The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July - 3 September 1916) was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. The Battle of Delville Wood was fought from 14 July to 3 September 1916, one of the twelve battles of the Somme in 1916. It was fought by the British and French against the army of the German Empire in the Somme River valley in northern France.
The 14th July was the anniversary of Delville Wood. This rare WW1 picture of South Africans
The Delville Wood attack began on 15th July, when just over 3,000 men form the South African 1st Infantry Brigade were tasked with clear the wood "at all costs". As with many other battles, the Allies used artillery bombardment to begin the assault before sending in the infantry. Delville Wood was sometimes known as Devil's Wood, and the fighting there during the battle of the Somme was particularly ferocious. The majority of the wood was eventually taken by South African soldiers on the 15th of July 1916, and they held on grimly during numerous German counterattacks for six days, until they were relieved. 15 July 1916 South Africa entered WWI on 8 September 1914, on the side of the Allied Forces. On 15 July 1916, the S.A. Infantry Brigade under Major-General H.T. Lukin was ordered to clear the wood at d'Elville, north-east of the village of Longueal, France, of enemy soldiers, thereby covering the flanks of the British Brigade. The South African 1st Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the army of the Union of South Africa during World Wars I and II. During World War I, the Brigade served as a British formation in Egypt and on the Western Front, most famously the Battle of Delville Wood.
Delville Wood The costliest action the South African Brigade fought on the Western Front The
The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July - 3 September 1916) was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Battles - The Battle of Delville Wood, 1916 A subsidiary attack of the Somme Offensive, and fought from July 15 until 3 September 1916, the Battle of Delville Wood saw the capture of the wood that had been skirted during the Battle of Bazentin Ridge when Longueval fell to the British on 9 July. Sponsored Links The Battle for Delville Wood. known 16th July 1916 The 16th of July was a period of consolidation, where practicable for the British and for harassment by the Germans, in particular from brave and persistent snipers, accompanied by an unrelenting artillery bombardment, which continued to take a heavy toll of the defenders of Delville Wood. The Delville Wood South African National Memorial is a World War I memorial, located in Delville Wood, near the commune of Longueval, in the Somme department of France. It is opposite the Delville Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, on the other side of the Longueval-Ginchy road. [2] Memorial development and inauguration
Delville Wood, the South African Memorial World War One Battlefields
The South Africans fought within the wood until July 19 th when they were relieved. Their casualties were some of the worst seen on the Western Front. A soldier who fought at Delville Wood and survived described it as follows: "Every semblance of a trench seemed full of dead-sodden, squelchy, swollen bodies. The Battle of Delville Wood was a subsidiary attack of the Somme Offensive, fought between the British and German armies from July 15 - September 3, 1916. The battle took place on a front of about 5 miles on the Somme battlefield in France. The British objective was to capture the German-held Delville Wood, which was a key strategic position.
Delville Wood at Mid-Battle In accordance with this plan, the reserve division was brought forward to the new line, extending from Montauban to the south of Trones Wood. This reserve division was the 9th (Scottish) Division which included, of course, the 1st South African Infantry Brigade. On 7 July the 9th Division was told to prepare for the. Delville Wood : South Africa's bloodiest World War I battle . In 1916 the wood known as Bois d'Elville (9 miles from Albert), and christened 'Devil's Wood' by allied troops, was a major German defensive feature. The South African Brigade (consisting of some 3,150 men) was attached to the 9th Scottish Division and given the task of capturing the.
Delville Wood after fighting, Western Front, France, WW1 Stock Photo 66162254 Alamy
The Battle of Delville Wood was the first major engagement entered into by the South Africans on the Western Front during the First World War. For six days and five nights a soldier was killed every minute, with one South African soldier dying every three minutes. From the 14th to the 20th July 1916 the […] Battle of Delville Wood Sign in to edit v t e Main battles Albert Bazentin Ridge Delville Wood Pozières Ridge Guillemont Ginchy Flers-Courcelette Morval Thiepval Ridge Transloy Ridges Ancre Heights Ancre Other engagements Montauban Mametz Fricourt Contalmaison La Boisselle Gommecourt Longueval Trônes Wood Ovillers Fromelles High Wood Mouquet Farm
