After the third battle of Ypres in September 1917 the Australians were put in to hold the Messines-Wytschaete sector and to prepare defences against the expected German spring offensive [March 1918].
The German offensive was launched opposite Amiens and the Australians were sent to meet it. The heaviest fighting was around Villers-Bretonneux which was retaken by the Australians. In May General Monash took command of the Australian Corps from General Birdwood. On 4th July the Battle of Hamel was fought by Australians and Americans under Australian command.
On 8 August the Allied offensive took place with tanks and cavalry used on a large scale. [After the Battle of Amiens] General Monash [was] knighted by King George V at Corps Headquarters at Bertangles [Chateau]. [Also shown is the] capture of Mont St Quentin by the 2nd Division and Peronne "¦ At Chuignes the 3rd Battalion captured their largest trophy ever, a 15-inch naval gun weighing over 500 tons.
Prime Minister [William Morris] Hughes visited the front and met the AIF at Peronne. [In September] The AIF broke through the Hindenburg Line after the Americans were checked at Gillemont Farm. On 21 September 1918 the 53rd Battalion held a memorial parade at Quinconce. [AWM F00018]
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[Text card: After Hamel came the great offensive of 8th August, called by Ludendorff "German's Day of Doom". During these operations the Australian Corps formed part of the Fourth Army under General Rawlinson.
Smiling, General Rawlinson talks to the camera. He wears four long ribbon bars above his left breast pocket. He has a neat pale moustache.
Text card: Australian infantry moving forward through the early morning fog after the opening of the battle.
Soldiers in full kit move over muddy uneven ground. They wear helmets and uniforms, and carry rifles, packs and shovels. A truck and horsemen follow tracks across the thick dark mud. Soldiers dig near and over the tracks. Two stretcher-bearers carry a patient past the diggers. They hold the stretcher waist-high.
Text card: The Artillery move out to take up new positions.
On a grassy field loaded wagons stand ready. Six-horse teams are prepared. A soldier climbs onto a wagon, near its large wooden wheels. Each pair of horses in the team has one rider. Men on horseback escort the teams. A team pulls a wagon connected to a cannon. Soldiers ride on the wagon. Another runs behind the cannon. In the distance two soldiers carry a crate between them. A soldier runs after a wagon and throws equipment onto it.
Text card: The Cavalry moving up past some captured German field pieces.
Dozens of riders file across a grassy field, passing abandoned vehicles. Soldiers carrying gear walk alongside the horses.
Text card: One of the famous whippets with a speed of 10 to 15 miles per hour, leaving its camp.
A small tank has a blocky cabin sticking above its oblong tracks. The tracks are lined with horizontal ridges. It trundles up a small slope and along a wide track. Soldiers stand behind the cabin. One jumps off the back.
Text card: Prisoners, shepherded by tanks coming through a captured village.
Soldiers in helmets usher soldiers in caps and different uniforms along a village road. A tank trundles after them. 'Britannia' is painted across the front of the tank. A horseshoe hangs from a loop underneath. A soldier peers from a small hatch. 'B46' is painted on the side of the tank, near a large gun barrel.
Text card: Searching the prisoners for information.
Surrounded by soldiers, the prisoners stand with their backs to a building. A prisoner holds his arms high as a soldier rummages in his pockets. A soldier looks through books and documents. Bayonets are fixed to the soldiers rifles.
Text card: The reserve Cavalry Squadrons move up to join in the attack.
In a grassy field, dozens of mounted cavalry wait in large groups. One group trots away in their helmets and uniforms. Groups of cavalry ride off to the left. Others wait in long rows. Horsemen stream past the camera. Riders cross a railway track and head into long grass. Shrubs blow in the breeze. Some ride down a steep slope, then over the tracks. On the other side, horses leap and climb up another short slope. The camera pans across dozens of horsemen gathered in large groups in a grassy field.
Text card: The supply transport hurrying through the villages that were a few hours before in enemy hands.
Horsemen and vehicles move down a street, past battered buildings. Holes gape in the roofs and walls of buildings. Horses and riders wait by the road. Canvas-covered vehicles move the opposite direction through the village. Some are marked with crosses. Horses and vehicles wait for the convoy to pass, then head the opposite direction. Following the convoy, two horses pull a cart. A soldier rides one of the horses. Four-horse teams pull loaded carts.
Text card: A few days after the opening of the August attack the King visited Corps Head-quarters at Bertangles and knighted General Monash, the Corps Commander.
A road runs through tall thick trees and short grass. Soldiers stand waiting both sides of the road. A convoy of cars pulls up. Before the first car stops moving, two soldiers jump out. They open a door. A uniformed man with a neat beard and a walking stick steps out and shakes a waiting soldier's hand. The King is lead to waiting officers. One salutes, then shakes hands. The King moves across the road. A soldier in an Australian slouch hat strides over and salutes. The camera pans across to ranks of Australians standing at attention, their rifles on their shoulders.
A range of artillery sits outside a building. The large guns are mounted on wheels. The King's group walks past and heads inside. On outdoor stairs, a upholstered footstool stands on the a patterned rug. A sword lies on a nearby small table. An officer draws it. The King places his sword on the table, the officer passes him the first sword. General Monash kneels on the footstool and bows his head. The King taps the sword on both his shoulders. The general stands. The King passes pack the sword and is handed the insignia which he presents to Monash, hanging a medal around his neck. Monash replaces his hat, then shakes the King's hand. The King speaks to him. Monash moves away.]