TCD MS 10823 folio 4 recto
[March 21st 1918] stopped. The Special Red S.O.S. rockets were also sent up, but these only attracted the attention of the Huns, who thereupon produced Flammenewerfer and Trench Mortars. The former we put out of action with Rifle Grenades, the latter however did us considerable damage. The most dangerous of all were the Machine guns, which were firing at us from all sides and which completely enfiladed the portion of trench that we were occupying.
By this time more than half of the small garrison of 50 <that were holding Battalion Headquarters> were casualties, and the Lewis guns which had fired over 3000 rounds apiece against the enemy’s artillery and against any bodies of troops that we had seen, refused to fire more than single rounds. The enemy too were massing in the dead ground of which there was unfortunately only too much in very close proximity. Rifle grenades had been most useful up till now in checking these concentrations, but by 3.30 p.m. the enemy had massed all around in very large numbers and after an intense machine gun fire, they suddenly rushed in upon us in overwhelming numbers from all sides with a loud cheer and it was all up with us. There must have been many hundreds of them and their methods of storming and taking a strong point were quite admirable. They told me that they had been practising such kind of warfare for some months, as they had been out resting behind and training for the big offensive. They were Bavarian troops and treated us very well. They were a portion of the second division