The Second Battles of Arras, 1918

26 August – 3 September, 1918: the Second Battles of Arras, 1918. First and Third Armies attack successful from Arras and break the German Drocourt-Queant Line.

Phase: the Battle of the Scarpe, 26 – 30 August 1918

First Army (Horne)
VIII Corps (Hunter-Weston), entered battle 28 August 1918
25th Brigade of 8th Division.
XXII Corps (Godley)
11th (Northern) Division
51st (Highland) Division.
Canadian Corps (Currie)
4th Division
1st Canadian Division
2nd Canadian Division
3rd Canadian Division, which captured Monchy-le-Preux
4th Canadian Division
Brutinel’s Brigade.

Third Army (Byng)
XVII Corps (Fergusson)
52nd (Lowland) Division
56th (1st London) Division
57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division.

Much of Third Army’s progress was across the old Somme battlefield of 1916.

Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. This map shows progress in the period 23-27 September 1918
Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. This map shows progress in the period 23-27 September 1918
Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. This map shows progress in the period 27-30 September 1918
Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. This map shows progress in the period 27-30 September 1918

Phase: the Battle of Drocourt-Queant, 2 – 3 September 1918

First Army (Horne)
XXII Corps (Godley)
11th (Northern) Division, less 34th Brigade.
Canadian Corps (Currie)
1st Division
4th Division
1st Canadian Division
4th Canadian Division
Brutinel’s Brigade.

Third Army (Byng)
XVII Corps (Fergusson)
52nd (Lowland) Division
57th (2nd West Lancashire) Division
63rd (Royal Naval) Division.

Battle of the Drocourt-Queant Line. Dead German soldiers in sunken road that was strongly held by machine guns but was taken by the 4th Division, near Dury, 2 September 1918. Imperial War Museum image Q7030
Battle of the Drocourt-Queant Line. Dead German soldiers in sunken road that was strongly held by machine guns but was taken by the 4th Division, near Dury, 2 September 1918. Imperial War Museum image Q7030

The continued advance brought Third Army into contact with the outposts of the Hindenburg Line system of defences.

Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. The map shows continued progress up to 4 September 1918.
Extract from a map included in the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918. Crown copyright. The map shows continued progress up to 4 September 1918.

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Battles of the Western Front in France and Flanders