The Maze - Australians on the Western Front
A rarely visited point on the Western Front is The Maze. However, many Australians died attacking it.
On 5th November 1916, the 7th Brigade was ordered to attack a heavily fortified trench system called The Maze, near Le Sars. The 28th Battalion was deployed on the right of the British 50th Division, with the 25th Battalion in the centre and the 27th on the right. However, the 25th Battalion became lost moving up with the result that its forward elements moved into the front line minutes before the attack, where many of them collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
Three companies of the 28th Battalion fixed bayonets and formed up for the attack. The artillery barrage commenced at 9.10am, with a line of shells exploding 150 metres short of the enemy lines for three minutes, to allow the attacking waves to reach it and advance behind it and it moved forward.
The creeping barrage was to advance at a rate of fifty metres per minute, with the lines of troops advancing closely behind. However it was ineffectual due to deep mud. The high explosive shells penetrated deep into the sodden earth before exploding, throwing up geysers of steam, smoke and clods of earth instead of the usual cloud that served to screen the advance of the infantry. The troops clambered out of the trenches, becoming mud-laden as they did so. Private Wally Lewis wrote:
Near Le Barque, France. View of a support trench in the Maze. This spot marked the position of a German 'pineapple' bomb. In the foreground, smoking a cigarette and wearing trench waders, is 1365 Private P Harding of A Company, 3rd Battalion.
‘Our officers gave the order, so we started. There were many who could not get out of the mud. I was one of them, so some of my cobbers gave me a hand and we got up on the parapet and had to stand there and scrape off the mud before we could go, not only me but everybody. While they were doing this, they were getting killed like flies. The fellow alongside of me got a bullet through his head.’
The muddy ground was difficult to negotiate and the lines moved forward slowly and once the bombardment passed over the enemy front line, the Germans left the shelter of their dugouts and mounted their machine guns. The leading wave had only progressed approximately one hundred yards when the enemy opened fire with rifles and machine guns. The lumbering troops made perfect targets in the morning light. Germans could plainly be seen standing waist high above their trench parapets, pouring a rapid fire into the advancing lines. Clouds of steam emanated from the German machine guns in the cold morning air, indicating the positions of the deadly guns, which exacted a wicked toll of the advancing troops.
The first wave of the 25th was destroyed by machine gun fire and the second wave had barely gone ‘over the top’ when accurate machine gun fire swept the line, decimating it before it had covered 100 metres. Approximately 100 men from the 25th Battalion had charged, four officers and seventy-seven other ranks of that number were killed or wounded.
The leading wave of the 28th Battalion came under enfilade fire from The Maze as well as direct fire from Gird Trench. The West Australians sought cover in waterlogged shell holes and returned fire. The leading wave of the 28th became hopelessly pinned down less than fifty metres from the German line. The West Australians lay out in No Man’s Land all day, returning the enemy’s fire. The wounded endured their suffering, as it was impossible to move them until after dusk.
The Durham Light Infantry advanced on the left flank of the 28th Battalion and was also decimated by the volume of enemy fire and pinned down in No Man’s Land. British troops on the extreme far left at the Butte de Warlencourt, surged into the German line by sheer weight of numbers and captured a trench between the Butte and the Bapaume Road. The 27th Battalion, on the right flank of the 25th, came under heavy fire from the garrisons of Bayonet Trench, The Maze and one of its communication trenches, known as Bite Trench. The 27th leapt into the interconnected posts that formed Bayonet Trench and cleared several enemy posts at the points of their bayonets. Part of The Maze was also seized by the 27th, which was forced to withdraw once its bomb supply attenuated.
The Germans began an intensive barrage of the front line and No Man’s Land at approximately 5pm. The bombardment lasted for an hour and resulted in the deaths of many of the wounded laying helpless in shell holes, as well as inflicting additional casualties behind the lines. After the cessation of the enemy barrage, a general withdrawal across No Man’s Land commenced. Teams of stretcher-bearers ventured out into No Man’s Land and recovered many of the wounded. The teams worked under the cover of the Red Cross Flag, but were constantly fired upon, however regardless of this, there was no shortage of volunteers to go out and bring in casualties.
If you were interested in the above article, you may be interested to know that our next tour leaves Australia for France in April 2025:
WW1 Western Front 1916 – 1918 tour: Belgium & France
Frank Taylor Tour Director & Neville Browning OAM historian and author, team together to offer:
- 14 days tour - with 12 days actually touring the battlefields with Australian military historian Neville Browning, a tour director and experienced local team
- Small number of group participants
- Includes Anzac Day Commemorations – Dawn Service at Villers Bretonneux & afternoon service with the Bullecourt Village Community
- Search assistance for relatives and persons of interest
- No picnic or box meals and no war bore stuff ..
- Relaxing evenings - dining as you choose in rural
towns of Belgium and France - All breakfasts, 9 restaurant luncheons
Our programme is crafted for an exceptionally well informed and balanced tour of Australia’s military history in France and Belgium in The Great War – with the ability to assist with relatives’ research. We offer expert knowledge and commentary. Accurate, exploratory, but not overwhelming, and includes “tourist time” as well.
Get in touch here, or go here to find out more.
This article was kindly supplied by Neville Browning OAM. You can read more about him here, or order his book here.
Authentic Military Heritage Tours by fully qualified and field-experienced Guides
Over 40 years experience in tour operations and planning in remote areas, including Papua New Guinea, Borneo, Thailand, Burma, Egypt, Libya.
Management and staff who have in depth historical and geographic knowledge of areas toured and military historical sites and events, in PNG and other countries.
Supervisors experienced in remote area and urban tour operations in PNG, Borneo, Singapore, Malaysia, France, Belgium, Greece, Crete, Thailand, Burma, Turkey, Egypt and Libya.
Full operational travel experience and campaign history with accurate information content and wide geographical knowledge in our programming.