Battle of Fromelles Part 3

The Disaster

The Battleground of the 15th Brigade. Taken from the position of the Sugarloaf on 11 November 1918.  

With the initial attack halted, the men of the 5th Australian Division set about holding onto what they had managed to take. But confusion and lack of communication meant that the commanders back from the fighting didn't fully understand the situation. In ignorance of the true situation further attacks were ordered, then cancelled. But the battered 15th Brigade didn't get notified of the cancellation until it was too late. 

patreon.com/user?u=46029761

The 8th Battalion two company attack. Unaware that the British brigades to their right had been ordered to withdraw, the attack went in unsupported and was annihilated.

14th and 18th Brigade positions. Communication between the isolated units meant that no coordination was possible.

Australian and German dead in the German front line trench.

Portion of the German second line held by Captain Mills.

A section of the German positions occupied by the 31st Battalion. This photo was taken the following day as the Germans reoccupied the position.

Video I took from the site of the Australian memorial in April 2024. Possibly the ground held by the 14th and 8th Brigades, but don’t quote me on that.