Hangard Wood
Hangard Wood is a locality south of Villers-Bretonneux northern France. It was the site of Hangard village and a battle in World War I. The battle of Hangard Wood was part of the German offensive Operation Michael, in the Arras–Saint-Quentin–La Fère sector of the Somme fought in March 1918. The battle of Hangard Wood was more specifically part of the larger Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, fought between the Canadian, British, Australian and French armies on one side and the German army on the other.[1]
The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux on 24 April 1918 was significant as the first tank-on-tank battle in history, and the Red Baron was shot down on 21 April.
Today the wood lies adjacent to a British cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and known as Hangard Wood British Cemetery.[2][3][4][5] John Croak VC is buried there.
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Map of Hangard
Units involved in the battle[edit]
173rd Infantry Brigade (Great Britain)
- 2/2nd Battalion London regiment
- 2/4th Battalion London regiment
- 4th Division (Australia)
- 12th Brigade (Australia)
5th Brigade (Australia) 18th Battalion (Australia)
20th Battalion (Australia)
- 33rd Battalion (Australia)
- 34th Battalion (Australia)
- 34th Battalion (Australia)
- 35th Battalion (Australia)
- 36th Battalion (Australia)
- 1st Moroccan Infantry Division (France)
- 13th Battalion (Royal Highlanders of Canada), CEF
Victoria Cross recipients[edit]
Military Medal recipients[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Australian Battlefields of WW1.
- ^ Wikimapia latitude/longitude 49°50'12"N 2°30'28"E
- ^ HANGARD WOOD BRITISH CEMETERY.
- ^ HANGARD WOOD BRITISH CEMETERY
- ^ The Australian Remembrance Trail