Schwaben Redoubt - Capture

Capture

Between 28 September and 6 October 1916, during the Battle of Thiepval Ridge, the redoubt was attacked repeatedly by British units of 18th (Eastern) Division, securing a permanent lodgment in the Schwaben Redoubt (Feste Schwaben). This success came courtesy, in large measure, of the 18th Division's 54th Brigade. By the evening of September 28, most of the redoubt was in British hands. The Germans held on to the north face until 14 October 1916, when it was captured by the 39th Division's 117th Brigade. By all accounts, the fighting here was absolutely horrific.

On 14 October 1916, the Territorial ‘Fen Tigers’ (1st Battalion Cambridgeshire Regiment) under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Riddell advanced under a creeping barrage and were in and amongst the defenders without loss of life. The fierce fight that followed devolved into a hotly contested struggle, commanded by corporals and junior commanders with bayonet and grenade. The bewildered German occupants were routed and Riddell’s Cambridgeshire’s went on to successfully defend the Redoubt for a further 24 hours before being relieved, having beaten back several determined counter-attacks. British loss of life was relatively light, with 32 men killed and 186 wounded. General Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, described the attack as “one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army”. Forty-two awards for gallantry were bestowed on the Regiment.