Le Hamel
4 July 1918
At 03:10 hours the attack began. Following a whirlwind bombardment from the massed guns Hamel and Vaire woods soon fell to 4 Brigade and the main enemy defences in Le Hamel village were taken by 11 Brigade.
In just 93 minutes 2 000 Germans had been killed or wounded and 1 600 more captured together with 177 machine guns.
All this for less than a hundred Allied deaths.
Awards
Victoria Cross
Driver Henry Harry Dalziel VC 15th Battalion in Pear Trench.
When in action with a Lewis gun section. His company met with a most determined resistance from a strong point, which was strongly garrisoned, manned by numerous machine guns, and undamaged by our artillery fire, was also protected by strong wire entanglements.
The heavy concentration of machine gun fire caused many casualties and held up our advance. His Lewis gun having come into action and silenced enemy guns in one direction, enemy gunfire opened from another direction.
Private Dalziel dashed at it, and with his revolver killed and captured the entire crew and gun and allowed our advance to continue. He was severely wounded in the hand, but carried on and took part in the capture of the final objective. He twice went over open ground under heavy enemy artillery and machine gun fire, to secure ammunition, though suffering from considerable loss of blood. He filled magazines and served his gun until he was severely wounded through the head.
His magnificent bravery and devotion to duty was an inspiring example to all his comrades, and his dash and unselfish courage at a most critical time undoubtedly saved many lives and turned what would have been a severe check into a splendid success.
Victoria Cross
Corporal Tom Axford VC 16th Battalion in Kidney Trench.
As the Australians advanced up a slope they encountered heavy fire from the German front line. The platoon next to Axford's was delayed by barbed wire, suffering many casualties. Axford rushed in from the flank to assist. He jumped into the enemy trench and bombed and bayoneted the machine gun crews, killing ten enemy and taking six prisoners. He threw the machine guns over the parapet and called the delayed platoon forward before he returned to his own platoon, with which he fought for the reminder of the operation. He had previously helped to lay out the assault line tapes which were within 100 metres of the enemy.
Medal of Honour
The first Medal of Honour to be awarded to an American in the war was awarded to Corporal Thomas Pope of the 131st Infantry, 33rd Infantry Division.
His company was advancing behind the tanks when it was halted by hostile machine gun fire. Going forward alone, he rushed a machine gun nest, killed several of the crew with his bayonet, and, standing astride his gun, held off the others until reinforcements arrived and captured them.
Monash was knighted within weeks.
8 August 1918
The preparation and tactics employed by Monash were used on a grander scale on the opening day of the Battle of Amiens launched by the Allies on 8 August. Successes were similar and the final Hundred Days of the war had begun.
The Australian Memorial Park
In the trenches of the Wolfsberg