THE ENEMY ASTOUNDED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 244, 12 October 1918, Page 6

THE ENEMY ASTOUNDED.

EXPECTING EAKIY PEAtTE. FOUX GERMAK DEEDS. (Received 1.25 p.iu.) LON1)ON T , October 11. Mr. rercival Phillips writes:—The Sixty-sixUi Division, including OonnaugbtSj Dublins, InniskiUens, Mancheate.rs. and Lanrasliiro Fusiliers, were prominent in Thursday's advance. The enemy was astounded, by the attack. One enemy battalion commander says lie heard tlia'c pracv would be signed Tirnrs- j ilay niplit. and thp troops hud becu told that an armistice was certain, as Germany'a ollcr covered all the Allied demands. The Sixty-sixth Division made a wonderful junrney towards Lc Catcau. A p-cat wave of enthusiasm carried them forward, though footsore and dazed from want of sleep, and the only resistauce cam' , from dispirited enemy rearfjtßLTds. The British swept over the hills with such force that five (Terman divisions simply tied, abandoning their grins. The ConnaiinhtH captured three eißhtineh howitzers near Scram. The Germans txieil to ri'cjipturc the pruna. The inhabitants hiding in Serain cellars heard them rushing machine-guns forward, (illicers nirsinjj ami haste. The Conruuightti fell back awhile, and tlien came nguin irresistibly, driving the e.nrniy in disorder. British cavalry, pushing forward, reached thr outskirts of Le Cateau, where j they met stronu machine-pin o|ipositi«n. They did not attempt to enter the town. The Sixty-sixth Battalion, astride tin.' main road, reached outlying building on Thursday morning. The (Jerman Second Army seemed to lie standing on high i,'n)und cast of Le Catcau, and poured in liPiivy artillery fire, apparently in tlie hope of preventing us from entering. It came as a shock to see villagers about their daily tasks, women washing clothes and children playing with The villagers seemed content to remain, thoujrh fields near by were dotted with dead and littered with battle wr<H.'ka<;e. One of tlui foulest German deeds waa the deliberate destruction of lace-niiikiii}; and embroidery machinery, whereby the villagers lived. The villagers state that some British prisoners who escaped aftar the German advanen in March and hid in villages wero shot when found. A villager in Selvigny sum a group forced to dig shallow graves and made to kneel on tho where they were all shot.— (A. and K.Z. Cable.)