On 25 September, during the Race to the Sea a French attack north of the Somme against the II Bavarian Corps, forced a hurried withdrawal. As more Bavarian units arrived in the north, the 3rd Bavarian Division advanced along the north bank of the Somme, through Bouchavesnes, Leforest and Hardecourt until held up at Maricourt. The 4th Bavarian Division further to the north, defeated French Territorial divisions and then attacked westwards in the vicinity of Gueudecourt, towards Albert, through Sailly, Combles, Guillemont and Montauban, leaving a flank guard on the northern flank facing Eaucourt. The II Bavarian Corps and XIV Reserve Corps pushed back a French Territorial division from the area around Bapaume and advanced towards Bray-sur-Somme and Albert, as part of an offensive down the Somme valley to reach the sea. The German offensive was confronted north of the Somme by the northern corps of the French Second Army east of Albert. The XIV Reserve Corps attacked on 28 September, along the Roman road from Bapaume to Albert and Amiens, intending to reach the Ancre and then continue westwards along the Somme valley. The 28th Reserve Division advanced close to Fricourt against scattered resistance from French infantry and cavalry.
1916
Late on 20 July, when Eaucourt was
Prelude
British offensive preparations
By 21 September, the 47th Division had been relieved after the capture of High Wood and the remainder of the month was spent resting, refitting and absorbing fresh drafts; the net loss to the division after the High Wood operations was reduced to and ranks. The new men had little time for training with their units and the lack of experienced officers placed greater responsibility on those that remained. On 28 September, Major-General Sir Charles Barter was sacked and replaced by Major-General Sir George Gorringe. The 141st Brigade returned to the line to take over the line from the 1st Division by dawn on 29 September. A further advance was intended, in which the 47th Division objective was Eaucourt l'Abbaye, a farmstead on the site of an Augustinian abbey. The area was reputed to have extensive cellars at a low point, where a short valley running from High Wood turns at a right angle, north-westwards to the Albert–Bapaume road. Eaucourt is commanded by higher ground on every side except to the north-west. Before the attack it was desirable to push forward along the Flers Line, to the high ground south-east of the village and the 18th Battalion attacked the feature on 29 September; the attack failed but on 30 September, a second attack gained the objective.
After the success of the Battle of Morval and the Battle of Thiepval Ridge the Fourth Army was instructed on 29 September, to plan the capture of the area around Le Transloy, Beaulencourt and a ridge beyond the valley containing Thilloy and Warlencourt. The attack was to be ready by 12 October and be made in conjunction with attacks by the Reserve Army and the Third Army further north. Before the big offensive, the Fourth Army was to continue its attack to the north-east, to capture a spur short of Le Transloy and Beaulencourt and to the north to reach the near side of the Thilloy–Warlencourt valley. The Fourth Army had already ordered an advance on the left flank on 1 October, to capture Eaucourt and the Flers Line up to Le Sars. The New Zealand Division of XV Corps further east, was to swing forward on its left flank by attacking the Gird Trenches
German defensive preparations
In early September, Rupprecht found that frequent relief of troops opposite the British was essential and the other armies on the Western Front were stripped of fresh divisions and units. After the sacking of Erich von Falkenhayn, the German Chief of the General Staff on 29 August, his successors General Paul von Hindenburg and General Erich Ludendorff visited the Western Front and ordered an end to offensive operations at the Battle of Verdun and the reinforcement of the Somme front. Tactics were reviewed and a more "elastic" defence was advocated, to replace the defence of tactically unimportant ground and the routine counter-attacking of Allied advances. After the Battle of Morval, all of the divisions from Combles to Thiepval had to be relieved again and the defences around Eaucourt were taken over by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division. Destremont Farm, to the south-west of Le Sars, on the north side of the Albert–Bapaume road and a derelict quarry south of Eaucourt had been fortified by the Germans; to the east a sunken lane running north from High Wood crossed the German third line. The junction had been fortified and joined Drop Trench and Goose Alley, forming a quadrilateral. To the north-east, more defensive works were known as Factory Corner. In late September, a brigade of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division occupied the defences around Eaucourt.
Battle
1 October
The attack on Eaucourt I'Abbaye started at on 1 October. A 34 Squadron RFC observer over Eaucourt who watched the attack, reported that and that the German artillery reply was much smaller and was scattered
2–3 October
The 1/23rd London, which had been attached from the 142nd Brigade, was ordered to attack the Flers Line and to push on through Eaucourt, to link with the 1/19th and 1/20th London, when news of the repulse of the 1/17th London reached the 47th divisional headquarters, in the early hours of 2 October. The 1/23rd London attack was planned for on 2 October, just before dawn but owing to the dark and wet night, the battalion was not assembled until and attacked at in daylight. The battalion was under-strength, tired and was withdrawn after the advancing waves were cut down by machine-gun fire from the flank and lost Rain began around and lasted for two more days. At noon on, two companies of the 1/18th London, which had taken over from the 1/17 London, reported that the Flers trenches were almost empty of Germans and at attacked up the Flers Line against little opposition, reached the area to the north-west of Eaucourt and made contact with the 1/20th London, which completed the circuit troops round the village. Touch was also established with the 68th Brigade of the 23rd Division, which had taken over from the 50th Division. During the night of Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 21 was replaced by Regiment 16 but were not able to hold Eaucourt.
Aftermath
Analysis
It was discovered by the British that on the night of 1 October, the battalion of Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 21, which had faced the 141st Brigade, had been due for relief that night and left before the replacements arrived. The Germans had quickly rushed up a battalion from support; two companies occupied the Flers Line opposite Eaucourt and one company moved east of Eaucourt but small-arms fire from the foremost troops of the 141st Brigade and British artillery-fire forced the Germans under cover. Another company came west of the village through the gap and re-occupied trenches, just in time to meet the attack of the 1/23rd London the next morning. The dark night, pouring rain and the lack of time for reconnaissance of the captured ground had made the positions captured by the British difficult to defend. The success of III Corps in capturing Eaucourt and Le Sars a few days later, was the last big victory of the Fourth Army in 1916, the subsequent attacks on the Butte de Warlencourt were costly failures. The German infantry opposite the Fourth Army had to defend improvised positions, which were destroyed by British heavy artillery-fire, causing many casualties.. The 5th Army at Verdun was ordered to retire from every piece of ground not necessary for the defence of the front to create reserves for the Somme. The six divisions holding the line from Le Transloy to the Ancre were replaced by seven fresh divisions from the end of September to 13 October, two of which were relieved in turn.
Casualties
Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment 16 lost from and had only fit to fight.
Subsequent operations
On 4 October, the 47th Division brigades completed the capture of Flers Support unopposed and after nightfall on 5 October, advanced to occupy a ruined mill north-west of Eaucourt. The capture of Eaucourt enabled the British to move several artillery batteries over the High Wood ridge, into a valley beyond the Starfish, where they supported attacks on the Butte de Warlencourt. Bavarian Infantry Regiment 16 remained in the line near Eaucourt and suffered many casualties from British artillery-fire and attacks. By 5 October, the commander of I Battalion reported that the battlefield conditions were extraordinary; morale was low because of cold rations and constant artillery-fire, some from German artillery; the number of casualties and the inability to bury dead, which were strewn around the trenches sapped morale further. The cold, rainy weather poor food and lack of hygiene caused a big increase in non-battle casualties, with up to of the troops contracting diarrhoea. There were no troops to spare to rest the garrison, despite constant appeals from the commanders. Several local counter-attacks were made and on 8 October, a big British attack was repulsed. In the afternoon of 12 October, the next British attack found the Bavarian companies reduced to about each, with rifles and to defend an area of
