The New Zealand Division was on the left of the XV Corps, with their frontage being 900 yards wide.  They would aim for the area just west of Flers.

Map of the NZ Divn. area

On the left flank of the XV Corps was the New Zealand Division, their line of advance would take them just to the west of Flers. to support them there was an allocation of four tanks; on the left, operating on its own was D8 commanded by 2/Lt Brown, to the right, closer to Flers there were the three tanks D10 (2/Lt Darby), D11 (2/Lt Pearsall) and D12 (Capt. Nixon). The tanks took longer than anticipated coming up to their start point so that the infantry had to go forward before the tanks were up.

The tank shows the tracks of the four tanks. D10 was hit, as was D12 on the outskirts of Flers.  D11 and D8 continued some way north of the map before turning back.

D8 headed off on its own, up North Street towards the second objective (Brown Line) while D10, 11 & 12 went up Fish Alley, with D12 gradually swinging right towards the divisional boundary with 41st Divn., just west of Flers. D11 and D12 went up the centre, but D10 was immobilised pretty well on the Brown Line. Pearsall in D11 at 10.30 did what the High Command had intended tanks to do, he crashed through the wire on the main Flers Trench, enfiladed the trench on both sides, so creating the breach for the infantry to pour through.

By the end of the day D10 and D12 were both out of action, the infantry had been halted on the Blue Line and D8 had wothdrawn as directed, but D11 was still forward with the infantry.