ood natural cover; but in many places he mounted guns in
strong permanent emplacements, built up of timber balks, within a
couple of miles (at Fricourt within a quarter of a mile) of his front
line. In woods from the high trees of which he could have clear
observation, as in the Bazentin, Bernafay, and Trones Woods, he had
several of these emplacements, and also stout concrete fortlets for
heavy single guns.

All the enemy position on the battlefield was well gunned at the time
of the beginning of the battle. In modern war, it is not possible to
hide preparations for an attack on a wide front. Men have to be
brought up, trenches have to be dug, the artillery has to prepare, and
men, guns, and trenches have to be supplied with food, water, shells,
sandbags, props, and revetments. When the fire on any sector increases
tenfold, while the roads behind the lines are thronged with five times
the normal traffic of troops and lorries, and new trenches, the attack
or "jumping-off" trenches, are being dug in front of the line, a
commander cannot fail to know that an attack is preparing. These
preparations must be made and cannot be concealed from observers in
the air or on the ground. The enemy knew very well that we were about
to attack upon the Somme front, but did not know at which point to
expect the main thrust. To be ready, in any case, he concentrated guns
along the sector. It seems likely that he expected our attack to be an
attempt to turn Bapaume by a thrust from the west, by Gommecourt,
Puisieux, Grandcourt. In all this difficult sector his observations
and arrangements for cross-fire were excellent. He concentrated a
great artillery here (it is a legend among our men that he brought up
a hundred batteries to defend Gommecourt alone). In this sector, and
in one other place a little to the south of it, his barrage upon our
trenches, before the battle, was very accurate, terrible, and deadly.

Our attacks were met by a profuse machine-gun fire from the trench
parapets and from the hidden pits between and outside the lines. There
was not very much rifle fire in any part of the battle, but all the
hotly fought for strongholds were defended by machine guns to the
last. It was reported that the bodies of some enemy soldiers were
found chained to their guns, and that on the bodies of others were
intoxicating pills, designed to madden and infuriate the takers before
an attack. The fighting in the trenches was mainly done by b