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Memorial de la Bataille D'Arras

 
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jrah60
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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Location: East Kilbride

PostPosted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:37 pm    Post subject: Memorial de la Bataille D'Arras Reply with quote

The Battle of Arras Memorial is situated outside the entrance to the Carriere Wellington Museum at Arras, which I can tell you is well worth a visit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carri%C3%A8re_Wellington

The Battle of Arras began on Easter Monday 1917.
The number of troops involved was about the same as that on the first day of the Somme.
200 000 soldiers were strung out 3 kilometres deep along a front of 32 kilometres to the east of Arras.
Of the 120 battalions prepared for battle 44 were Scottish in title.




One of the many Divisions invovled was that of the 51st (Highland) Division



John Houston
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Adam Brown
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Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)

PostPosted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

John

Thanks for posting this memorial, I was unaware of it. The 9th (Scottish), 15th (Scottish) and 51st (Highland) Division all took part in this battle.

Regards

Adam
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DerekR
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Arras is the forgotten battle of the Great War - and from the Scottish perspective, probably the costliest.
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jrah60
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 3:32 pm    Post subject: Memorial de la Bataille D'Arras Reply with quote

The following article was sent to me by a friend who went on a battlefield tour to Arras.
The article was written by the guide Vic Piuk.
The Battle of Arras
“Arras has perhaps become one of the “forgotten” battles of the Great War, however it was one of the bloodiest and although of only 39 days duration, it claimed an average casualty rate of some 4000 for every one of them.
This easily surpasses both the Somme and Third Ypres but as both those battles lasted longer and had overall losses they have overshadowed it.
It was to be the British part of a joint offensive with the French.
Our intention was never to break the Germans but to take some dominating ground such as Vimy Ridge which had been a thorn in our sides for years and especially pull in German reserves away from the French effort which would follow a week later.
Surprise would be a key element and for this the British went underground, creating a system of caverns and tunnels over 20 miles and which could hold 24,000 men.
The barrage which preceded the attack was tremendous. The Germans called it the “week of suffering”. On 9th April 1917 the infantry assault went in and in parts was extremely successful – in places making over three miles – the largest advance in the war since trench warfare had begun. However it did not last.
Chances to exploit were missed and German resistance stiffened as reserves arrived. In this part the plan was working.
The French attack was to take place on the Aisne to the east of Paris and was the plan of their new commander General Robert Nivelle who had been promoted over the heads of more senior officers and promised the war-weary politicians that he could deliver victory within 48 hours.
If undue optimism was a fault of his so was his big mouth and he had bragged loudly about what he was about to do to the Germans – so that they knew all about it.
When the offensive went in a week after Arras it was a complete disaster and the French military morale broke.
It had a terrible knock-on effect for their allies as the British now had to continue the Arras offensive longer than was necessary or wise to try and prevent the Germans finding out about the parlous state of the French. Arras became a desperate slogging match with seemingly little to show for the 159,000 losses we suffered.
Hot-spots such as Vimy had been taken and the Australians proved the Germans wrong in thinking that the Hindenburg Line was unbreakable but Arras has never been able to shake its reputation as a “lost” battle.”

John Houston
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jrah60
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 04, 2010 4:42 pm    Post subject: Memorial de la Bataille D'Arras Reply with quote

Confirmation of the other Scottish Divisions and Battallions that took part in the Battle of Arras.










John Houston
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