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By late 1916 the creeping barrage was the standard means of applying artillery fire to support an infantry attack, with the infantry following the advancing barrage as closely as possible. Its employment in this way recognised the importance of artillery fire in suppressing or neutralizing, rather than destroying, the enemy.
The field artillery fired a creeping barrage in four lifts through the village, stopping on the south and east sides, 45 minutes after zero hour. The attack from Trônes Wood reached the German wire with few casualties, where they found uncut wire and were engaged by artillery and machine-gun fire.
The barrage involved twenty-four field guns, four howitzers, and a 4.7 inch naval gun, dubbed 'Joe Chamberlain', in honour of the British Colonial Secretary. "Onlookers were told by the naval gunners that Old Joey would kill every man within 150 yards of where his shells struck." However, the bombardment that targeted the hill did not hit the ...
The German artillery reply was poor and fell on the empty British front line as the British infantry followed the creeping barrage, reaching the red line at 3:45 a.m. (zero + 35), the mopping up battalion collecting prisoners. The barrage stood still for fifteen minutes and the two following companies in each battalion leapfrogged the leading ...
18-pounder and 4.5-inch howitzer fire were to comb the area in front of the creeping barrage, from 100–400 yd (91–366 m) deep and a neutralising barrage by 6-inch howitzers and 60-pounder guns was to sweep ground 450–1,200 yd (410–1,100 m) in front of the creeping barrage. Artillery not needed for counter-battery fire was to put ...
The attack at 04.00, preceded by a creeping barrage, was a major success, gaining the Mory switch trench by the evening. The advance was continued over the next two days, CLV Bde up in close support of the attacking brigade on 24 August while the rest of the artillery fired the barrage.
The 18-pdrs began firing a creeping barrage at Zero hour to protect the infantry advance while 4.5s laid down a standing barrage on each objective in turn. The barrage lasted for over 10 hours, advancing at a prescribed rate onto the final objective, over 7,000 yards (6,400 m) from the guns, some of which were moved forward during the day.
The creeping barrage began prompt at 6:20 a.m. and the Guards followed 30 yd (27 m) behind but as the right of the 2nd Guards Brigade went north-east over the crest, massed machine-gun fire began from the Quadrilateral and Straight Trench. The Guards kept going but to the left of the intended direction, the two supporting battalions keeping close.