World War One’s Greatest Last Stand
Last Stand at Monchy-le-Preux
The year is 1917, and World War One is in full swing. Amidst the most brutal war the world has ever seen, one unit distinguished itself in a French village known as Monchy-le-Preux. This is the story of how a small group of Newfoundlanders defeated an enemy thirty times their size.
Battle of Arras
In 1917 a large contingent under British command held Monchy-le-Preux. This group included the 1st Essex Battalion and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. During the Battle of Arras, orders came through to assault the German positions east of the village. Hundreds of men bravely left the relative safety of their defenses and advanced on the German lines. The attack was a complete failure, and the Germans mounted a successful counterattack that stopped them in their tracks. Every man from the assault was killed or captured.
One wounded soldier from the Essex Battalion evaded capture and made it back to the village. He reported what happened to the commanding officer at headquarters, James Forbes-Robertson. James knew that the village would fall unless he took drastic action.
Holding the Line
James prepared to make a stand with the remaining twenty soldiers. They raced to the outskirts of the village, taking heavy fire from artillery, small arms, and machine guns. When the soldiers reached the edge of the village, only nine Newfoundlander men were still fit for battle.
Instead of running they decided to fight the Germans. They chose a small embankment to make their stand and began opening fire. By constantly changing positions along the embankment they were able to confuse the Germans and disguise their meager numbers. They targeted scouts with deadly precision to keep up the illusion and prevent the Germans from figuring out their ruse.
Reinforcements
Around an hour into the battle the wounded soldier from the Essex Battalion regained consciousness and joined the fight. This still wasn’t enough to hold off the roughly 300 Germans that were advancing on the village. A few hours later Private Rose is able to escape the battlefield and link up with Brigade Headquarters. He alerts them of the situation and leads a platoon of soldiers back to assist his comrades. With fresh reinforcements the fight intensifies, and the original defenders continue to hold their ground.
The 10 soldiers are finally relieved that night by a larger British force. They had fought for 11 straight hours against a foe 30 times their size. Dozens of Germans suffered casualties and at one point they actually forced them to retreat. This last stand is remembered as one of the greatest defenses of World War One. All ten of the defenders received medals for their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds during the Last Stand at Monchy-le-Preux.