NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 302, 10 September 1918, Page 5

NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

FOLLOWING THE ENEMY'S RETREAT LIKE HOUNDS UPON THE SCENT (Special from the Official War Correspondent.)

September 3. "This morning I really lived." These words were spoken by ono of our fighting brigadiers in his headquarters under a bank near a broken village, into which lie had just moved. He was ■eferring to the hurried retreat of the memy away beyond Haplincourt and 3ertii;eourt, in the direction of the fanous Hindenburg line. The longimbed New Zealanders were .chasing hem, eager to get into contact again, 'he Germans had had enough of this evere lighting, and had taken to their leels. The back of the resistance in. this ec.tor was broken yesterday .afternoon, rlien at 1 o'clock this brigadier's men— iouth Islanders—advanced in conjunciion with the troops on both flanks tiider a magnificent barrage. Both ifficers and men said they had! never ceil a better barrage. As a result of his the Ofcago and Canterbury men rait right through the Hun positions i-ifch very slight casualties, taking.over , hundred and _ fifty prisoners and wenty-five machine-guns. In addition hey estimate that they killed about a lundred. Between two and three, in he afternoon, machine-gun firo was tliccted' on our new position from the idge of the wood south of Haplincourt, mt the artillery was turned on to hese enemy machine-gunners, ' and heir firing ceased. Later,_ about 9.30, ho enemy fired 4.2 in. howitzers on to iur trenches. That was his final efort with artillery, and the Otagos and 3antorburys added further to their toll if prisoners. In the morning some • of us /went icross the battlefield, and where the )tagos liad fought m splendidly, wo ound tho ground littered with Gernan dead. They were lying about heir hastily-dug machine-gun positions, it the entrances to their dug-outs, and lr okl huts left bj' the British in. the ast German' push, and sinco occupied ly Germans.' Retribution, swift and lure, had overtaken the enemy here. U1 about were rifles, machine-guns, immunition, and equipment hurriedly abandoned. On the edge of our sector ras a hospital hurriedly vacated two lays ago, and was furnished with old leds and bedding 1 left <by the British in heir last retreat. Two wounded Gornans, still on stretchers, were left be-' dnd. Tliere was even a sorely-wound-id German on an operation-table. \ T earby were the graves of Germans reently Juried. Early this morning the enemy could 13 seen trekking away to safer ground, "hero was ho artillery fire coming back rom the German guns, -but our own rtillery was quickly on tho move, folowing up the retreat. The infantry, msliing on, readied Bertincourt, pushd through it, and on tho farther outikirts ctf the village again got into ouch with the enemy. They had narched seven thousand yards, a niaglificent feat Ifor troops that had been n battle all the previous day. Beore noon the brigadier and his staff ?cre riding forward to now Hcadquarers. ' * _ . _ .

In the afternoon the New Zealand Press representatives, who had arrived at the Divisional Headquarters, were able to go over yesterday's battlefield and get a glimpse of war such as few, if any, civilian visitors liavo obtained on tho Western front _ They were able to push on to the (fringes of Bertineourt, to see villages well behind the German lines, and to watch the enemy's shells bursting over the positions taken up by their stalwart countrymen. September 4. Fresh Otago .and Canterbury troops continued tlifl advance to-da.v. They got through tho little village of Ruyaulcourfc without opposition, and pushed on in front of the big Ilavrincourt Wood. * At intervals they met with slight machine-gun opposition, but this was dealt with by our artillery, and they continued to advance. They were opposed by a new reserve division that was rushed down from Kemniel. During these stirring days, tho Headquarters are continually on tho move, seldom staying moro than two or three days in one place. Our artillery keeps close on the heels of tho infantry, and have been doing splendid work' in getting their ammunition, up by horse transport. They have even taken supplies well forward of their guns under the enemy's machine-gun fire. To-day there has been little lighting. September 6. Last evening tho Otago troops were still pushing forward, and assisted in tho capture o; the little village of Bourjonv.il, where they took twenty-five prisoners. To-day other troops from the same district rushed cast of liouvjonval, taking trenches, and capturing between sixty and seventy prisoners.