IRRESISTIBLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 205, 28 August 1918, Page 4

IRRESISTIBLE.

ALTSTRALIAN- AT LIHONS _____ THE ADVANCE IN BRAT. (Official Correspondent with the A.1.F.) O LONDON", August 11. Ves.terday morning the Australian infantry passed well beyond Lihons, walking through the actual town with the tanks. This stiff obstacle tr. the advance is apparently removed. The battle of Lihons will go down iv Australian history as one of the hardest open fights within the experience of the force. On the heights north of the * Somme yesterday morning, the Germans found other Australians looking upon the town. Queenslanders, South Australians, and isome West Australians, during the night, had taken the peninsula whereon stands the town of Etlnehem practically without loss. The Germans hurriedly blew up the railway bridge at Bray. Although the Australians held the northern end of the peninsula. theTe were still Germans on the southern end. During the day the Gentian troops kept moving into Pray, and towards the end of the morning they managed to work their way along the edge of the peninsula.

For two or three hours the Germans were trickling on to the end of this spur, and gradually digging in across the slope. The line of men could be seen with the naked eye. each man digging himself a little rifle pit across the "Teen hillside.

When these were established the German artillery laid down a heavy barrage upon the height held by the Queenslanders and South Australians. For half an hour tbe ridge simply smoked with black fumes of shell bursts.

Yet through the whole of this turmoil the only movement one could see across the boiling hilltop was a line of Austraian stretcher-bearers winding their war quietly along some path across the summit. Every now and then the rolling thick fumes of a shell burst hid tuem from sight, yet when these cleared there they were, still picking their way steadily across the plateau.

On the right, where ihe Germans had dug in on the peninsula, actually behind our men. we could see three Australians, apparently a patrol, creeping on hands and knees through the grass down the slope almost alongside the Germans, ."hen one of them coolly walked tip the ridge to the top, where he stood, bending low for some moments, calmly taking in his surroundings 3>efore he moved along the skyline in the direction where our men clearly must then have been. It was obvious that our flank had been slightly withdrawn in order to avoid the ■Germans behind it. The figure disappeared gradually over the skyline amongst the shell bursts, which were still frequently spurting from that part of the slope. Presently the man reappeared, walked down hill, and rejoined his comrades. All of them filed off to cany information of enemy positions back to those who were waiting for itHalf an hour later on while those Germans were busily digging across the foot of tiie peninsula, there descended a crash of shells from the Australian Field Artillery.

The Germans fill then had been dinging for dear life, working shovels as hard as men could" move their arm's. The work half tinisrficd, they were lining their rifle pits with grass, or deepening a corner, or making a traverse.

I Suddenly they dived for boles like rabbits, as the first shell descended. For a | quarter of an hour they were treated to the same experience which their fieldIguns had been giving our men. When this ] was over we could still see the shells I from one gun. pecking at these Germans | every few minutes. The observer for i-his battery apparently was not satisfied with the results, and determined to | register his gun exactly on the rifle-pit l !. First a high explosive shell would spurt fumes from tlie very edge of these riflepits, then alternately shrapnel burst, wickedly low, -whipping up the dust freely over and around those pits. Unless the Germans bad dug very much deeper than they appeared, certainly some who got in to those rifle-pits will never get out of them again. Later.—lt turns out that the Germans when they put down the barrage above mentioned drove in an attack against the Qucen.lanriers. This attack was completely beaten. After dark last night the Australiansouth of the river advanced with complete success, rounded off the Australian line, and captured 70 prisoners, j So much for the fighting near Bray. Xear Lihons. no 60oncr had Austra|lians taken the town than the Germans, who had put in a fresh division in ths night, counter-attacked, and managed to penetrate nearly a mile. The Australians, after a struggle over country which was [made difficult by the old Somme trenchj lines and cra-terfield. within two and a half hours completely drove out the (Germans, restored the line, and captured [several Sin guns.

In this struggle the Germans had the fresh .".Sth Division, besides part of the 50th Bavarian Division, fighting against part, of the same magnificent Australian division which now for three days has l>een lighting this fierce battle for the heights of T-ihon. which the Germans had been trying to hold as essential to their 6afe retirement. These two fresh German divisions, which bad been put in especially to hold this hill, were both l-?aten. Another fresh division was put in near Bray. A number of prisoners was taken yesterday by the Australians in a. tine advance near Rainecourt. The Germancaptured by the Australians in this battle now number nearly 8000. The guns aro not counted, but there appear to lie about 120. The depth of the Australian advance ii now ..bout 13 miles.