Trench Map Le Transloy area early 1917

[nigelcave]

I hope that someone can help me. I have the Gueudecourt sheet 57c SW 1, but I am interested in its next door neighbour, particularly one that has a good coverage of squares N35 and N36 - the area concerned covers that south of Le Transloy and should show the line on 27th January or shortly before (don't ask for much!); it looks as though it is one of those locations which is to be found on the edge of a number of maps and I might also need the trench map below it as well. Idealy I would like to see the line between Le Transloy and Sailly, the scene of quite a bt of post Somme activity from mid Jan to mid Feb 1917.

Otherwise I suppose the next question to be put is: is it on any of the released trench map DVDs?

[connaughtranger]

Peter Chasseaud's Topography of Armageddon has map (1 : 20000) showing squares N35 & N36 with trenches corrected to Sept 1916. If you have no luck elsewhere I could try scanning it

Regards

Martin

[JimSmithson]

You need 2 maps for N35 & 36. Extracts below

Both are 1/1/17. I can email larger file versions or extended views if you PM me Nigel

Cheers

Jim

[nigelcave]

Martin - thanks for the suggestion - alas, too early on, as I need one to cover the period when the battle had moved up to this particular area.

Jim thanks to you too - I shall pm you when I have a few minutes to think a bit more coherently!

[colin.green14]

Hi Nigel

Try this, trenches to 1/1/1917

http://lt1.mcmaster.ca/ww1/wrz4mp.php?grid..._id=84&view

Colin

[nigelcave]

Hi Nigel

Try this, trenches to 1/1/1917

http://lt1.mcmaster.ca/ww1/wrz4mp.php?grid..._id=84&view

Colin

Thank you, Colin, for your time. Problem now solved, between the various offerings. A point of interest for me is how neglected (it could just be my ignorance) the 'quiet months' of the war can be - in this case between the Somme and Arras. Trevor Pidgeon did us all a great service with his Boom Ravine in the BE series, highlighting what went on around the Ancre. I have now found some interesting references to this southern area of the Somme, where the British took over the line from the French, and where some quite stiff local actions took place prior to the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line. I shall look at the Le Transloy area with a little more post 1916 interest next time that I am over.

[JimSmithson]

Nigel

Not only some actions prior to the withdrawal but those during the withdrawal are very interesting in this area. In working through the 1917 OH as part of the work on Arras it is fascinating to read of how the British, Canadians and Australians grappled with the sudden advent of fairly open warfare. It is clear when reading that units found working on a very different principal to that learned during 2 years of trench warfare difficult and costly. An example of very different fighting was the action at Villers Faucon (27th march) where cavalry both mounted and in armoured cars captured the village with the cars attacking head on whilst the cavalry galloped around the flanks. Also at Guyencourt where Lt Harvey won his VC by jumping the wire on horseback to shoot a machine gunner who was holding up the taking of the village.

Jim