Tag: south african infantry

WWI: Fifty two months, fifty two posts – 25 – Devil’s Wood

August 12, 2016

Delville Wood was the second objective for the attack of the 9thDivision (part of the XIII Corps) during the Somme Offensive. The attack began at dawn on 14 July 1916 but was not secured until 3 September 1916 (during what is know at the Battle of Guillemote). “The wood consisted of a thick tangle of … More WWI: Fifty two months, fifty two posts – 25 – Devil’s Wood

WWI: Fifty two months, fifty two posts – 23 – On the Eve of Battle

June 30, 2016

On this night, one hundred years ago, men were packed into trenches and billets all along the battle front of the Somme. Overhead, shells continued to fly from the heavy artillery that had been pounding the German lines for weeks. This bombardment, their officers assured them, would destroy the barbed wire, the machine gun posts, … More WWI: Fifty two months, fifty two posts – 23 – On the Eve of Battle