1. Australian seizure of the Wolfsberg

2. German counterattack

3. Outcomes
    Medal of Honor 

4. References

The Battle of Wolfsberg (4 -5 July 1918) was the successful Australian and American defence of the vital ground fought in the aftermath of the successful Battle of Hamel (4 July 1918) on the heights overlooking the Somme River 400 metres east of the village of Le Hamel in the Somme Department of Hauts-de-France (then Picardie Region). Wolfsberg was the designation applied to the heights directly east of the town of Le Hamel by Australian Corps Headquarters planners during the build up to the Battle of Hamel on July 4, 1918.^[1]

The historical genesis of the term Wolfsberg is unclear, but may be a battlefield nickname given to the position in light of its employment by German artillery spotters who occupied the position in the direct aftermath of the German army capture of the town on April 4 during the Kaiserschlacht ‘Michael’ offensive. German Forward Observers entrenched on the Wolfsberg were effective in directing Deutsches Heer artillery onto British 4th Army positions forward of Amiens, severely restricting the movement of Australian and British forces during daylight hours south of the Somme and across the Somme Ancre Gap. The German Forward Observers operating from the Wolfsberg witnessed the downing of German Ace of Aces Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen by Australian troops across the Somme river forward of Vaux sur Somme on April 21, 1918.^[2]

Australian seizure of the Wolfsberg

The Wolfsberg was captured by elements of the Australian Corps 3rd Division, 11th Brigade by 04.43hrs July 4, 1918 in a spectacularly successful combined arms assault. The northern sector of the Wolfsberg (the knoll) was captured by the Australian 42nd Battalion (Qld) augmented by Company C 131st Infantry Regiment US Army^[3] and the Wolfsberg saddle was captured by the Australian 44th (WA) Battalion. After dawn on July 4, 1918, the Australian and American assault forces on the Infantry Halt Line along the summit of the Wolfsberg were resupplied with ammunition from RAF RE.8 aircraft who deployed .303 ammunition to the troops by parachute. It was the first employment of aerial ammunition resupply in allied history. The Australian and American assault elements consolidated a new front line along the summit of the Wolfsberg, fortifying the new front line along the Infantry Halt Line of the Battle of Hamel with barbed wire, spiral pickets and trenching materials delivered by the British Army’s 5th Tank Brigade’s supply tanks. It was the historic first supply of infantry on the objective by mechanical means.

German counterattack

At 22:00hrs on the night of July 4, the Australian positions along the summit of the Wolfsberg came under a determined attack from the Deutsches Heer 43rd Division, intent of regaining the high ground lost to the Australian Corps attack that morning. Preceded by a fierce artillery bombardment, elements of the 1st Battalion 202nd Infantry Regiment of the German 43rd Division launched a determined counter attack employing grenadiers on positions along the Wolfsberg summit held by the Australian 44th Battalion.^[4]

An estimated 300 German soldats from the 1st Bn 202 Infantry Regiment were involved in the assault which originated from a German controlled communications trench along the reverse (western) slope of the Wolfsberg heights. The 44th Battalion was severely understrength for its task consolidating a long sector of Wolfsberg summit, due to the fact that the US Army 131st Infantry Regiment company detailed to reinforce it during the Battle of Hamel assault was withdrawn with no notice by the American Expeditionary Force on July 2/3 under explicit orders of the US supreme commander General John Pershing. The 44th Battalion fired SOS signal flares, which saw a heavy artillery bombardment fired upon the approaches to the Wolfsberg summit trench. The German counter attack sustained casualties in the SOS bombardment and during the follow on seizure and clearance of approximately ‘200 yards’ (182 metres) of summit trench. The barrage did however stop the Germans from effectively exploiting their capture of the sector of summit trench, halting the arrival of reinforcements and an ammunition resupply.

The Australian Corps 11th Brigade responded to the loss of the sector of summit trench by directing the 43rd Battalion, which was occupying defences dug around Le Hamel village to send a Quick Response Force to reinforce the hard pressed 44th Battalion and effect a recapture of the lost sector of summit trench.^[5] The surviving Australian Anzacs of A Company 43rd Battalion and the American Doughboys of 1 Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 131st Infantry Regiment responded to the counter attack deploying up the Wolfsberg to reinforce the 44th Battalion.^[6]

The Australian American assault to recapture the enemy occupied sector of Wolfsberg summit trench was launched at 02:00hrs on July 5, having been delayed by confusion due to low night time visibility and German chemical attacks involving Phosgene and Mustard gas artillery projectiles.^[6] The Australian/American counter attack was launched from both ends of the German held section of summit trench, the assault teams coordinated by Australian runners who carried orders above the trenches in the open during the chemical attacks.

Using ‘trench bombing’ tactics, employing coordinated teams of grenadiers throwing Mills fragmentation hand grenades or firing No 36 Mk 1 rifle grenades working with teams of assaulters with bayoneted Lee Enfield SMLE rifles and pistols, the 44th Battalion and A Company 43rd/E Coy 131st Infantry assault force commenced the reduction of the German held trenches.^[7]

During the fighting, Queenslander timber cutter [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10241885 Private James Lynch] ^[6] spearheaded the Australian counter attack swinging a heavy hardwood club. Lynch drove the Germans back along sectors of trench until he was killed by close range gunfire. The Australian assault eventually made the German defence of the summit trench untenable, the 1st Bn 202 Infantry Regiment survivors withdrawing across the parapet before running down the reverse slope closely pursued by Australian Anzacs and American Doughboys.

The rout of the Germans on the summit trench saw the Australians encounter additional German strong points east of the former front line. During the exploitation of the eastern slope of the Wolfsberg, dug in Deutsches Heer Maschinengewehr 08 machine gun teams engaged and halted the Australian American assault line causing a number of casualties.

At some point during this period, a US Army junior NCO from Company E, 131st Infantry Regiment, Corporal Thomas A. Pope, conducted an audacious lone bayonet assault on a Maschinengewehr 08 machine gun, killing its crew and several others before capturing the gun and taking prisoners. Pope was evacuated suffering chemical warfare poisoning in the wake of his action on the Wolfsberg reverse slope.^[6]

Outcomes

Approximately five percent of the 2000 German prisoners and 1500 Germans Killed in Action during the Battle of Hamel were incurred during the 1st Battalion 202nd Infantry Regiment’s initial successful counter attack on the Wolfsberg summit trench and the combined Australian 43rd and 44th Battalions and Company E, 131st Infantry Regiment clearance operations.

Ten German machineguns were captured during the clearance of 1st Bn 202 Infantry Regiment from the Wolfsberg summit and 50 prisoners were taken.^[5] The Australian exploitation operations resulted in the liberation of eleven Australian prisoners taken during the German counter attack of 22:00hrs July 4.^[6] Australian and American casualties during the initial loss and later clearance of the Wolfsberg Summit and the follow on operations on the eastern slope are not separated from the official figures from the larger Battle of Hamel conducted early on July 4.

Medal of Honor

Corporal Thomas A. Pope was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal by the Australians for his exceptional valour on Wolfsberg ridge, an award mirrored by the US Army which award him a Distinguished Service Cross.^[8] Pope’s actions on the Wolfsberg were later recognised by the US Army, which awarded the NCO a Medal of Honor for his heroism and tactical acumen. General Pershing, who did his best to halt American participation in the offensive action at Le Hamel, decorated Thomas A Pope with his Medal of Honor in 1919.^[9]

Pope’s Medal of Honor citation incorrectly states that he was fighting alongside tanks. In reality the last 5th Tank Brigade Mark V tank completed operations in the Hamel/Wolfsberg area at 1750hrs July 4, 1918. Some five to ten hours short of the events that led to Pope’s Medal of Honor. The Australian citation for the Distinguished Conduct Medal places Pope's lone assault on the Wolfsberg during the July 5 recapture of the summit trench after its loss to the German 1st Battalion 202 Infantry Regiment.^[10]

References

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