During the Battle of Albert (25 to 29 September 1914) the II Bavarian Corps attacked westwards north of the Somme but was fought to a standstill east of Mametz.

After a mutually costly battle for Fricourt, where the French were eventually forced out, the front line stabilised and both sides began to improvise defences.

[4] A lull in the fighting occurred and both sides began to dig in haphazardly where the opposing lines had stopped moving, which was not always on easily defended ground.

[13] When Reserve Infantry Regiment 109 moved into the area of Mametz and Montauban in mid-June, the defences were found to be poor; there had been far less fighting in the sector than around La Boisselle and Ovillers.

Beyond the left flank was a 500 yd (460 m) wide crater-field full of German trenches and strong points which would need to be carefully mopped up despite the four Mametz West mines to be sprung before zero hour.

Recruit battalions of troops, undergoing advanced training, were moved closer to the front to occupy the second and third positions if needed; the 2nd Army had about 240 guns and howitzers, which were outnumbered 6:1 by the British artillery.

Telephone communication was cut and machine guns in Danzig Alley (East) and the north end of Mametz were blown up by shells or made unserviceable.

On 25 June, heavy artillery-fire predominated, smashing trenches and blocking dugouts, setting fire to supply dumps and causing large explosions in Montauban.

[27] On the right flank, the two leading 91st Brigade battalions of the 7th Division got across the 100–200 yd (91–183 m) of no man's land with few casualties but the creeping barrage failed to suppress small-arms fire from Mametz and Danzig Alley, which ran through the village then east and south.

[28] The leading British companies suffered many casualties as they advanced up the slope but by 7:45 a.m. had moved 700 yd (640 m) forward; the right-hand battalion rushed Cemetery Trench just south of the village.

When news arrived that on the right, in the 18th (Eastern) Division area of XIII Corps, that Pommiers Redoubt had fallen at 9:30 a.m. and Beetle Alley had been captured at 10:15 a.m., Horne ordered another attack and at 12:25 p.m. a thirty-minute bombardment began, after a German counter-attack was seen to be developing.

A section of German field guns fired until the crews were overwhelmed and killed but just after 1:00 p.m., Danzig Alley (East) was captured and the remaining defenders retreated into Mametz or north-west up Fritz Trench.

The main and communication trenches were slowly captured and several prisoners taken but it was impossible to resume the advance and the remaining troops gave covering fire to the battalions attacking on the flanks.

The lines of infantry had been reduced to small groups, which fought their way through the crater-field against German troops in shell-holes, wrecked trenches and nearby mine entrances.

The 22nd Brigade, which was in the front line at the end of the Maricourt Spur south of Fricourt, attacked with 1+1⁄2 battalions and bombing parties, the leading waves of which got across no man's land with few losses.

The following waves were caught by machine-gun fire down the long slope on the left flank, which caused many casualties and "annihilated" the parties which were to bob down the support trenches into the valley and Fricourt village.

[38] In the 7th Division area, the 91st Brigade had reached its objectives and taken several hundred prisoners; Fritz Trench on the right had been captured by 6:30 p.m. and Bright Alley after a long fight with the garrison.

Rear services began to connect with the new front line by repairing two roads through Carnoy and Wellington Redoubt and the digging of four communication trenches for each brigade.

Field Companies RE and a pioneer battalion moved forward in the afternoon and by morning had dug four strong points, wired in the new 7th Division positions and dumped supplies and equipment in shell holes.

The creeping barrage lost effect as it moved faster than the infantry after which German counter-fire caused an increasing number of casualties but not enough to stop the attack.

[43][c] Early in the afternoon it was known to the British and French commanders that the defences of the 2nd Army had collapsed from Assevillers north to Mametz, a front of about 8 mi (13 km).

The infantry advance took four minutes to reach the empty British front line, which had been bombarded by German artillery during the intense fire in the hour before zero and 600 prisoners were taken in Mametz.

[46] The 28th Reserve Division ascribed the defeat to the inability of the German artillery to fire a barrage dense enough to stop the British advance and a shortage of hand grenades.

[49] The 7th, 17th and 21st divisions of XV Corps began to consolidate on 3 July and many reports were sent back that the Germans were still disorganised, with Mametz Wood and Quadrangle Trench empty.

The leading troops crept to within 100 yd (91 m) of the German defences before zero hour and rushed the defenders to capture Quadrangle Trench and Shelter Alley.

On the right a battalion of the 50th Brigade tried to bomb up Quadrangle Alley but was repulsed, as was an attack by a company which tried to advance towards the west side of Mametz Wood, against machine-gun fire from Strip Trench.

The advance to the second objective at 6:15 a.m. was delayed and conditions in the wood made it difficult to keep up with the barrage; an attack on an area called Hammerhead was forced back by a German counter-attack.

On the left flank, fire from Quadrangle Alley stopped the advance and contact with the rear was lost, amidst the tangle of undergrowth and fallen trees.

More British reinforcements arrived and attacks by the 50th Brigade of the 17th (Northern) Division on the left flank, helped capture Wood Support Trench.

[59][60] In the afternoon, air reconnaissance saw that the British defence of the line from Montauban and Ervillers was collapsing and the RFC squadrons in the area, made a maximum effort to disrupt the German advance.