and 1/1st Lowland Hvy Bty was brought up to that strength on 23 January 1917 when it was joined by a section of 201st Hvy Bty (newly arrived in France and immediately broken up). The battery rejoined 8th HAG on 13 January 1917. This group supported VII Corps in its attack at the opening of the Battle of Arras on 9 April. This time there were many more guns available and the artillery plan was much more carefully worked out. After the preliminary bombardment, howitzers laid a standing barrage on the German trenches at Zero hour while the 60-pounders swept and searched in depth to catch machine gunners and moving infantry. As the attacking infantry reached their second objective (the Blue Line), their field guns moved up in support and the 60-pounder batteries moved forward into the vacated positions. On VII Corps' front, the attack was partially successful, but infantry–artillery communication was still limited, and follow-up attacks over succeeding days suffered from hastily-prepared artillery plans. Later war After the Arras offensive, the 1/1st Lowland Hvy Bty was rested from 15 to 30 May. It then joined XVII Corps' Heavy Artillery on 8 June, being assigned to 35th HAG from 18 June, then 22nd HAG from 9 July, and then moved to 45th HAG in Fourth Army from 28 August. At the time, Fourth Army was on the Flanders Coast waiting to exploit a breakthrough from the Ypres Salient that never came. The battery was withdrawn from the line on 7 November, and was then resting, moving and training until 16 December. By now HAG allocations were becoming more fixed. From 28 December 1917 until the Armistice, 1/1st Lowland Hvy Bty was in 81st HAG, which became 81st Mixed Brigade, RGA, on 1 February 1918. The German Army opened its Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918 against Third and Fifth Armies. At the end of the first day 81st Bde was sent up to reinforce Third Army. During the 'Great Retreat' of March and early April, the artillery did their best to support rearguards until a new line was stabilised. 81st Brigade was transferred from Third Army to First Army on 1 May, and remained with it until the Armistice with Germany. After the German offensive was held, the Allies went over to the attack themselves during the summer of 1918 (the Hundred Days Offensive). By now, British attacks were supported