Battle of Hamel

Battle of Hamel
Part of the Western Front of World War I
Australian and American troops dug in together during the Battle of Hamel
Australian and American troops dug in together during the Battle of Hamel
Date4 July 1918
Location49°53′56″N 2°34′14″E / 49.89889°N 2.57056°E / 49.89889; 2.57056
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 Australia
 United States
 United Kingdom
 France
 German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Australia John Monash
• Australia Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan
German Empire Georg von der Marwitz
• German Empire Viktor Kühne
Strength
~7,000 ~5,600
Casualties and losses
1,400 killed or wounded[1] 2,000 killed or wounded
1,600 captured[2]
Le Hamel is located in France
Le Hamel
Le Hamel
Le Hamel, a commune in the Somme department, northern France

The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack by Australian Army and US Army infantry, supported by British tanks, against German positions in and around the town of Le Hamel, in northern France, during World War I. The attack was planned and commanded by Lieutenant General John Monash, commander of the Australian Corps, and took place on 4 July 1918.

Many of the tactics employed, such as the use of combined arms, illustrated the evolution of military tactics, from the massed attacks mounted earlier in the war. All of the Allies' objectives were achieved within 93 minutes, just three minutes longer than Monash's calculated battle time.

To give the newly arrived American Expeditionary Force (AEF) combat experience, the five Australian infantry brigades involved were augmented by 10 companies from US Army battalions. However, six of these US infantry companies were withdrawn from the front line before seeing action. Hamel was the first time during World War I that elements of the AEF were commanded operationally by non-American officers.

  1. ^ Richardson 2011, p. 37.
  2. ^ Bean 1942, pp. 326–327.