A protective barrage fired in front of the intermediate objective failed to prevent troops from Infantry Regiment 145 penetrating gaps and surrounding the four battalions of the 56th Division by A German creeping barrage followed by infantry began and overran the surrounded battalions, whose survivors collected behind the sunken track in Glencorse Wood and the west side of Nonne Bosschen.
42.
The 16th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps and the 2nd Worcesters were sent forward as reinforcements but were back on the start line by Two German infantry companies worked southwards from the Switch Line for later in the evening but another counter-attack was impossible, due to the tremendous volume of British barrage fire and the presence of British reconnaissance and artillery-observation aircraft.
43.
An earlier detonation of the H3 mine in the VIII Corps sector was expected to divert German attention to the north bank of the Ancre, which would help the attacks of shrapnel barrage fired by the divisional field artillery was to continue on the front trench until zero hour; in the 29th Division sector, half of the guns were to lift three minutes early.
44.
Divisions, 16th Bavarian Division at Gheluwe, 236th Division at Moorslede and 234th Division at Oostniewkerke in the were assembled at their stations at in readiness to move . . . . In spite of this the counter-attacks did not take effect until the late afternoon; for the tremendous British barrage fire caused most serious loss of time and crippled the thrust power of the reserves . | . }}
