Fromelles, Battle of, was an Australian and British assault on German forces during World War I (1914-1918). The battle took place near the far northern French village of Fromelles. The assault lasted from the evening of July 19 to the morning of July 20, 1916. The assault failed badly, and the battle ended in a German victory. The battle is sometimes called the Battle of Fleurbaix, after a nearby village.
Fromelles was the first major battle fought by Australian troops on the Western Front, the battlefront that ran through Belgium and France. The high number of Australian casualties (people killed, wounded, missing, or captured) in such a short time made the battle one of the bloodiest events in Australian history.
Background.
On July 1, 1916, a massive Allied offensive along the Somme River began some 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Fromelles (see Somme, Battle of the ). The Fromelles attack was diversionary—that is, it was intended to keep German reserve forces occupied and away from the Somme. The local goal of the Fromelles attack was to take the German lines in front of the slight rise of Aubers Ridge. In 1915, Allied forces had twice tried to take Aubers Ridge, but both attacks failed with terrible casualties (see Artois, Battles of ).
The focus of the attack was a heavily fortified salient (bulge in the front line) known as the Sugarloaf. From there, German machine gunners could catch attackers in a deadly crossfire. The Sugarloaf’s defenses included concrete blockhouses and thick belts of barbed wire backed by heavy artillery and machine guns . The Allies would be approaching in daylight across a wide stretch of open ground, making them easy targets for German gunners. The German troops were hardened veterans. The attacking Australian and British troops had recently arrived in France and many had not yet seen combat.
The battle.
After a preliminary bombardment, Australian and British troops attacked the German lines on the evening of July 19, 1916. The bombardment, however, failed to weaken the Sugarloaf and other German positions. Intense enemy fire stopped many Allied troops shortly after they left their trenches.
Some Allied troops managed to take a portion of the German front line. However, they were unable to advance much farther, and many troops slipped back to the Allied lines during the night. Those that remained at daybreak were quickly forced out by German counterattacks. Realizing the futility of the situation, Allied commanders called off the attack.
Aftermath.
The Allied attack at Fromelles failed to take the German lines, and it also failed to draw German attention away from the Somme. Australia suffered more than 5,500 casualties, including about 1,900 killed. The British and Germans each suffered some 1,500 casualties, with about 500 killed on both sides. The front lines at Fromelles moved little until the end of the war in November 1918.
In 2007, mass graves were discovered containing the bodies of some 250 Allied soldiers killed at Fromelles. The bodies were exhumed (dug up) and buried individually in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery in 2010.
