Pozières, Battle of, was an Allied assault on German forces during World War I (1914-1918). The battle took place near the far northern French village of Pozières. The assault began on July 23, 1916, and continued until late September. The fighting at Pozières, part of the much larger Battle of the Somme , ended in a costly Allied victory. Most of the Allied troops were Australian , but many British troops fought in the battle as well. Canadian troops took part later in the fighting.
Background.
On July 1, 1916, the Allies began a massive offensive along the Somme River in northern France. Early attacks across a wide front failed terribly with heavy casualties (people killed, wounded, captured, or missing). Allied leaders then narrowed their attacks. They concentrated on individual German strongholds, one of which was Pozières. The village and the high ground of Pozières Ridge lay near the center of the Somme battlefront. German troops had heavily fortified Pozières Ridge, which allowed them to see enemy positions in the surrounding area.
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( ANZAC ) first saw major action with the British during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. Australian forces saw their first major action on the Western Front —that is, the battlefront that stretched through Belgium and northern France—at Fromelles in July 1916.
From July 13 to 17, 1916, British troops attempted to take Pozières, but the assaults failed badly and were called off. Allied leaders then brought in Australian troops for a larger assault on the same target.
The battle.
After a lengthy bombardment, Allied troops attacked the German lines at Pozières at 12:30 a.m. on July 23. Australian troops took the village, but the stronghold of Pozières Ridge remained under German control. German counterattacks failed to drive the Australians out of the village, but German artillery caused heavy casualties. After repeated Australian and British attacks, the last German troops were cleared from Pozières Ridge on August 4.
Allied troops then pushed toward the nearby German strongholds of Mouquet Farm and Thiepval. Bloody fighting dragged on for weeks, with great loss of life. Canadian troops relieved the Australians attacking Mouquet Farm in early September. The German strongholds finally fell to the Allies later that month.
Aftermath.
The Battle of Pozières was an Allied victory, but the cost was enormous. Including the fighting for Mouquet Farm and Thiepval, the Australians suffered 23,000 casualties, including 6,800 dead. Many thousands of British, Canadian, and German troops were also killed or wounded.
German troops retook Pozières Ridge during the German Spring Offensive of 1918. The Allies took Pozières again in late August as German troops retreated all along the Western Front. Germany signed an armistice (agreement to stop fighting) on November 11, ending the war.
Today, the Pozières battlefield is a key part of the Australian Remembrance Trail, which traces Australian involvement on the Western Front.
