NEW ZEALAND ATTACK

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 206, 29 August 1918, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND ATTACK

STORY OF THE JUMP-OFF. SFUENDID VIGOUR OF ADVANCE. A GERMAN'S TREACHERY. LONDON, August 22. The Australians Attacked on Thin*, day morning in conjunction with the British, northward of the Somme. New South Wales troops were engaged. Thft objective was limited to northward of Bray, excluding the town. The policy is continued of inflicting blows at Selected position and worry every successive fresh division the High ' Com- ■ mand ie compelled to put in the line. A number of tanks are available to deal with machine-gun posts. Possibly it will be found that the Germane will fight a heavy rearguard action, hoping to gain time to make a leisurely retreat across the shell-hole country, to which they are now being pushed by the weight of the Allied armies. Aβ I write reports indicate good progress, but the battle ie not concluded. With eplendid vigour the New Zealanders participated in the general British attack at daylight Oα Wednesday, eastward of Hebutefne and Gomznecourt, where for the past four months the New Zcalandere have been in close touch with the uneasy enemy. ' One tvas unable to learn the actual results, but the New Zealand commander stated that in the evening they had gained all objectives. The two units engaged suffered very slight casualties, eight in one unit and 30 in the other. They took over 200 prisoners before evening. ■.. ;,'.; The conditions were Ideal for a £Erust - designed to accelerate the enemy's retreat. An officer well forward re» ported early that the advance might continue, probably for some miles. Early in the morning there waj a ground mist, which wag only dispersed by the sun after the operation had bees completed. The New ZeaUndtra jumped oil from the ruins of Puisieux,' which patrols had penetrated during the past few days. The Germane offered little resistance. They could not tee the attackers until the latter were within a. few yards. They walked 4 considerable distance during the heat of the day towards Aehiet-le-Petit, where English troops were etrongly consolidated. " ': -'::'..:

I saw only one New Zealander killed by shell-fire. I spoke to an officer from Nelson, -whose men were digging a Btrong-post. He explained the cue with which the advance was made. After reaching the final line they diecovered German machine-gunner* in the vicinity, and he led a party of 30, which worked round a post, and took prisoner a young German, whom they sent in to' the post for the purpose of bringing out the others. The youngster emerged stealthily, and fixed, killing a New Zealander. This was the first casualty lit this party, who immediately rushed, capturing the post and garrison. Two comrades of the dead New Zealander tossed up whether they should shoot the 'German lad for his treachery. The spin went in the German* favour. The lad was sent back with the Other prisoners. Large batches of prisoners are constantly inarching back, and the total ■will be many hundreds. The New Zealanders are thrilled by the prospect of getting ahead of the old Somme country, where they suffered in the past. From the final line to-day Lonpart Wood appears to 'be outlined in the foreground. It is possible to see Bapanme on the horizon, where probably the Germans already are establishin™ the main line of defence. . ' There was little hostile shellftre acroet the wide battlefield. It is obvioua that the enemy has been careful to remote. his big guns rearwards. He occasionally dropped heavy shells on the roads, but the New Zealandere are scattered over the rolling country, many enjoying » bathe in email ponds. Their behaviour showed their confidence that they .have now got the Boche thinking. An Auekbnder eaid: "This is the second time we have followed the Germane in the Somme country. It will foe the last time." • ( Everywhere among the New Zealanders is the same conviction. The only matters for speculation are How far the present retreat will go, and what the German people will say when it is ended. THE SOMME FRONT. The German resistance is stiffer northward and southward of the Somme. The latest Australian operations, although os - a small scale, involved hard fighting* The Victorians who, prior to the offen- i sive of July 3, fought at Villers-Bretott-neux and Vflle-Sur-Ancre, sought to exploit the ground between Herleville and" lihons. They planned to send out fighting patrols to capture a few posts. The enemy suddenly strengthened his garrison, and established several new posts; consequently the Victorians found consider* ably greater opposition than they expected. The attackers penetrated front 400 to 700 yards despite concentrated' machine-gun fire, across the level, unharvested fields. .; There is every indication that the enemy, consequent upon the gigantic Allied offensive spreading to many points is taking precautions to reach a defensive line without disaster. The New Zealanders are almost within eight of Flers. Although to-day the New Zealanders took a comparatively small 6hare in the main battle, their entire units are ready for any offensive orders. A V.M.C.A. officer informed mc that he had supplies of grapes, oranges and tomatoes for the wounded. The ground hereabouts tells a great part of the history of the war on the Western front. We saw the graves of men who fell in July, 1916, and February, 1917; also on the outskirts of Hebuterne graves of several Australians who helped to check the German advance oB March 30 last.

They aimed at taking a few email mounds surrounded by trees, known ac the Crucifix- They found tie Germane strongly posted all round. A New South Wales machine gun officer laid his gun across the road, and began firing almost point-blank into the enemy's strong line, shouting, "While I am firing you make a dash for it." A moment later he wa* badly wounded. A bomb wounded a. Victorian officer leading the party. The remaining officer, a Melbourne man, ordered the boye to shelter in a trench, and awaited reinforcements, which, cross, ing along a communication trench behind the Germans, mopped up several posts, gaining and holding the Crucifix.