#bridoux salient

[poor-bloody-infantry]

Officers of the 20th Battalion, Australian Division who were in the Bridoux Salient at the time of the German raid on Friday, 5th May, 1916. In the back row, third from the right, is Lieutenant Norman Blanchard, who was wounded and captured in the raid and was the officer referred to in the German after–action report. AWM A03620 - See more at: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/index.php#sthash.YyauSv8f.dpuf

[poor-bloody-infantry]

The top photo shows the Bridoux Salient near Armentieres as it was in May 1916. The second photo is of troops of the Australian 2nd Division ‘stand–to’ in a position near the Bridoux Salient in June 1916. The low–lying conditions made digging trenches virtually impossible in the Armentières sector, so British and German defences in the area consisted of sandbagged breastworks such as these. AWM EZ0007- See more at: http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/index.php#sthash.YyauSv8f.dpuf

I’ve been reading about Armentieres this morning.  The Australians had only arrived a few weeks earlier from Egypt.  They were reorganized after the Gallipoli evacuation and given a chance to rest and refit there. The Australians actually called Bridoux “the nursery.”  The troops were enjoying how much better prepared these trenches were in comparison to Gallipoli.  Anyway, a trench raid here on 5 May, 1916 gives good examples of the way Germany evolved it’s tactics.  The 20th Battalion was occupying the Bridoux Salient on the morning of 5th May.  This position was only 90 yards from the German line as you can see in the photo above.  There was the daily “strafe” by the Germans at 10 a.m. of rifle and machine gun fire was nothing out of the ordinary and the British daily reply by the trench mortars at noon was also as usual. There was even artillery fire within the salient that did not cause the British any concern.  However at 7:40 that evening a two seater bi-plane buzzed by a cluster of buildings used as headquarters and dropped a red balloon there.  The resulting blast by German artillery left the Australians completely stunned.  The Germans were beaten back but not before capturing stokes trench mortars and their users.