Qualla: Battle of Polygon Wood https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:05 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/nls-haig-repairing-one-of-our-.jpg Qualla: Battle of Polygon Wood https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood Battle of Polygon Wood: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit Ernest Brooks, Public domain. "We are living through truly abominable days." The words came from Albrecht von Thaer, Chief of Staff of a German corps, written in his diary on September 28th, 1917. He had no idea what to do about the British limited-objective attacks and their devastating artillery support. At Polygon Wood, the Allies had found something the German Army could not counter: a method of advance that traded depth for certainty, capturing ground in measured bites that could be held against the fierce counter-attacks that had previously reclaimed so much of what the British won.

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Image: Ernest Brooks | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Polygon Wood: The Butte and the Broken Forest https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit A. D. Ellis, Public domain. Polygon Wood had once been a Belgian military exercise ground, its geometric shape giving it its name. By September 1917, the huge bombardments from both sides had transformed it into a cratered wasteland, though scattered trees still stood like broken teeth. At its heart rose th...

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Image: A. D. Ellis | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-the-butte-and-the-broken-forest.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Polygon Wood: Five Layers of Steel https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit User: (WT-shared) Pjamescowie at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 1.0. General Herbert Plumer's Second Army had learned from the costly failures of August, when unseasonal rains and determined German counter-attacks had clawed back hard-won ground. For the September attacks, British artillery preparation reached unprecedented intensity: five layers ...

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Image: User: (WT-shared) Pjamescowie at wts wikivoyage | CC BY-SA 1.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-five-layers-of-steel.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Polygon Wood: Through the Mist to the Mound https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit John5199, CC BY 2.0. At 5:50 AM on September 26th, the barrage came down. Early morning mist obscured the advancing Australian infantry from German observers, but would lift later to reveal the German counter-attacks to British spotters. The timing was fortuitous. The left brigade of the 5th Australi...

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Image: John5199 | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-through-the-mist-to-the-mound.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Polygon Wood: The Counter-Attacks That Failed https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit Northey (Mr), Public domain. The German defensive system relied on counter-attack divisions held back specifically to retake lost ground. On September 26th, three such divisions advanced toward Polygon Wood: the 236th, the 234th, and the 4th Bavarian. British aircraft on counter-attack patrol spotted them as...

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Image: Northey (Mr) | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-the-counter-attacks-that-failed.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Polygon Wood: A Crisis Without a Solution https://qualla.com/battle-of-polygon-wood/ Photo credit Käthe Kollwitz, Public domain. The German high command recognized that something fundamental had changed. Ludendorff had no answer. Loßberg, the defensive specialist, was equally baffled. On September 28th, Hindenburg decided to revert to holding the front line in greater strength, abandoning the elastic defen...

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Image: Käthe Kollwitz | Public domain

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/u/1/4/1/battle-of-polygon-wood-wp/u141-battle-of-polygon-wood-a-crisis-without-a-solution.mp3 0:06 6 full