1915 1916 1917 1918 Associated articles The Passage of the Grande Honnelle was a battle between troops of the British First and Third Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War.

Together with the failing German morale, this convinced many Allied commanders and political leaders that the war could be brought to an end in 1918; previously, all efforts had been concentrated on building up forces to mount a decisive attack in 1919.

When troops of the 56th (London) Infantry Division crossed the river to the east of Angreau they were immediately driven back to the left bank by a counterattack from Bois de Beaufort.

Further north, men of the 56th Division crossed the Grande Honelle twice at Angre, reaching the high ground between Onnezies and Baisieux; again they were driven back by the enemy but managed to establish a bridgehead on the right bank of the river.

The 4th Canadian Division advanced through more favourable terrain, allowing the deployment of artillery that helped in the capture of Quievrechain on the French side of the river.

Baisieux would be a strategic loss for the Germans, posing a threat to their line of retreat from the attack of XXII Corps in the south.

[3] Further north, beyond the Mons-Valenciennes railway line, the 3rd Canadian Division continued their advance between the River Escaut and the Mons-Conde canal, reaching the outskirts of the French village of Crespin.

The roads were packed with enemy troops and transport, and the real modern cavalry, the low-flying aeroplanes, swooped down on them, with bomb and machine gun spreading panic and causing the utmost confusion.

A line of outposts held the east of the road for the night.The 7th and 8th Middlesex Regiments advanced through Onnezies, crossing the Petite Honnelle into Montigny.

Railhead was at Aubigny-au-Bac, and supply lorries were unable to proceed any farther than the Honnelle River owing to the destruction of the bridges.

The 56th Division marched forward through the villages of Coron, Rieu-de-Bury, Quevy-le-Grand, and Quevy-le-Petit, and by the evening were on the line of the Mons-Maubeuge road behind a line of outposts held by the 1st London Regt.Although the main attack on the 6th had not been a total success for the allied forces, General Horne's First Army had established bridgeheads across the Grande Honnelle and threatened the retreat of the German army via Baisieux.

As day became night, the evening patrols soon discovered that the enemy had indeed begun a retreat, meeting little opposition along the length of the First Army's front.

As Horne had predicted, the progress of the advance was mainly governed by the state of the roads, and the ability to get rations to the forward troops.