WWI Battlefield Tours: The Somme – Breaking the Hindenburg Line

This World War I Battlefield Tour includes Google Maps links at each stop. Click the headings to travel along virtually or map the full route and take a drive along this historic battlefield route in France.

Breaking the Hindenburg Line

Gen. John J. Pershing had two goals for the American Expeditionary Forces in the war: he wanted his troops to be prepared for battle, and he wanted an independent American Army. When the Germans began a series of major offensives in spring 1918, Pershing relented and allowed American soldiers to serve in the British sector under a limited, but formal, arrangement.

The II Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces was a composite British and American organization. Among the American units in II Corps were the 27th and 30th Divisions, composed of men from New York, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Both were formed from National Guard units. They trained in British camps and trench lines in Northern France, using British weapons. Their artillery brigades remained with other American units. The II Corps relied on British artillery for support. From late September to early October 1918, these divisions fought alongside Australian units assigned to the British Fourth Army.

A chaplain talks to a wounded 27th Division soldier near Ronssoy.

The Hindenburg Line at the St. Quentin Canal

The II Corps played an important role in the British Army's Hundred Days Offensive. The operation to break the German positions along the Somme River began on Aug. 21, 1918. Three British armies carried out attacks in mid-September, which secured positions for an offensive on the Hindenburg Line between Cambrai and St. Quentin. The St. Quentin Canal running through the middle of the fortified zone. For the British Army, depending on tanks in assault, it was a daunting obstacle.

The II Corps led the attack on the line around the towns of Bony, Bellicourt, and Riqueval. The main heavy line of the German defense was in front of the towns, in a set of three interconnected and heavily wired trenches. Forward of these positions was the outpost line with thick belts of wire. Defenses were carefully sited to take advantage of the softly rolling terrain. Communication trenches in the folds of ground hid routes between the lines. Here the outpost line incorporated stone-walled farms and strongpoints dug into low ridgelines.

Between Bony and Riqueval the St. Quentin Canal passed under high ground through the 5.6 kilometer-long Riqueval Tunnel, completed in 1810 under Napoleon. In World War I, German military engineers pierced the tunnel and ventilation shaft walls creating underground quarters and facilities with hidden exits to defense lines above. Barges moored in the tunnel provided protected accommodation for troops. About 30 meters inside the tunnel entrances were concrete walls with machine gun positions. The tunnel complex was an ideal shelter for reserves waiting in safety to counter enemy attacks.

The British decided to attack here using tanks, including the American 301st Heavy Tank Battalion, to break through the wire and trenches. The attack was planned for Sept. 29, 2018. The Germans knew they were vulnerable to tanks at Bellicourt. They placed field guns in main defenses and used artillery shells as improvised tank mines.

As part of the British Fourth Army offensive, the II Corps would lead the attack on the north end of the line at the tunnel sector. The attack was preceded by a bombardment by 1,000 field pieces and 600 heavy artillery pieces firing for 30 hours. The bombardment began with eight hours of mustard gas shells.

At 5:50 a.m. on Sept. 29, the British Fourth Army advanced on a 19-kilometer front. Its right-hand corps quickly crossed the St. Quentin Canal, and by evening had taken the canal line. In the center, the 30th Division attacked the Hindenburg Line at Bellicourt. The 27th continued to attack toward the Hindenburg Line defenses around Bony.

Stop 1: Left flank of the 27^th Division

The 27th Division arrived in the line on Sept. 25, 1918. The division's left flank faced east here on Sept. 27. The farm on the road you just passed, Le Tomboise, was heavily fortified. German trenches and belts of barbed wire stretched back from Le Tomboise to high ground known as "The Knoll" northeast of the fortified Guillemont and Quennemont farms. The British 18th Division had failed to take these outpost line positions, and the newly arrived 27th was told to attack them on Sept. 27. They assaulted the outpost line at 5:30 a.m. with 12 tanks of the 301st Tank Battalion. The troops moved forward quickly. Tanks came up and harassed "The Knoll" and Guillemont Farm to little effect. On the right side of the attack tanks failed to arrive in support. German reinforcements appeared from behind the high ground and forced the division back. A number of Americans were captured. Isolated pockets held out in shell holes and foxholes between the lines. The hurried attack weakened the 27th before the main push on Sept. 29, with only slight advances on the flanks.

Stop 2: Right flank of the 27^th Division

You are now looking at the point which was the middle of the German outpost position on the morning of Sept. 29. Down the line of trees to your right was another German strongpoint, Quennemont Farm. From here, you can see how the ground falls away to the east to rise again to the main Hindenburg Line. The low area allowed the Germans to reinforce the outpost line under cover.

On Sept. 29, the 27th Division attacked again through the mist at 5:30 a.m. with tank support. The British began a rolling barrage far forward beyond the outpost line. The German strongpoints were intact and waiting for the attack. The outpost line here was captured with the help of the Australian 3rd Division which arrived around 11 a.m. Casualties were heavy among the tanks and the infantry. Many Americans continued forward among the Australians. Together they attacked toward Bony and beyond for about 1.6 kilometer on the right. On the left of the 27th, fighting was fierce and confused; at 3 p.m. the Australians arrived. American and Australian units fought together intermingled against the German strongpoints. The Americans joined the Australians and continued the advance on Sept. 30. In these attacks and in the subsequent consolidation of the position, the 27th Division suffered 4,264 casualties. The 301st Tank Battalion alone lost 105 killed, wounded and missing.

Stop 3: The 30^th Division's advance on Sept. 29

The American 30th Division replaced the Australian 1st Division here on the night of Sept. 24, 1918. The Australians had succeeded in seizing the outpost positions of the Hindenburg Line. On Sept. 25 they repulsed a German trench raid.

Look south at the further of the two small woods, known as Quarry Wood. The 30th attacked and took it on Sept. 26. The nearer wood remained in German hands and had a communication trench running east to where the Hindenburg Line defenses began. Unlike the 27th Division, they had five days to prepare and improve their position for an attack along a 3-kilometer front with artillery and tank support.

The 30th objective for Sept. 29 was to capture the line of the canal at Bellicourt, then push beyond and to the southeast behind the canal. The Australian 5th Division planned to overtake and relieve them. Heavy artillery preparation with a rolling barrage and smoke screen preceded the attack. At 5:30 a.m. the attack began. Low cloud, mist, and smoke limited visibility. Though coordination with tanks broke down, the murky conditions also hindered German artillery and machine guns. Fighting in Bellicourt went on from 7 to 9:30 a.m.

Driving toward Bellicourt the main Hindenburg Line trenches began where the embankment rises on the left side of the road, there is a pullout on the right. Between there and Bellicourt there were three belts of barbed wire and three trench lines.

A view of Bellicourt, Oct. 4, 1918. (British War Museum)

Stop 4: Riqueval Tunnel entrance

Here you can see a museum and the southern entrance to the St. Quentin Canal. The entrance was fortified, and footbridges lay across the canal. By 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 29, the 30th Division took the north side of Bellicourt and pushed into the last trench of the Hindenburg Line, northeast of town. By 9:30 a.m., the south side of Bellicourt was in American hands. After the 30th passed over the canal tunnel, a regiment fanned out south and east for 1.5 kilometers, securing the flank. The British 46th Division's infantry waded the canal further south. British tanks came north, making a U-turn around the Riqueval Tunnel entrance. In the early afternoon, the mist and smoke of battle began to lift, and German artillery took a greater toll on the tanks. The Australian 5th Division arrived to take over the attack, and many soldiers of the 30th joined them. Together, the British Army and the American Expeditionary Forces had achieved a major objective by piercing the Hindenburg Line.

There is a Tennessee State monument to the 30th Division outside by the canal boat display.

A tunnel where the St. Quentin Canal runs underground along the Hindenburg Line near Bellicourt, France, Oct. 4, 1918. (British War Museum)

Stop 5: Bellicourt American Monument

The monument provides a good view of the battlefield. It sits on the dividing line between the 27th and 30th Division lines of advance and directly over the St. Quentin Canal Tunnel. At the back of the monument is a map of the area with an orientation table to identify historical points in the terrain.

The Bellicourt American Monument commemorates 90,000 Americans who served in combat with British armies in France. The insignia of the II Corps, the 27th, 30th, 33rd, and 80th Divisions, and the 6th and 11th Engineers are carved in stone. The monument is engraved with names of notable actions of these and other units. On the face of the monument is an American eagle on a pedestal of stars and stripes, flanked by figures representing victory and remembrance.

During the night of Sept. 30, 1918, the II Corps was withdrawn from the line for rest and re-deployed north of St. Quentin Oct. 6. On Oct. 7, the 30th Division attacked from around Montbrehain and advanced 16 kilometers in four days. They reached the Selle River and were relieved by the 27th. On Oct. 17 the entire II Corps attacked across the Selle advancing 5,500 meters. The II Corps captured nearly 4,000 prisoners during this operation. In their attacks on the Hindenburg Line, the II Corps suffered over 17,000 men killed, wounded or captured.

Stop 6: Somme American Cemetery

Somme American Cemetery was first established as a temporary battlefield cemetery in 1918. It is named for the Somme region of France. The cemetery holds the graves of nearly 1,900 Americans. The names of more than 300 are engraved on the Walls of the Missing within the chapel.

From the visitor building, a path lined with linden trees leads to a white stone wall surrounding the cemetery, which is divided by walking paths into four plots. At the intersection of the paths is a flagpole whose base is surrounded by bronze World War I helmets surmounting laurel wreaths. The memorial chapel is in the center of the southeast side of the cemetery. It is built with white Vaurion stone with carved motifs that include eagles, artillery rounds, French tanks and artillery pieces, and rifles with fixed bayonets. The exterior bears dedications in English and French to those who died for their country. The interior floor is marble with a plaque bearing 48 stars for the number of states at the time. There is an altar and mounts for flagstaffs. On the walls are the names of those whose resting place is unknown. Rosettes on these walls indicate service members whose remains have been since identified.

Somme American Cemetery in Bony, France. (ABMC photo)

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