Haig sent a report to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff on 7 October for the War Committee’s information. He estimated the Germans had engaged forty divisions on the Somme battles, the same as the number of British divisions engaged. He also estimated the number of German casualties at 370,000 men.
Haig wanted to continue the offensive but he needed reinforcements and ammunition otherwise all the advantages they had fought for would be lost. Although bad weather would make offensive operations much harder, he did not believe the winter would stop them. While the Germans had built new defence lines they were not as strong nor as deep. He did not know when the enemy would break but when they did, they would reap the ‘full compensation for all that has been done to attain it’.
RESERVE ARMY, 1 TO 18 OCTOBER
Haig was hoping to attack around 12 October but Gough had to reorganise the Reserve Army west of the Ancre. Following a series of reliefs, General Congreve’s XIII Corps had taken over the front from Hébuterne to Redan Ridge while Lieutenant General Edward Fanshawe’s V Corps held a line arcing around Beaumont Hamel and across the River Ancre.
When Gough issued instructions for an attack by XIII and V Corps, he included arrangements for the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions to move forward. But first, II Corps had to capture Schwaben Redoubt and Stuff Redoubt while the Canadian Corps had to take Regina Trench.
Canadian Corps, 1 October
General Byng agreed to delay the attack on Regina Trench until there was ‘a reasonable chance of getting in’ but 2nd Division had to stay in line until it had taken it. The Canadian Corps was set to attack Regina Trench at 3.15pm and the troops waited in the rain and then sought cover as their own barrage fell short.
3rd Canadian Division, Regina Trench
The protective barrage either overshot or hit 8 Brigade’s assembly area and the 4th and 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) were hit by the German barrage as they struggled through the mud. Major Parr of the 5th CMR stood on the parapet waving his men forward but they were pinned down in front of the wire. Only two groups could cut a way through and they fought their way into Regina Trench where one group was overwhelmed while the other had to withdraw.