NEW ZEALANDERS IN BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 290, 27 August 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN BATTLE

FIRST THREE DAYS OF THE ADVANCE

HOW THE SURPRISE WAS

EFFECTED

(Special Dispatch from tho New Zealand Oiitcial War Correspondent, Captain Malcolm fioss.) August 21.

At dawn this morning a long line of British troops, among whom tho New Zealanders wero represented, attacked tho enemy in a new battle south of Arras. Tho utmost secrecy possible had been maintained regarding this operation, and the divisions concerned had to make their preparations hurriedly during tho past few days. Tho result was that tho enemy was completely surprised. The first trenches wero stormed before he was thoroughly awake. Many prisoners wore taken and,, a considerable area of territory regained alons; a fairly exten'sive'front. The weather was exceedingly favourable for our plans—a grey day, in which tho enemy 'planes' could do nothing, was succeeded by bright moonlight, but towards tho morning a heavy mist enveloped tho landscape, so that the assembly''of our traopß was quite unknown to the enomy. Practically all the. movements necessary were done by night. Under a bright moon the troops marched from the back areas with their bands* playing, and the sweating mule and horse teams and mechanical transport swung round tho corner of our village street towards tho battlefront—an inspiring sight. It was a New Zealandcr, standing in the shadow of aitwo-century-old church, who directed this traffic through the village past a chateau that had been mishandled in the French Devolution, and no longer sholtered its titled owner.

At five minutes to five our guns all along the line opened a thunderous barrage, and tho troops followed close upon it. There was no preliminary bombardment. The mist was almost like a London fog, and even from an advanced position it was impossible to eeo.anything of the battle. . Later, the sun made two or three attempts to break the veil. For five hours we waited, and marched nearer tho front, without seeing anything, but wo could toll from the absence of machine-gun fire—except from a few isolated spots— and from tho feeble reply of tho enemy's artillery that our surprise was complete. Early in the morning the first batch of prisoners loomed through the fog in charge, of a sturdy New Zealander. They were Bavarians, and Beemed not sorry to have been captured. The New Zoalaiiders gathered about them, and I listened to amusing attempts at conversation. Both these and. others that wo saw later looked their incredulity when they were told of tho recent successes of ■ tho Allies and our large hauls of guns and prisoners. Tho news had been kept hidden from them. One wounded man to whom I gave a piece of chocolate seemed greatly astonished, and remarked: "We have not had that in Germany for a long time now." They said that food was getting scarce, but tho soldiers got enough. Generally speaking the prisoners captured by the New Zealanilers vere 'a good lot, and well clothed. Another thing they would not beliovo was the number of Americans in Franco.

. Never before have I seen a battle in which for so many hours' fighting was so ono-side<l. At an early hour wo beard that the New Zealanders hnd captured-their first objectives, and that their losses had been extremely light. On our right and left the other troops wcro going well. Our left attacked on a broad front, and other fresh troops followed it, and went on the satao breadth of lino. The New Zealanders attacked in dashing stylo in a.dense fog, and forced their way well into the enemy's defences, surprising the enemy, killing and wounding some and capturing others who didn't seem to want to fight. One. or two pockets that had beon overrun in tho fog gave some trouble for a timo with their machine-guns. These were quickly dealt with, and their gun crews cither wiped out or taken prisoner. By 10 o'clock the sun had pierced tho mist, which rapidly disappeared, and the remainder of the day was blazing hot. A damaged tank and a dead German in a shell-hole- iiisb , beyond the German front lino indicated where the battle had begun. Tho air was now alive with our 'planes, and tho stutter of their machine-guns overhead announced a fight in tho air. Tho blue of the sky was punctured jvith black bursts 'of hundreds of shells from the German anti-aircraft guns. The other German gunners had now warmed to their work, and four balloons that wo could seo distinctly ahead wore evidently directing their fire. In a hollow were sonic of our tank's, held in leash, while others had gone ahead. We could seo that the crest of the ridge ahead had hocomo a target for tho Gcrmani gunners. Our advancing troops and reserves were also shelled. Other shells screamed overhead into what was now our back area, and the fire of a battery crumped a trench close at- hand on our right, the instaneous fuse-bursts sending tho fragments almost to our* feet. Tliis latter at least was ineffective shelling, for there was nothing living there to hurt. Almost all tho wounded we saw. were German wounded, which we had gathered. Our own casualties were light indeed. At midday we came upon two horse ambulances, well up towards the front,.,that had been waiting for four hours and had nothing to do.

By midday the Now Zealanders had captured over two hundred prisoners and several machine-guns. Our own artillery, machine-gun companies, and tronoh mortars did good work. Early in the day we saw the howitzers and other guns moving forward, and there was considerable traffic on roads that that morning had been in the enemy's territory. In our limited sphere, and ou either side of us, the operations, as far as we could make out, seemed most successful. Of their full scope you will get , 'details from other sources. The news of further French' successes in the south, and their big haul of prisoners, spread during thd morning over the battlefield, and was inspiring to our troops.