First day on the Somme for Kiwis and tanks
On the 15th of September 1916, the New Zealand Division saw their first major action on the Western Front. In the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, they joined British forces as part of the continued effort to attack German-held territory around the river Somme in northern France.
A new element was also introduced on September 15 with the arrival of tanks in battle for the first time. British military leaders hoped that these new armoured machines, initially known as land-ships, would be able to straddle enemy trenches, break through barbed wire entanglements and end the stalemate of trench warfare.
But Lindsay Inglis, a New Zealand officer involved in action that day, recalls the tanks he saw were less-than-impressive.
Year:1916 (Recorded 1964)
Location:Flers, France
First day on the Somme for Kiwis and tanks
On the 15th of September 1916, the New Zealand Division saw their first major action on the Western Front. In the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, they joined British forces as part of the continued effort to attack German-held territory around the river Somme in northern France.
A new element was also introduced on September 15 with the arrival of tanks in battle for the first time. British military leaders hoped that these new armoured machines, initially known as land-ships, would be able to straddle enemy trenches, break through barbed wire entanglements and end the stalemate of trench warfare.
But Lindsay Inglis, a New Zealand officer involved in action that day, recalls the tanks he saw were less-than-impressive.
Year: 1916 (Recorded 1964)
Length: 03:53
Source: Radio New Zealand collection, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Catalogue Reference: 253857 [Major General Lindsay Inglis describes his experiences at the Somme]
People: Lindsay Inglis
Location: Flers, France
Image Title: Q2486 Mark I 'Male' Tank of 'C' Company that broke down crossing a British trench on its way to attack Thiepval on 25th September 1916 during the Battle of the Somme, Imperial War Museums
Image Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205194947
Lieutenant Lindsay Inglis (he was later to reach the rank of Major General serving in World War II) was in charge of A Company of the 1st Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. They were fighting in support of British and French forces who had started the Battle of the Somme on the 1st of July, resulting in horrifying numbers of casualties. As he recalls in this radio interview, of the nearly 200 men under his command, only 47 remained two days later - the rest killed or wounded by the heavy machine gun fire they encountered from German trenches. Lieutenant Inglis was awarded the Military Cross for his leadership of his men that day.
The British hoped the new tanks that were used for the first time on September 15 would be a game-changer and break the stalemate of trench war. While the men were probably excited to see the new armoured weapons for the first time, in reality the Mark I tanks were too slow (travelling at just 3.2 kilometres an hour) and cumbersome to effect much in the battle to take Flers. As Inglis explains, the Mark I’s were steered via the two wheels in the rear, and many became bogged down or stranded as they tried to cross trenches and the men on foot simply out-distanced them. Conditions inside were unbearable for the 8-man crew, who could barely see or hear what was going on outside. The cramped, hot and incredibly noisy interior was also filled with engine fumes.
However, two tanks did manage to help the New Zealanders. As Inglis recalls, he saw one crush barbed wire in front of a trench, allowing them through, while another was able to knock down a farm building sheltering German snipers. Military commanders could see the tanks had potential and Britain kept refining the design, while Germany would soon launch tanks of its own.
About 6,000 New Zealanders went into action on 15 September. By the end of the day 600 were dead. The New Zealand Division was withdrawn from the Somme in October and the campaign called off in November. The Allied forces had gained just 12 kilometres of land but suffered over half a million casualties while the German Army endured similar losses.