Tank, seen in Main Street of Flair, going on with large numbers of troops following

it.

RFC observation pilot, Third Corps, British Fourth Army, the Somme, September 1916.

Hey folks, welcome to the Battles of the First World War podcast episode 24, Psalm, the Battle of Flair Corselet,

Third Strike on the Psalm, Part 2. Let's just get right to the front. Last episode, we covered the extreme left where Reserve Army provided support and then Fourth Army's

left sector where Third Corps attacked. This episode will begin on Fourth Army's right

where 14th Corps was deployed from the area of Jean-Sci to south of Luz Wood, known to

Tommy's on the ground as Lousie Wood.

In this area, Jean-Sci to Lousie Wood and all the way across the battlefront to Corsolette,

cocky-clad Tommies scrambled across the undulating shell holes and sprouting weeds of no man's land towards

the lines up ahead of smoking holes that belonged to the German Sommekemfer. Amongst them,

but quickly falling behind were the mastodons, the tanks that had made it to the front line.

These lumbering gray and camo pattern beasts lurched towards the enemy as well.

They're hideously clanking tracks, adding a new noise to the battlefield. Ahead of the attacking

troops, churning the ground with dirt, smoke and flame, the British creeping barrage plowed the Picardy ground.

Above, British Royal Flying Corps airplanes buzzed overhead.

Some of the planes dived to strafe the Germans on the ground with machine gun fire.

Others worked at observing what was happening on the field below.

Every pilot had to watch his altitude to avoid

having his aircraft cut in half by streaking artillery shells. 14th's core attack as a whole was largely

a disappointment.

13 of the 15 tanks assigned didn't show up,

...