the exploding ammunition put no fewer than five guns out of action. On the following day "G" Group did not fire as the positions, several of which were very exposed, were still being shelled at intervals, and it was not desired to give them completely away before the attack. 

From June 1st the daily expenditure of ammunition had been 150 rounds per gun and howitzer, and this expenditure continued right up to the day of attack. Prior to the assault there was to be no intense bombardment and no departure from what had been for some time the normal and customary procedure in the daily and nightly attention given to the enemy. It was a critical moment in the consummation of the scheme—the hour preceding its tumultuous birth—and anything that might give the vigilant German mind any idea of the hour of the attack was to be rigorously avoided. "It is essential," said the order on the subject, "that there should be no increase or slackening in the rate of fire before zero hour, and that everything should appear normal." Such was the density of the smoke and dust resulting from the ceaseless shelling of the enemy front that the whole countryside was completely hidden from aerial observation. A cessation of fire was in consequence ordered for fifteen minutes each day, to allow aeroplane photographs to be taken.

Camouflage, sports and horse shows prelude Messines battle

Two months on from my last blog about WWI proper, Grandad (100 years ago) and New Zealand today are preparing for the Battle of Messines - or commemorations thereof. Below are excerpts from New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18 which illustrate some of the work, relaxation, and other preparations by the Artillery in the final two months preceding a major assault on Messines Ridge:

Dressing station at Messines (Alexander Turnbull Library)
via: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/battle-messines

 On April 1st the 3rd Brigade was entrusted with the building of ten battery positions. The infantry assisted by providing working parties, and a dump was formed and material issued to the batteries as it was required. These magnum opus positions, as they were styled, had all to be carefully camouflaged, even before work was commenced, so that not the slightest indication of their presence might be observed by the enemy. Usually the site chosen was covered from end to end by great strips of green camouflage netting, and the men toiled under cover of this. ...

In pursuance of the policy of resting the Division by units, the Artillery Brigades were withdrawn from the line in turn for a period of two weeks, which were spent in training and recreation in the Lumbres area, near St. Omer.  ... While out of the line batteries carried out a certain amount of training, but a good deal of time was devoted to sport in the way of football competitions, sports meetings, and cross-country races. The men benefited very much by the spell; but in the 1st Brigade the horses returned in rather poor condition, due to the cold weather which had been experienced and the work during training. No interruption in the works in progress had been suffered by the process of spelling the brigades, and once they had returned and settled down again, work went on with renewed energy. ...

On May 13th, the Divisional Artillery Horse Show was held near Westhof Farm; the condition of the teams and vehicles entered in the show was in all respects excellent, and reflected the greatest credit on the drivers, to whose zeal and labour such creditable results were due. The 7th Battery received the cup awarded for the best Battery Transport, and a number of prizes were secured by the sections of the Divisional Ammunition Column.

As the month progressed every day was marked by the most intense activity on the part of the British artillery, heavy and field, and by a corresponding increase in the enemy's retaliatory fire and counter-battery work. ... In reply to a practice barrage carried out on May 25th, Gas Trench and the general neighbourhood of Hill 63 were heavily shelled with 10.5 and 15cm. howitzers. The same areas were shelled on the night of the 26th, and back areas were swept with fire for several hours. We suffered a good many casualties by these bombardments, the progress of work was often seriously hindered, and dumps of ammunition, some of them containing thousands of rounds for the field guns, were blown up; but these were checks not unforeseen that in no way stayed the momentum of events.

 The attack on the Messines Ridge would begin two weeks after this event.

"Bread not bombs" - then and now

"Bread not bombs" is a catchphrase of the peace movement. But it literally came true 72 years ago this week in occupied Holland shortly before Germany capitulated at the end of World War II.

I have just been reading Operation Chowhound by Stephen Dando-Collins, which tells how British Lancaster bombers and American B-17 'Flying Fortresses' turned their bomb-bays into food repositories to make dangerous low-level food drops to the Dutch population within German-held territory - comprising most of the major cities. An embattled Germany had requisitioned supplies and cut off usual food sources partly in retaliation for a transport strike the previous year.

About 20,000 people had died through malnutrition in what the Dutch called the Hongerwinter (Hunger Winter), and many more were on the brink, surviving on tulip bulbs, scavenged food, and what they could sneak in from rural areas.

Lancasters over Netherlands
(from http://www.secondworldwar.nl/#manna
via Wartime Wednesdays)

The drops were made from 29 April to 8 May, under the name Operation Manna by the British, and Operation Chowhound by the Americans. name for the operation, and it is told more fully on Dutch-based site.

According to the Stephen Dando-Collins' account, the offer to allow food drops was first instigated by the SS Governor for the Netherlands Reichskommissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart. Anticipating Germany's demise, he saw it as an opportunity to save his own neck. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't - he was executed along with other Nazi leaders at Nuremberg after the war. But the offer - to allow food drops with a promise not to shoot the planes down - was only taken up due to the lobbying of (German-born) Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and the forethought of American General  Dwight D. Eisenhower who set plans in motion for the drops before formal approval came through from Allied political leaders. And for the first few days, the Allies were operating on a verbal agreement only.

Maaike Steenhoek's family was one that came through the Hunger Winter to witness the food drops - before central Netherlands was liberated on 5 May. Writing on the Canadian blog Wartime Wednesdays, she says, "My mother and uncle talked about this all their lives. The Manna flights remained in their memories as a miracle, a gift of food from the air. Operation Manna brought life when they were looking death in the face."

For many of the aircrew involved, after years of bombing raids bringing death and destruction, it was "the best thing they did in the war".

I share this post as an example of how swords can be turned into ploughshares, and good can shine in the darkness, from the context of our present day where about 795 million people remain hungry and 15 conflicts or wars continue which each cause more than 1000 or more deaths a year (according to Wikipedia sources).

Preparing for the assault on Messines Ridge - March 1917

I have not shown such dedication to duty as earned my grandfather a Military Medal. It has been two months since my last post, in that time (100 years ago) the New Zealand Artillery has again been rearranged, but I believe Sydney Williams is still with Z Battery, Trench Mortars. Preparations have been underway since late 1916 to attack the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge (see map)

By March 1917, concealment of these preparations was impossible, so they were being pushed on "with the utmost rapidity, and with all the resources at command."

Large scale infrastructure was necessary. According to New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18:

The railways which served the area had had to be extended, new roads constructed, and provision made for an adequate supply of water, which had to be brought forward by pipe lines from the Kemmel Hills or from sterilising barges on the River Lys. It was a huge constructive scheme, demanding much exhaustive and informed thought, and careful elaboration of multitudinous detail, and to its masterful handling throughout was due the complete success that attended it. .... The launching of the attack on the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge had been fixed for a date early in June, and fully two months before that date all the countryside behind the forward positions was alive with the countless activities which must always precede such an offensive.

On 15 March, the New Zealand Division relieved the 36th Divison in the sector from St Yves Avenue to Wulverghem-Wytschaete Rd, though the artillery relief happened in the two days after. 

Christmas 1916: 'a special programme of shooting'

I have been on holiday in Auckland for Christmas and New Years. Here is how my grandfather spent that 'cheery season' a hundred years ago at Fleurbaix, France, according to New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18:

On December 20th, and for a few days following, the guns on both sides of the line were fairly busy; but on Christmas Day, which was cold and bleak, the enemy gunners remained silent, though the New Zealand batteries carried out a special programme of shooting during the afternoon and evening. It was related that the enemy had sprung a surprise on the troops in line on the sector on the evening of Christmas, 1915, and possibly this activity was designed to provide against a similar occurrence. One day at the front is very much like another, and the only thing that outwardly marked this day as in any way different from the others was the provision of unlimited quantities of the traditional Christmas cheer. The material for these elaborate "spreads" was obtained almost entirely from farms in the back areas, where there was tremendous mortality among the cackling flocks, and from the Expeditionary Force canteens. It can hardly have been said to have been a "happy" Christmas; but at any rate everyone made the best of the untoward circumstances. The remainder of the month was uneventful enough, and batteries marked the passing of the year by a combined shoot on the enemy's roads and communications on the night of 31st December-1st January.

In our day, Pope Francis has marked the New Year, with a message for the World Day of Prayer for Peace preaching non-violence as a 'style of politics for peace':

While the last century knew the devastation of two deadly World Wars, the threat of nuclear war and a great number of other conflicts, today, sadly, we find ourselves engaged in a horrifying world war fought piecemeal. ... this “piecemeal” violence, of different kinds and levels, causes great suffering: wars in different countries and continents; terrorism, organized crime and unforeseen acts of violence; the abuses suffered by migrants and victims of human trafficking; and the devastation of the environment. ...
Violence is not the cure for our broken world. ... Jesus himself lived in violent times. Yet he taught that the true battlefield, where violence and peace meet, is the human heart: for “it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come” (Mk 7:21).

Pope Francis goes on to say that to be true followers of Jesus today means embracing Jesus' teaching about nonviolence, then quotes from his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI:

“For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behaviour but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of God’s love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle evil with the weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one’s enemy constitutes the nucleus of the ‘Christian revolution’”.

And in case you think this is all naive optimism and the world is a lost cause, I shall end with this positive video shared with me by Avaaz:
https://www.facebook.com/Avaaz/videos/10154488492703884/