"The men in the dugouts waited ready, belts full of hand-grenades around them, gripping their rifles...it was of vital importance to lose not a second in taking up position in the open to meet the British infantry which would advance immediately behind the artillery barrage.

"At 7.30am the hurricane of shells ceased...Our men at once clambered up the steep shafts leading from the dugout to daylight and ran...to the nearest craters. The machine-guns were pulled out of the dugouts and hurriedly placed in position...As soon as the men were in position, a series of lines were seen moving forward from the British trenches. The first line appeared without end to right and left. It was quickly followed by a second, then a third and fourth..."Get ready" was passed along our front from crater to crater...

"A few minutes later, when the leading British line was within a hundred yards, the rattle of machinegun and rifle broke out along the whole line of shell holes. Whole sections seemed to fall...the advance rapidly crumbled under the hail of shells and bullets. All along the line men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing, never to move again.

"Badly wounded rolled about in their agony." (Farrar-Hockley, The Somme)