Monash's Masterpiece

Peter FitzSimons

The Battle of Le Hamel on 4 July 1918 was an Allied triumph and strategically very important in the closing stages of WW1.

A largely Australian force commanded by the brilliant John Monash fought what has described as the first modern battle - where infantry tanks artillery and planes operated together as a coordinated force.

Monash planned every detail meticulously - with nothing left to chance: integrated use of planes wireless (and even carrier pigeons!)was the basis and it went on from there down to the details.

Infantry artillery tanks and planes worked together of the battlefront with relatively few losses. In the words of Monash: 'A perfect modern battle plan is like nothing so much as a score for an orchestral composition where the various arms and units are the instruments and the tasks they perform are their respective musical phrases.'