ORBAT HILL 70
Introduction
The Order of Battle is defined as a
listing of all units involved directly, or indirectly in a specific
supporting role, in the conduct of a specific battle during a specific
period of time.
Using this definition I have looked at three
different sources to try to determine which units should be listed in an Order
of Battle (Orbat) for Hill 70. This Orbat is by no means complete. I have used
the online War Diaries as my primary source, but they are not complete, at
times not clear regarding the use of names of units or I have still to check
them in further detail.
This exercise clearly shows the specific problems I
encountered when trying to construct a factual Orbat verses a ‘static’ one:
shortly before and during the Battle for Hill 70 the composition of the 3
Divisions involved kept on changing as units or parts of units were brought
under different commands, preparations for and the development of the battle
dictated these changes. In that sense this Orbat is rather arbitrarily
structured. To make it more reliable I would need months at least to do an in
depth study of all the relevant War Diary entries.
To show you what I mean by a factual or ‘fluid’
Orbat dictated by the requirements of a specific battle, I’ll give one example
(I wonder why I chose this one?):
“The
by
The Battery now under control of
the 2nd Div. MG. Group Commander, Maj. Forbes-Mitchell, D.S.O. to
whom, a report that the Battery was in position was sent …………… on the 14th
inst”.
(unproofed
version)
After the
For the time being I have checked some entries for
each unit mentioned in this Orbat and
can guarantee they were directly or indirectly involved in the Battle for Hill
70. If there is no source mentioned then this unit was not involved as far as I
could determine, or it’s unclear from the evidence I have seen or I cannot find
the War Diaries of these units at all……
For those who are interested, I have linked all
these units directly to the relevant W/D entries of August 1917, either to the
Unit’s own W/D or to a reference made in the W/D of another unit.
Explanation notation of sources:
* =
corroborated by (other) source(s):
N. = Nicholson, G.W.L., Canadian Expeditionary
Force 1914 – 1919.
G. = Grafton, C.S., The Canadian “EMMA GEES”,
transcribed by Dwight G. Mercer.
O. = Officers Casualties 1st Div.
W. = War
Diary
M.
= Michael browsing through the War Diaries.
Inviting criticisms, suggestions, rectification of
mistakes and additions I hereby present:
ORDER OF BATTLE FOR HILL 70 (Draft version)
1ST
CANADIAN DIVISION H.Q.: Maj.-Gen. A.C. MacDonnell * N.
1st
Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. : Brig.-Gen.
W.A. Griesbach *N.
1st Canadian Infantry Battalion : Lt.-Col.
G.C. Hodson[1] * W.
2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
4th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
1st
Canadian Trench Mortar Battery[2] * W.
2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. : Brig.-Gen. F.O.W. Loomis * N.
5th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
7th Canadian Infantry Battalion * N.
8th Canadian Infantry Battalion * N.
10th
Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
2nd Canadian Machine Gun Company *
W.
2nd Canadian Trench Mortar Battery[3] * W.
12th
Canadian Trench Mortar
3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. : Brig.-Gen. G.S. Tuxford *
N.
13th Canadian Infantry Battalion
14th Canadian Infantry Battalion : Lt.-Col.
Gault McCombe
15th Canadian Infantry Battalion : Lt.-Col.
C.E. Bent
16th
Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
3rd Canadian Machine Gun Company * W.
3rd Canadian Trench Mortar Battery[4] *
W. 10th Canadian Trench Mortar
1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Group[5] *
W.
7th Canadian Machine Gun Company *
W.
8th Canadian Machine Gun Company * G.
13th
Canadian Machine Gun Company – Major
J. Kay *
W.
107th
Canadian Battalion (Pioneers)[6]
*
M.
Divisional
1st Canadian Divisional Engineers
1st Field
Company Canadian Engineers
2nd Field
Company Canadian Engineers
3rd Field Company Canadian Engineers
1st Canadian Divisional Artillery H.Q. [7] *
N.
3rd Canadian
Divisional Artillery H.Q. *
W.
1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
N.
2nd Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
N.
9th Brigade Canadian
Field Artillery *
M.
CARSCALIEN’S
Brigade[8]
(CARSCALLEN’S
BRIGADE R.F.A.) *
W. RALSTON’S
Brigade[9] *
M.
64th Heavy Artillery Group, R.G.A.[11] *
M.
137th
Infantry Brigade[12]
1st Canadian D.A.C. *
W.
3rd Canadian D.A.C. *
W.
Source: 1st
CANADIAN DIVISION: LOCATION REPORT, APPENDIX 15a. pages 1 & 2.
Location of
Units at ZERO HOUR on “Z” Day.
The Library
& Archives
Found through other sources:
1st Canadian Machine Gun Company *
M.
3rd Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
M.
2nd
Canadian Siege Battery[13] *
W.
List of temporarily attached units
The
undermentioned Units were attached to the 1st Canadian Division, until relieved
by the 3rd Canadian Division,
3rd Australian Tunnelling Company[14] *
M.
331st Road
Construction Company.
1st Canadian
Sanitary Section. *
M.
Detachment,
Canadian Light Horse. [15] *
M.
Canadian
Corps Water Patrols.[16] *
M.
14th (Army)
Brigade R.F.A.
Detachment,
No.
3 Section, 6th Reserve Park. *
M.
Y.M.C.A.
Details.
Source: Appendix H,
1st Canadian Division - Administrative Branches of the Staff.
2ND
CANADIAN DIVISION H. Q. - Major-General Burstall *
N.
4th Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. * N.
18th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
19th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
20th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
21st Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
5th Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. *
N.
22nd Canadian Infantry Battalion
* N.
24th Canadian Infantry Battalion * N.
25th Canadian Infantry Battalion * N.
26th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
6th Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. *
N.
27th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
28th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
29th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
31st Canadian Infantry Battalion
6th Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
M.
4th Canadian Machine Gun Company * M.
5th Canadian Machine Gun Company * M.
6th Canadian
Machine Gun Company[17]
* W.
14th
Canadian Machine Gun Company[18] * W.
Borden
Motor Machine Gun Battery – Capt.
W.C. Nicholson *
W.
Eaton Motor Machine Gun Battery * W.
Yukon
Motor Machine Gun Battery *
W.
2nd
Canadian Divisional Artillery * N.
63rd
Heavy Artillery Group [19] *
N.
Source: War Diaries 2nd
Division – General Staff, Appendix 854:
2ND CANADIAN DIVISION ORGANISATION ORDER NO. 143
4TH
CANADIAN DIVISION - H.Q. : Major-Gen. Watson ? * N.
10th
Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. *
N.
44th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
46th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
47th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
50th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
N.
11th
Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. * N.
54th Canadian Infantry Battalion
75th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
102nd
Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
87th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
12th
Canadian Infantry Brigade H.Q. [20] *
N.
38th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
78th Canadian Infantry Battalion *
W.
85th Canadian Infantry Battalion
4th
Canadian Divisional Artillery *
W.
The
Royal Canadian Horse Artillery[21] *
N.
4th
Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
W.
5th
Brigade
Canadian Field Artillery *
W.
3rd
Brigade Canadian Field Artillery *
W.
11th
Field Ambulance *
W.
12th
Field Ambulance *
W.
13th
Field Ambulance *
W.
4th
Canadian Divisional Ammunition Column
Source: War
Diaries 4th Division – General Staff, Appendix D, Location Report
August 5th to August 26th.
4TH
CANADIAN DIVISION – WEEKLY LOCATION REPORT.
Showing
disposition of Units at 6a.m. August,
12th 1917. & at 6.00 a.m.
August 18th 1917.
Mentioned in the used W/D sources, but not
verified for various reasons:
14th A.F.A.
Bde. Amm.
3rd Res.
Battalion [23] *
O.
10th
Brigade C.F.A. *
O.
88th
11th Canadian Machine
Gun Company[24] * G.
2nd
Ordnance Pioneer Battalion
‘B’
Special Company Royal Engineers
170
T. Company Royal Engineers
182
T. Company Royal Engineers
4th Canadian Trench Mortar
5th Canadian Trench Mortar
6th Canadian Trench Mortar
4th
Canadian Divisional Engineers:
10th
Field Company
11th
Field Company
12th
Field Company
124th
Canadian Pioneer Battalion
British Units
Nicholson:
“At one time all the guns of the Canadian and 1st British Corps were firing defensive tasks along the front of
the three Canadian divisions.”
Four British Batteries + the Royal Canadian
Horse Artillery[25] *
N.
137th Infantry Brigade[26]
63rd British Heavy Groups *
N.
German Units
7th Infantry Division: 26th Regiment & 165th
Regiment * N.
1st Guard Reserve Regiment *
N.
4th Guard Division *
N.
185th Division *
N.
220th Division (one Battalion of
the 190th Infantry Regiment) *
N. 11th Reserve Infantry Division: 55th Reserve Infantry Regiment * N.
Hill 70 Project
Michael Thierens February / March 2005.
[1] Relieved of duty and replaced by
Major A.W. Sparling, Aug. 16th.
[2] X,Y,Z Batteries, part of 1st
Divisional Trench Mortar Group?
[3] Ditto
[4]V,W, X,Y & ,Z Batteries, part of 1st
Divisional Trench Mortar Group?
[5] Should be read as: the 1st
C.M.M.G.Brigade.
[6] Part of 3rd Division.
[7] Mentions: Divisional Train,
4th-6th-7th Batteries C.F.A. + 88th-112th R.F.A.
[8] Typo in appendix 15a.
[9] Part of 3rd Canadian Divisional
Artillery: 10th Brigade, C.F.A.
[10] Mentioned, is 14th A.F.A. a typo or
an attached unit?
[11]
Hardly any War Diaries online of the R.G.A.
[12] Listed in Appendix 17, O.O. No.
165,
[13] Thanks to EastCoastLobster,
CEF Study Group.
[14] Attached temporarily
[15] Indirect evidence: Troop from “C”
Squadron is to return from 3rd Division which had got them from 1st Division!
[16] War Diary
starts at
[17] Thanks to Brett Payne,
CEF Study Group.
[18] Ditto.
[19] 63rd British Heavy Artillery Group?
Nicholson: ‘After a bombardment by the 1st Canadian and the 63rd British Heavy
Groups,….” N.B. The 63rd is nor mentioned as such in the W/D list, see above…
[20] Nicholson: ‘simulated assault by
the 12th Brigade.”
[21] Nicholson: “(The R.C.H.A. Brigade
had been on loan to the 1st Division from the Cavalry Brigade, which was with
the British Cavalry Corps in
[22] Presumably a typo: 179th Royal
Canadian Field Artillery Brigade?
[23] War Diary of 3rd Reserve Battalion
has this unit stationed in
Kent, England!!!
[24] This is very strange: mentioned & cited by Grafton, but not to
be found in the online W/D’s.
[25] Nicholson: “(The R.C.H.A. Brigade
had been on loan to the 1st Division from the Cavalry Brigade, which was with
the British Cavalry Corps in
[26] Educated guess?
![107th Canadian Battalion (Pioneers)[6]](http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e013/e000314392.jpg){kind=link}
![64th Heavy Artillery Group, R.G.A.[11]](http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e047/e001169150.jpg){kind=link}
![3rd Australian Tunnelling Company[14]](http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/e/e042/e001044398.jpg){kind=link}
