Battle of Arras

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12 battle of arras
T he n exT P hase
Monday, 23 rd April 1917
Scottish Divisions were again involved in major fighting on 23rd April 1917.
This time it was the turn of the 51st (Highland) Division to attack the village
of Roeux and its infamous Chemical Works. The Division was one of nine
which took part in a dawn attack on a frontage of 10 miles. By now the area
around Roeux had become something of a fortress. The ruined château,
the Chemical Works and other key buildings and structures, including a
large blockhouse, were all connected via tunnels which not only allowed
the Germans free movement between these important defensive positions
but also offered some protection from the British bombardment. Crucially,
they allowed the Germans to work their way behind the small groups of
Highlanders who had managed to reach the village and the Chemical
Works. These small groups of attackers soon found themselves cut off and
isolated, and when they eventually ran out of bombs and ammunition most
were either captured or killed. By the end of the day, the Division was more
or less back where it had started.
It was during this phase of fighting that the 15th Division succeeded
in capturing the strategically important village of Guémappe. Behind the
village lay the ruins of Cavalry Farm, which had also been turned into a
strong defensive position. Although the village was eventually captured, the
ruined farm offered strong resistance and changed hands several times as
the Germans launched a series of heavy counter-attacks in a bid to recover
this important position astride the Arras-Cambrai road. Even after the
15th Division had been relieved by the 56th (London) Division the fighting
around the farm continued but the Scots had again performed extremely
well in very difficult circumstances.