DRIVEN OFF.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1927, Page 9

DRIVEN OFF.

STRONG "ENEMY" FORCE.

IANDED AT RAGLAN.

MARCHING ON AUCKLAND.

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.")

NGARUAWAHIA, Thursday

The peace and quiet of country districts around Taupiri and Ngaruawahia ! were rudely disturbed this morning when it was learned that a strong enemy force was ''marching on Auckland." Briefly, the intelligence was that a hostile force of all arms had landed at Raglan on Monday evening last, and, crossing Hakaremata Range and Waipa River, had reached Hamilton yesterday morning, taking that flourishing township completely by surprise. This information in itself was sufficiently startling to cause the inhabitants of neighbouring districts to prepare for hasty exit, but additional intimation that the enemy had left Hamilton and were advancing towards Auckland in a direct line of their own homes threw unhappy country folk into panic. So much for the activities of the enemy.

But our own forces were not wholly unprepared. A brigade group had detrained at Huntly, and were now stationed midway between the coalmining town and Ngaruawahia. As soon as news of the enemy's approach was received at group headquarters, hasty preparations were made tc check the advance. The First Battalion of the Auckland Regiment, under command of Colonel Fraser, supported by a battery of artillery, received orders to act as an advanced guard. Thus it was that shortly after sunrise the advanced guard was marching along the main Auckland-Hamilton .Road, ready to come to instant conflict with the enemy. Near the site of Hopahopa Camp the vanguard commander sent back a brief message that enemy scouts had'been detected on the scrub covered slopes of Melville Hill, and that he was pushing forward to take the position.

The message was brief, but conveyed a lot, and soon the crackle of rifles Showed that the vanguard were engaging the enemy. Then, along the dustv road, came a runner with information that the enemy were strongly entrenched, and were holding a strong position on the hill left flank. The commander of the main guard immediately dispatched a company of infantry, together with machine gun attachments, to take the point. Such was the position of affairs at 09.30, military time. From the main road running between Taupiri and Ngaruawahia, a company whose object it was to clear the spur on the left flank, could be seen working its way towards the enemy stronghold. Further ahead the vanguard were the enemy in a position where enemy scouts were first located. Taking advantage of all the available cover, khaki-dressed troops would disappear into patches of scrub and gorse, only to reappear a valuable distance nearer their goal. Combined with the crackling of the rifle fire were frequent sharp bursts of machine gun fire, while from behind a small hill some distance in the rear came the crash of artillery shells high overhead.

As the home troops continued to I advance reports as to the progress and i strength of the enemy were flashed back to the commanding officer by signallers. Later, as the attack progressed J successfully, telephone lines were laid ' and brought into immediate use, while headquarters were shifted to an old cowshed adjoining the main road. Meanwhile. the company jvhich had been entrusted with the task of driving the enemy from the stronghold on the left flank were experiencing considerable trouble in securing cover. Here, however, the officer in command was responsible for an excellent piece of work. Literally crawling at the head of his men round the edge of a swamp and through beds of rushes, suddenly breaking cover, the attackers successfully stormed the hill and inflicting heavy punishment on the enemy, and suffering only a few casualties. * Equal success attended the efforts of the vanguard, who succeeded in driving the enemy from their position and occupying the same. Finally, with the enemy driven from the hills and on the retreat, the whole of the advanced guard moved forward, and at midday were pushing on their advantage. During the afternoon tussle the "invaders" were driven from the field after a sham battle which gave the whole camp a realistic idea of how troops fight under modern conditions. The above, it may be stated for the information of timii. readers, merely describes a sham fight between parties of the territorial forces from the camp at Ngaruawahia.