Flanking Party

[Steve Bramley]

Hi All,

I have recently seen a reference to a Flanking Party, at Lens between April and June 1917, consisting of:

Flanking Party (Left Gap)

Sergeant

Bomber

Riflemen x4

Lewis Gunners x2

Runner.

Any thoughts as to the function of this group of men please.

Regards,

Steve.

[Robert Dunlop]

Steve, I presume this was in relation to a raid? Irrespective, the job of a flanking party would be to protect one side, or flank, of an attacking unit. With any attack, the flanks are the most vulnerable area for the attacker. The defenders to the side of the attack will be free to fire into the flanks in enfilade, which can cause significant casualties. In a raid, depending on the objectives, the flanking party would likely cross No Mans Land with the raiding unit and then set-up a protective barrier inside the lateral limits of the artillery barrage. The latter would typically prevent many German reinforcements from getting through. Those that did would be engaged by the flanking party. Two Lewis guns in the party testifies to the importance of the role of the party.

Robert

[Robert Dunlop]

This was the advice issued by Rawlinson in 'Fourth Army: Tactical Notes' just before the Battle of the Somme:

'The Protection of Flanks

The value of a defensive flank has been exemplified time after time. The defensive flank applies not only to large formations but right down to platoons.

Every unit or formation however small must, in drawing up its plan for an attack, make careful previous arrangements for the protection of the flanks of the attack. In the smaller units this may be done by blocking the trenches down which the enemy's bombers will probably counter-attack and by telling off parties to "clean up" communication trenches on the flanks of the advance. The defensive flank, in the case of a larger formation should form a continuation of our line, so that each new advance may oppose an unbroken front to the enemy's counter-attacks.

The choice of a defensive flank requires tactical knowledge and training which, as pointed out in previous paragraphs, can only be obtained by constant practice and study of the use of the ground.'

Robert

[Steve Bramley]

Robert,

Thanks for the information. I have the war diary for the Battalion concerned, but it is at the moment difficult to pinpoint the action. I thought that it may be for a raid but I'm not exactly 'up' on technical manoeuvres. I am assuming that this may also be the case for a 'strong' (company sized) patrol, i.e. when the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg line?

Regards,

Steve.

[Robert Dunlop]

Steve, this might have been the case with the forward elements of an advance guard. Though an action around Lens would not have been in this category at the time you mentioned. With an advance guard, it would depend on how close the enemy were perceived to be and in what terrain the enemy was being pursued. Thus a dedicated unit for protecting a flank might not be required pursuing the Germans across relatively open ground where there were few defensible terrain features on the flanks.

Robert

[Steve Bramley]

Robert,

Thanks again for your comments and interest.

I think the mention of the Hindenburg withdrawal is a bit of a red herring!

The reference to the flanking party is from a field notebook belonging to a Sergeant George Porter of the 1/5th Lincolns. Sgt Porter was wounded on June 2nd 1917, I think the action for the above may have been this one on April 23rd:

Do you think this would be it?

The notebook lists all the members of Porter's paltoon (No1 A Coy) which would appear to contain (apart from NCO's and a couple of privates) a draft of inexperienced men and is about 20 men short.

Interestingly, apart from Porter, none of the men in the flanking party are from his platoon. I can understand this for the 'specialists' but i would have thought that at least the 'riflemen' would have been platoon members? Was it normal for a platoon leader to be seconded like this?

A month later, and after two large scale operations around Lens the battalion were down to less than 100 men per company.

Sorry for the amount of questions here.

Regards,

Steve.