FURTHER DETAILS OF THE

Grey River Argus, 24 November 1917, Page 3

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE

GERMANS FOUGHT BRAVELY

TANKS OVJiRT'OKNED BY

biihivJL r-U\ii

(Rqc. November 23. 7.30 p.ui ; )

LUiNI^ON,

iNweulUet" J2

Mr. fhiiip UiObs writes: 'lhe Geriiians kei>i their nerve and served vie iiicichine-guns till the tanks sn-niccd-tlie.'ni. Uthers sniped our men M close quartern; but mostly the enemy broke down as. soon as the.,,tanks appeared.

few tanks had bad luck by shell iirc, 'o r got ovurvunied head downwiuds where they attempted to regotiate sleep banks ; . but the tanks' casualties were light. A large num--bef fought all day on Eiesquiers xidge, and around ilavrincourt Chateau, where the enemy held out ior ii.)ine time.

Tlie Uennaus fought bravely at llavrincouvt Chateau, Latetiu >> ood, and EJesquieirs village. This defence tM : tjie village upon a ridge, against Highlanders was a serious impediment to our general advance, and a special attack organised early on '.Tuesday in a, novel mannea* by tanks and skirmishes,, the infantry loJlowing in open order. The vilJa«e seems to have been stormed and the iidffc clc?Hed.

Later in the afternoon there ay.-is nierce fighting :il)out Flesquieres, where many gallant actions were recorded.

The DurhaJUs charged seven German R-uns which had been iirrng point blank on our advancing tanks. The Durhams captured the guns. killing tv« guiiiiOo.

tne \\est iorkshues did a similar expiui;. at Enriwy Lnapti wheie tney cuarged ana captured turee seventyiivc^>. and utlore live in tne* evening iuaixoing Masuiercs 'wcit; se-

Tlic groups advanced steadily, ga'tbe»'in# prisoners, and occupying villages, 'j iicy touud a nunrour of rit-m.li civilians who w§rc isejoiccd Uj jneei u)L'ir luxaatoib

Alter heavy iigfhtins: the troc/ps cleared the Lareau wood and niopi;eu up Cue .snipers at Kibecuurt.

it is reported- to at wiien the cavalry readied -N'oycyes . the enemy couiitev-attacked on tne lett at '3.30 >a me cveiuuy. Then came a cavalry cbaigr against tne funs at Noye'les vvtucii they brought in.

-t'ljrntinjr teased lor most part of the nitfnt- but the inlantry and cavalry and tanks advanced again at dawn on Wednesday. TSe- greatest iig-htmg- was 'upon the lelt of our flank.

LOauON, November z\

Marshal Haiß- attacked through the Hindenburg- line, with army tanks, penetratinjr the much-vaunted trench systenii on a wide front. No bar mtfc prc«ceded Me infantry and there was no artillery preparation. The tanks, berthed behind the Hue:* crawled out in the morning- darkness" advancing and blazing- a trail through the Hindenburg- maze.

Tnq artillery during the night fired sleepily on a. fi-ctfit which was one of the quietest alonft" the entire line and, if anything- quieter than usual.

Last night the attention of the Germans ,-md* Jii'itish seemed concentrated o'i Flanders.

'(«his morning the batteries \\erc let hioso. over more than thirty miles. No Mali's Land shimmered, sparkled and sizzled under a rain of fireworks between Lena and St. Quentin. - .Then Gargantuan .monsters of steel crawled iemvard through smoke and barrage, trampling- line after line of cntanfi-lemejnts whose wire was /of the size of your nnff-er, each line being" scores of yards across.

When the widest trenches .. were reached the tanks by a. clever trick, ■ furnished their own bridge and crossed as. smooth as s#k. The infantry then followed. These tactics entirely surprised tho Prussians. One division was in he process v{ being- relieved by another ! a' ■• moment of the attack. • The haul? was the strangest in U/* j world's history.. When the world

was •saving that surprise attacks" were impossible.

Vvhen tne Prussians}; wevo thinking, the samt and sleeping coiuloicaDiy iii tneii dugouts, an winy ot tanKs came num. ucuuid tne lines, auu and tmusli iniamry tose'up lueni tne Kiuuiid Utie lnugii.. siucislijtng lin-: liindcnburg line. it was tne ni'J3i woiiaeriui perioriuan-.e in the war. Evt'iytuing was aosoluteiy noruiai unui tue ••KieK-orf.'' Tnen ncU '.vab turned loose. duns bellowed, tanKs crawled lor ward. "1 lie '-Tommies' iollowed shouting, "Come on" impatiently. The Germans ciawled from their' dug-outs dazed and terror stricken. The iiritish castialties were few. LUNDOA', isoveinbcr -22.

Mr. Percival Phillips says: On Wednesday night the breach 1)1 the Hindenburg line proved the gale to a greater victory. Through the gap torn by pur tanks and lhiantry. the^e poured, to-day v. steauy smeaiu ol cay airy, and famous Untish regimcnu <uc now realising the drpim of forty months. . It was th e finest spectacle I have | seciii in this war, as they swept confidently across the battered llindenburjr line' and up the smooth German made road ;

'.Twenty-four ho.urs ie»rlier another fortunate detachment had led the way. saluted by cheers frpm the tan.'c crews and infantry. Since noon- o" Tuesday the cavalry had been in action among the hills and valleya which skirt the Cambrai Plain, round inj>' up fugitives, clearing- the villages iind steadily widening the salient. Mr. Phillips, says : The cavalry rode down the rearguard columns and charged, the German battemes, including two held batteries snugly hidden m a hollow where, the horsemen, swinging tneir »abre;s, cut down the gun crews before they could escape. The cavalry are untrammelled by any kind oi trenches tv the regipa they ho«d to-day.

There is. heavy and continuous rain but the horses ' are still on 11 fairly deceit footing, and the untrodden open country between Uie captured villages gives ample 100 m for movement.

"\V'e broke the Hindenburg linos between Bavrincourt and Niergnieg, a distance of six miles, penetrating live miles. •

; By this morning it was reported that the wings of our line were murh tuither north than (iraincourt, beImiicl the broken western limb of the' limdenburg line.

We have taken six thousand prison ers south-west of Cambrai alone, but the total will be considerably greater before we have finished.

The cavalry rescued 450 wretched French peasants in Mainiefies last night and a thousand.. others at Kem - elv this morning.

We have given the Him one of the most .demoralising blows since le precipitated Armageddon. As a high ■Otticer grinily said : — lfe is swinging 11 mid-air. . The avalanch. of tanks and men fell where they were least expected. . Never was there such a surprise, whejn thfc flanks flattened (.•ut tne enemy's dciem.es wiuioui tne slightest artillery preparation

The tanks went into battle led by their ConituaiideJ'-m-Chtcl, whjse tank was souitj distance ahead of the first wayc> nyiug a battle iiag.

i-'nc message he 'sent every tank 'was: -•'We expect every tank to do us damndest."

Ci ews had a shiver of apprehension wnen the engines tveite hrst turned up. It seemed inevitable that the eiienny outposts must hear, but no alarm \\as taken. ] Most of the /links moved forward at twenty past six precisely into an unsheiled vaiiey.

Tne most exciting point was Elesciuieaes, where ; the village was embedded in the J.-imde>iuui'g /support sy-siem-. The . tanKs' exyenence neiu wus altogether unuie.yuered.

L uS.UUi\ *\ ove ui ber 22

A Dutch , cone-jpondejnt declares that from present personal observaUOji he is convinced that a German disaster ot gteat magnitude is way end jii«" on tne West i'ront..

!•' landers is a vast shambles and Belgium a huge hospital. lhe troops call U'landeTs "The Gates of TieU" and consider th:iL {hey are sentenced tv death rf sent there. There is much cUsaifecvi hi and desertion. There are i5,j000 deserters in Holland despite rigorous frontier precautions. The frightful slaughter's made on the West Ftont is a German nightmare.

The Kajser during his. recent visit was impressed with the gravest danger here. -

Shaking his fist at Passchendaelc Ridge, he exclaimed: — "England at a"/ costs must be beaten to her knees."