The bombardment of Pozieres

The village of Pozieres held up the left flank of the Anglo-French offensive in the first battle of the Somme in July 1916. After being attacked several times without success it became a major objective. The subsequent fighting, in which the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions were involved, was notable for massive artillery bombardments from both sides. On no part of the front in France were German bombardments more severe than at Pozieres. The village quickly disappeared into rubble; the surrounding ground was churned and tortured until it resembled a choppy sea; men, weapons, equipment and defence positions were literally buried; approach routes were lined with dead. After 48 hours of fighting in these conditions the village area itself was taken by the 1st Division; the 2nd then took over and continued the fight in the desert of shell-holes for another week before securing vital areas beyond the village, But the cost was great: the 1st Division lost 5,285 officers and men; the 2nd 6,848. The relieving 4th Division, in the last days of the fight, also suffered severely, two battalions losing 950 men between them.