REMEMBERING: Meteren

[Ron Clifton]

The capture of Meteren by 9th (Scottish) Division is not very well known but well illustrates the progress made by the British in co-ordinating all-arms attacks, as well as the decreasing power of the Germans to resist.

Four battalions attacked at 7.55 am, catching the Germans at breakfast, and apart from one battalion on the left which was faced with uncut wire, they all took between 25 and 40 minutes to capture all objectives.

A German aircraft flying over at 7.30 had seen nothing amiss, because the British had strung about 2000 yards of coconut matting, with a black wiggly line pained along it in tar, on poles above the trenches,. The attacking troops were hidden below it.

Ron

[gnr.ktrha]

That is very interesting, I never knew that! I am now off to read the DIV History to see what it says.

Thanks for posting,

Stewart

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Stewart

Look for the story about Maj-Gen Tudor and his bicycle!

The Official History, "1918 Volume III" has a useful description, from which most of my post was drawn.

Ron