162 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
Once again, the number of Crosses given for taking the war to the enemy
far outnumbered those given for saving the life of a comrade. In addition,
many of those in the ‘War-winning, Symbolic’ and ‘Special’ categories in
both 1917 and 1918 came either from the Royal Navy or the Royal Air
Force. Gone were the days when the Army gave a VC for inspirational pipe
playing. The new symbolism of the Army VC had been set on the first day
of Arras. It involved facing machine guns.
The first quarter of 1918 was a dark one for the BEF. Gough’s Fifth Army
on the Somme bore the brunt of the German Spring Offensive, starting 21
March, giving up 138 square miles of territory and losing 38,500 casualties,
of which 21,000 were taken prisoner. Both the Fifth and Third Armies
retreated in the face of tremendous German pressure, moving back over
land hard won in the Somme Campaign. British and French reinforcements
moved in behind them, finally blunting the assault on 5 April. Between
them the BEF and French armies lost over 240,000 casualties and 1200
square miles of France.^36
The next German thrust came against Plumer’s Second Army in Flanders.
On 10 April it bore the brunt of a German offensive, and was driven back
toward the critical rail junction at Hazebrouck.^37 Haig had no reinforcements
to send; instead he issued a controversial General Order on 11 April: ‘Every
position must be held to the last man: there must not be a retirement. With
our backs against the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one
of us must fight to the end.’^38 Some commanders refused to publish what
they considered an insulting and condescending order. Others attributed it
with inspiring a new level of vigor and determination in the troops.^39 If
so, it certainly was not reflected in the casualty figures of Cross winners in
April 1918 (Table 8.4).
They were even less willing to get killed in the process of doing their
duty than those of 1917. Only during opening stages of theKaiserschlacht
do the casualty figures of 1918 exceed those of 1917 in any significant
way. The reaction of the rank and file to heavy fighting and seem-
ingly pointless casualties was exactly what it had always been: take fewer
chances.
A month of incessant attacks, with little progress, appalling casualties,
and severe fighting, was having a bad effect on the morale of everybody
concerned. Reinforcements of the new armies shamble past the guns with
dragging steps and the expressions of men who knew they were going
to certain death. No words of greeting passed as they slouched along; in
sullen silence they filed past one by one to the sacrifice.^40
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