Peter Fitzsimons - Monash's Masterpiece

The Battle of Le Hamel on 4 July 1918 was an Allied triumph, and strategically very important in the closing stages of WWI. A largely Australian force, commanded by the brilliant Sir John Monash, fought what has been described as the first modern battle – where infantry, tanks, artillery, planes, even carrier pigeons, operated together as a coordinated force. Monash planned for the battle to last for 90 minutes. In the end it went on for 93. And what happened in those minutes changed the Allies' fighting tactics for the rest of the war.