Amongst the better known was Gotlieb Trench, called Elsa Trench by the Allies. The battle of Mont St. Quentin The five German divisions were confused and split up, and many had fled. Since the Allied counter-attack of the 8 August 1918 (the Battle of Amiens), Australian troops had surged along the Somme Valley pushing the Germans back to their old positions of 1916. During the first attack, Mont Saint Quentin was captured; in just a few hours, eight companies of Australians had managed to capture one of the most formidable positions of the Western Front. The map depicting the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin … The taking of Mont St Quentin and Péronne is regarded as among the finest Australian feats on the Western Front and the intensity of the action is evident from the fact that eight Victoria Crosses were awarded to Australians between 31 August and 2 September 1918. Australian Troops Approach the Crest of Mont St. Quentin, Monument to the Australian 2nd Division on Mont St. Quentin. The Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin was a battle on the Western Front during World War I. Between August 31 and September 5, 1918, Australian forces fought to take command. The British Fourth Army's commander, General Henry Rawlinson, described the Australian advances of 31 August – 4 September as the greatest military achievement of the war. Thanks, Pete. Included in these were more than 30,000 mustard gas shells (the first use of a British-made version of this weapon). After capturing the St. Quentin Canal with a creeping barrage of fire—126 shells for each 500 yards of German trench over an eight-hour period—the Allies were able to successfully breach the Hindenburg Line on September 29. Australian historian Michele Bomford handily rectifies that situation with this fine book, a revision and expansion of her previous work, and a part of the Australian Army Campaign Series, published by the Australian Army History Unit in Canberra. The Battle of Mont St Quentin Written Source Analysis General John Monash said that the Mont St Quentin campaign ‘furnished the finest example in the war of spirited and successful infantry action conducted by three divisions operating simultaneously side by side’. Mat speaks to historian and battlefield tour guide Jo Hook about the Battle of Mont St Quentin, claimed to be one of the 'finest Australian feats' of the First World War. This battle led to the liberation of Péronne and is known in Australia as one of the greatest feats of arms of the Australian Army Corps. Its location made it an ideal observation point, and strategically, the hill's defences guarded the north and … At the end of summer 1918 (29 August to 2 September), in the fight for this heavily defended German position, 3,000 Australian soldiers were made casualty in just four days. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Guest: Jo Hook Producer: Jess Stebnicki For more great history content, visit or subscribe to our YouTube channel at Don't forget to subscribe and review the podcast! It is produced by an editorial team, growing for over a decade, that includes: Michael Hanlon, Kimball Worcester, David Beer, Tony Langley, Donna Wagner, and Diane Rooney. It was an important battle that weakened German forces and gave the allies a decisive victory. The Battle of Mont St. Quentin-Peronne, 1918. At the end of summer 1918 (29 August to 2 September), in the fight for this heavily defended German position, 3,000 Australian soldiers were made casualty in just four days. Mont St Quentin: A Soldier's Battle "Mont St. Quentin was the finest victory of the war, the finest strategical point in the Country, the finest offensive battle fought by the 5th Brigade. The World War I Mural at the MacArthur Memorial. During the battle Australian troo… (a) The statement of this German prisoner, as told to me by Edwards, and forms a state separate statement. Battle of St. Quentin (1914), also known as the Battle of Guise, between French and German forces Battle of St. Quentin (1918) , part of the German Spring Offensive Operation Michael Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin , attack at Mont St. Quentin near Péronne by the Australian Corps in August 1918 21e bataillon australien au mont Saint-Quentin 1er sep 1918.png 641 × 482; 259 KB One brigade was given the task of taking Mont Saint Quentin, while the other was to concentrate on the southern end. The Battle of Mont St Quentin resulted in a strategic, tactical and psychological victory for the Australian Forces and dealt a stunning blow to five German divisions, including the elite 2nd German Guard Division, drove the enemy from one of the key positions in France, and took 2,600 prisoners at a cost of slightly over 3,000 casualties. Toward the end of World War I, France's Mont St Quentin and the town of PÃ?Â(c)ronne were the final key strongholds to Germany's defense of the Somme River. Recommended: Canada's Controversial Sir Sam Hughes... Map Series #6: The Isonzo Sector of the Italian Front, Winston Churchill's Closest Call on the Western Front, Our Monthly World War One Online Newsletter. Because of the importance of this vitally strategic area, Australia's General John Monash was keen to capture the region and thus possess a valuable position. St. Quentin Scar. A number of formations in the German forward line quickly yielded to the British advance, but as the British advanced they met more resolute opposition from regiments of the German 1st Guards Reserve Division, 2nd Guards Reserve Division and the 3rd Reserve Division. Get this from a library! The battle was preceded by the greatest British artillery bombardment of the war. At 5 am on 31 August 1918, supported by artillery, two Australian battalions, charged up Mont St Quentin. Narrated by Cathi Ogden Particulars of plan of battle and manoeuvres copied by me from operation map in possession of Battalion draftsman at Fuse France, on 16th September 1918 Pages 4 to 21 Careful description of the battlefield, Mt St Quentin and the surrounding country. After vicious fighting and artillery fire, the German troops finally withdrew. The British assault on the Drocourt-Quéant Line on 2 September 1918 resulted in the Germans being overrun along a 7,000-yard (6,400 m) front. "Several large-scale maps highlight the action and make the narrative easy to visualize" - HURRAH! [Bill Billett] -- This is the story of the third significant Australian victory (after Viller-Brettoneux and Hamel)fought over 31 August to 5 September 1918. The Epilogue: The Australian Remembrance Trail, from The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne, written by Michele Bomford, for the Australian Army Campaigns Series. This was not the end of the battle by any means though with the Germans launching a furious counter-attack against the Australians now on Mont St. Quentin. A nicely balanced account. Mont St Quentin and Peronne, were both keys to German defence of the Somme River. Author Meleah Hampton is a military historian at the Australian War Memorial and author of Attack on the Somme: 1st Anzac Corps and the Battle of Pozières Ridge, 1916 , published in 2016. The Germans, however, wasted no time; they counter-attacked and forced the Australian troops back to their trenches. Many of the high explosive shellsfired had special fuses which made them very effe… Mont St Quentin stood out in the surrounding country, making it a perfect observation point and a vital strategic area to control. The Germans quickly surrendered and the Australians continued to the main German trench-line. Captured at Kut-al-Amara: A Letter from a Prisoner... WWI: When the Wristwatch Routed the Pocket Watch. Before 1916, Mont Saint Quentin only disposed of a few basic facilities including a trench, an observation and command post and a few anti-aircraft batteries. The village of St Quentin was taken, held against counterattack, and the Australian forces then advanced on Péronne, which was cleared street by street and house by house. The sixth chapter, The Last Day of Summer, 31 August 1918, from The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne, written by Michele Bomford, for the Australian Army Campaigns Series. Battle of Mont St Quentin Peronne 1918 (Australian Army Campaigns) [Bomford, Michele] on Amazon.com. Mont St Quentin Description As part of the Allied counter offensives on the Western Front in the late summer of 1918, the honour relates specifically to the role played by Australian troops in the storming, seizing and holding the key height of Mont St. Quentin (overlooking Peronne), a pivotal German defensive position on the line of the Somme. The Battle of Mont St.Quentin was fought in the closing stages of the Great War. Australians of the Second Division crossed to the north bank of the Somme River on the evening of 30 August. Mont Saint Quentin is a rising slope that overlooks Péronne, forming an ideal observation point and strategic position that was firmly defended by the Germans in the summer of 1918. Mont St. Quentin : a soldier's battle. The Gippsland Farmers' Journal (Traralgon, Vic. © Copyright 2016 Historial de la Grande Guerre. The battle of Mont St. Quentin Eventually, by 7am, the troops had gained the village of Mont St Quentin and the slope and summit of the hill by working in small groups. The following summary of Ross’ talk gives a glimpse into the significance of the Battle to the outcome of the War and its significance to the AIF. Mont Saint Quentin had been captured and the fighting was taken to the town of Péronne. Narrated by Cathi Ogden. Inscrivez-vous pour être tenu informé des actualités et événements de l'Historial. The assault was launched again on the following day. Bracketed as it was by French, American, and British successes in July and August, and the start of the final push, it's easy to understand why the relatively small-scale offensive has not been given much attention. It overlooked the Somme River approximately 1.5 kilometres north of Péronne. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. : 1893 - 1896; 1914 - 1918), Tue 31 Dec 1918, Page 2 - Battle of St. Quentin You have corrected this article This article has been corrected by You and other Voluntroves This article has been corrected by Voluntroves Reading List for this Series: AWM4, Unit War Diaries, www.awm.gov.au Bean, C.E.W., The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Vol. The French-Kitchener Meeting of 1 September 1914. In the spring of 2015, with the support of the Australian Embassy and contributions from specialist historians, the Historial created a remembrance trail on this former battleground, with interpretative information provided at six points, incorporating the Australian Memorial. This area was key to the German defence of the Somme line. The Grandeur of the Elks National Memorial, Work Horse of the U.S. Air Service: The DH-4, April 1914: The Assassination Plot Is Hatched, Ten Interesting and Rarely Shown War Posters. The Battle of Mont St Quentin resulted in a strategic, tactical and psychological victory for the Australian Forces and dealt a stunning blow to five German divisions, including the elite 2nd German Guard Division, drove the enemy from one of the key positions in France, and took 2,600 prisoners at a cost of slightly over 3,000 casualties. The Montwas only 100 metres high but was a key to the German defence of the Somme line, and the last German stronghold. I recently borrowed this book from my local public library - an excellent read. The depleted Australian divisions won an impressive victory against the German defenders, capturing some 2,600 prisoners. As part of the Allied Hundred Days Offensive on the Western Front in the late summer of 1918, the Australian Corps crossed the Somme River on the night of 31 August and broke the German lines at Mont Saint-Quentin and Péronne. This segment of the war took place in France between Australia and the German Empire . These were specifically targeted at headquarters and groups of batteries. The planner of *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Another book I'm going to have to read! By Lost between what many consider the turning point of the war, the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918, and the start of Marshal Ferdinand Foch's big push beginning with the American attack in the Meuse-Argonne in late September, is the Australian attack on Mont St. Quentin-Peronne on the Somme river in late August to early September. Battle of Mont St Quentin Peronne 1918 (Australian Army Campaigns) The eighth chapter, Turning the Line of the Somme, 2-5 September 1918, from The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne, written by Michele Bomford, for the Australian Army Campaigns Series. The Allies were pursuing the Germans, and the greatest obstacle to crossing the Somme River in pursuit was Mont Saint-Quentin which, situated in a bend of the river, dominated the whole position. The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne 1918 charts an extraordinary journey from the trenches facing Mont St Quentin on 31 August 1918 through the frenetic phases of the battle until the final objectives are taken on 5 September. Roads to the Great War is part of the Worldwar1.com (link) family of websites and periodicals. Mont St Quentin: A Soldier's Battle [Billet, Bill] on Amazon.com. The Battle was the focus of FFFAIF member Ross St.Claire’s talk at the 2008 John Laffin Memorial Lecture . Media in category "Battle of Mont St. Quentin" The following 10 files are in this category, out of 10 total. St. Quentin Scar - St. Quentin Scar is a map based on the Battle of Mont Saint-Quentin. Mont St Quentin, overlooking the town of Péronne, was the scene of a famous Australian action under the leadership of Lieutenant General Sir John Monash. Remembering a Veteran: Major Carl A. Amazing Drone Footage: The Mine Craters of Les Epa... Remembering a Veteran: Leutnant Ludwig Wittgenstei... 100 Years Ago: The Third Anglo-Afghan War Breaks Out. Although the front line was located several kilometres away when the Battle of the Somme began, new trenches still had to be dug. After an initial failed attempt to cross a series of marshes and attack the heights, the Australian 2 nd Division crossed the Somme River on 30 August, and attacked Mont St-Quentin at 5 am on the morning of 31 August supported by artillery. Some 1,600 guns were deployed (1,044 field guns and 593 heavy guns and howitzers), firing almost one million shells over a comparatively short period of time. It became the site of the Battle of Mont St-Quentin from 31 August to 2 September 1918. We will also be inviting other WWI historians, enthusiasts, and collectors to contribute to Roads. The Battle of Mont Saint Quentin holds a very important place in Australian collective memory. In an effort to gain direct observation of all bridges over the Sensée River and the Canal du Nor… Lost between what many consider the turning point of the war, the Second Battle of the Marne in July 1918, and the start of Marshal Ferdinand Foch's big push beginning with the American attack in the Meuse-Argonne in late September, is the Australian attack on Mont St. Quentin-Peronne on the Somme river in late August to early September. 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