Creeping barrage

A creeping barrage was a moving curtain of shellfire, with infantry advancing close behind it. Rather than simply stopping the bombardment and leaving defenders time to recover, artillery fire moved ahead of the soldiers. This required careful timing and coordination: the infantry needed to keep close enough to benefit from the protection without entering their own shellfire.

Artillery techniques developed, including creeping barrages that moved ahead of advancing infantry to keep defenders under cover. Troops were moved into attacking positions at night, and machine guns were used to support advances with barrages. Major attacks on 14 July and 15 September put German defenders under considerable pressure.