ADVANCE INTO THE OPEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 246, 15 October 1918, Page 6

ADVANCE INTO THE OPEN.

JOY OF THE LIBERATED. BRUTALITY OF THE HUN. (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 14. Continuing the advance to-day, after occupying Fontaine and Beauvois, Otago and Canterbury troops, swinging to the right, captured Herpignes Farm, and aro now at Visly and on the hills overlooking the Selle River. From the heights beyond the Cambrai Road we saw yuiyy burning, and still farther on there were fires about Solesmes. These are most probably dumps that the enemy cannot get away. In to-day's advance our men had practically no fighting. In the captured villages, where we found French civilians, there were memorable scenes. We found some who had been for ten days hiding in cellars and living on potatoes in order to escape Roche captivity. Daii/ they could hear the sound of our guns coming nearer, but they judged our advance best by the fact that whereas enemy balloons were gradually going farther back, Fnglish balloons came day by day nearer, The inhabitants of the lilieratcd villages greeted our soldiers with tears of joy in their eyes. This morning, when they first saw the New Zealanders advancing, they felt sorry for them, as they thought they must be prisoners. Then they noticed that they were carrying rifles, and slowly it dawned on them that after four years of bondage their deliverers had arrived. One old lady of over eighty, who is still young in heart and quick-witted, danced with joy A husband, meeting his wife later, asked if she had seen the New Zealanders entering the village. "Yes," she replied; "I kissed the first one I saw." There were strange scenes in Caudry. It is a town of considerable size, but only two thousand civilians are left in it. "To-day tricolour flags that had lieen hidden away for years, or hurriedly made in anticipation of relief, were (lying from many buildings. The town was not greatly damaged, but in the anger of his impending retreat the Roche had smashed furniture and mirrors, clocks, and a hundred other articles 'in private houses. One woollen factory that we went through bad had all the looms recently broken. The Germans had evidently gone right along the lines of looms urith hammers, smashing as they went, yet the building, even to the glass roof, was untouched by shell fire. The inhabitants complained of the severity of their treatment by the invaders, and one heard stories of young women taken away from their own villages that one would rather not believe. The people of Caudrue were well-clothed and were certainly not starved, but for their food, they were, except for what they could grow, indebted to the American-Spanish Committee. Germans entered their houses at any time of the day or night, and took feom them any little store of surplus focd they might have accumulated. They made the girls work in factories nominally for two and a-half francs per day, but the committee was ultimately made to pay. A few days ago they took away all able-bodied males between the ages of fifteen and i sixty to work behind the German lines. They wanted at finst to take even hoys of fourteen, Some of the soldiers became arrogant and brutal. A few days before their retirement some soldiers insulted a young girl in the main square, and on the father remonstrating he was bound with ropes. In one street we saw numerous red crosses on houses. This was the street in which all the sick hod been herded, so that the enemy might shell or burn the rest of the town. They were now retiring to their own homes in other streets, for the enemy had not time to greatly damage this town. Wher the enemy saw that he bad to retrc it he started looting, ami carried away anvbhing of vahie that he could possibly take. One man. who had been in Cambrai. said that latterly the discipline of the Germans had. in many cases, become poor. He himself saw* seven hundred men, with their officers, who had refused to tight, marched back to Cambrai. German sokiiers got meat only when they were in the front line, and none when they w-ere in rest. One man spoke in admiration of the wonderful bravery of the Britis-h aviators. They flew right down over the houses, firing at groups of soldiers, showing no fear. There was one wonderfully successful exploit, when an aviator hit a train of fifty trucks and pet on fire an enormous dump of food arid other stores. It was one of the biggest German dumps in France. To-day all the troops were in high spirits. It is a strange experience for them to be well behind the Hindenburg line, and to come suddenly upon vil lages with houses almost undestroved, and to be joyously treated by people they themselves have delivered from bondage.— (From the official war correspondent.)