Ginchy, converted by the Germans into a heavily defended fortress village, was positioned on the upland covering Combles. Just over a mile north-east of Guillemont it was situated at a point where six roads met and formed a vital point in the German defensive line. The devastation of the area posed tactical problems for the British as they sought to deal with a tenacious German defence conducted by snipers and machine-gunners concealed in shell-holes augmented by well directed artillery barrages.

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