BITTER AND COSTLY: THE BATTLE OF POZIÃˆRES THE Western Front, stretching almost 800km from the Belgian coast through France to the Swiss border, was bogged down in trenches and mud. More than 295,000 Australians served here. It was a baptism of fire for the new Australian troops.
One of its many significant campaigns was the Battle of PoziÃ¨res, a two-week struggle for the French village of PoziÃ¨res and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme.
PoziÃ¨res was the scene of bitter and costly fighting for the 1st, 2nd and 4th Australian Divisions.
The village was captured initially by the 1st Division on   July 23, 1916. The division clung to its gains despite almost continuous artillery fire and repeated German counter-attacks but suffered heavily. By the time it was relieved on   July 27 it had suffered 5285 casualties.
The 2nd Division took over from the 1st and mounted two further attacks - the first, on 29   July, was a costly failure; the second, on   August 2, resulted in the seizure of further German positions beyond the village.
Again, the Australians suffered heavily from retaliatory bombardments. They were relieved on   August 6, having suffered 6848 casualties.
The 4th Division was next into the line at Pozieres. It too endured a massive artillery bombardment, and defeated a German counter-attack on   August 7; this was the last attempt by the Germans to retake PoziÃ¨res.
CLASS ACTIVITY CLASS CHALLENGE Find and conduct some research into a West Australian soldier who fought on the Western Front. Write an essay on his military life.
Research the Battle of PoziÃ¨res and complete the following: Location of the battle: Events that led to its occurrence: Battle conditions: Who was involved?
Types of weapons used Prominent leaders and heroic soldiers: Casualties:Outcome of this battle: