LATE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3052, 13 April 1917, Page 7

LATE NEWS

THE BATTLE OF ARRAS A THRILLING STORY INSPIRITING CAVALRY CHARGE (Rcc. April 13, 0.55 a.m.) London, April 12. Ail eye-witness writes a thrilling description of the capture of Monchy, which is the key to the position between' 1 the Rivers Scarpe and . Sensee. It ■stands on the edge of a plateau one hundred feet above tho surrounding country. "As ghastly evidence'of the British bombardments, the German ma-chine-gun posts, of reinforced concrete two feet thick, were destroyed by a single shell, and trenches were smashed into 'shapeless, ditches. > The Germans tore up rails to make barricades, aild used farm carts, ploughs, and brick heaps as cover, but all precautions were useless. Targets a yard wide were hit from four miles, and dead Germans lay everywhere. . .

"To facilitate tho defence of Monchy the Germans had planted a series, of machine-gun 'batteries around the outer houses, and in the -wood and chateau io the north. Sunken roads tadiated in all directions, which were full of snipere and machine-gunners. The capture of Fampoux, however, covered 1 t-fU flank' attackers while the enveloping movement developed. Heavy, snowstorms enabled a large force to advance between tho Scarpe and the Douai Road without the enemy realising the significance of the movement.

"Meanwhile the artillery crossed the Scarpe near Roeuk, and advanced oil Moncliy. By darS, ,tho British bombing parties were on the fringe of the village, but the troops were so tired with their thirty-six hours cf continuous fighting that they quickly dug in, and slept throughout : the night in shallow trenches, despite the.', snowstorm. But tliey were ready to reattack at dawn, and charged the hill, cheering. Moncliy, was captured in twenty -minutes, the remnants of the garrison collapsing when at close quarters. The infantry for the first time had the satisfaction.of seeing the cavalry charge their broken foes, driving them terror-stricken over the . fields.

"The steady reduction of tlife German strongholds behind- the breached lino proceeded so rapidly that the lancers and dragoons were able to drive ahead en masse. The tanks did great service in clearing the machine-gun poc-; kets aud driving the Germans into the open. Parties of Lewis gunners, pushing on, hastened the surrender of the survivors, who had been without food or sleep since Monday, and were wefc and chilled to the bone." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. .