THE AUSTRALIANS' RECORD

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 22, 25 July 1918, Page 11

THE AUSTRALIANS' RECORD

ANOTHER GLOWING CHAPTER

BATTLE OF HAMEL.

By their complete success in their last assault (4th July) the Australian troops in France have added another chapter to the magnificent record which they have been compiling during the' present stage of the war. While immense credit *is due to the tanks, whose wonderful work is spoken of with enthusiasm by every man who comes out of that battlefield, and whose success on this occasion was complete down to smallest details, yet (writes the official Commonwealth correspondent) the basis of all this result was the grand courage, the buoyant, indomitable spirit, and the untiring energy of that same old great-hearted Australian infantry, which is gradually carrying the name of Australia to a place in the esteem of the world, which may well fill the eyes of all their countrymen with tears of pride.

I defy anyone who has followed that infantry this year from battlefield' to battlefield, watched them go in time after time with light heart to an audacio,us attack, which only their complete confidence in their own strength and courage could carry through, watched them come out cheerful and literally without a grumble, spend a week in comparative comfort in some French barn before moving off again some morning, with battle kit, to plunge cheerfully into another spell of vigorous fighting, such as made their country's name ring right, even through Arcerica —I defy any Australian who has watched that infantry this year to speak or think of it with dry eyes or without a lump in his thoat. For the loat three months they have figured in British communiques. With fighting at Merris, Meteren, and Strazeele, with raids and battles at Dernancourt, at Ville, at Morlancourt, at Sailly-le-Sec, Hamel, Villers Bretonneux, and Hangard, not once nor twice, but daily during that period, during which there has not been any British offensive campaign, but, on the contrary, desperate fighting against tremendous attacks, dangerous advances by the enemy; during that time when they have not once, but several times, in desperate counter-attacks helped to save the great city' of Amiens; they have captured practically the whole of the German positions opposite them, advanced considerably into German territory, taken prisoner 85 German officers, 3700 men, two field guns, 38 trench "mor|!irs, and over 400 machine-guns. Inluded in these are prisoners taken by he splendid detachment of American I'oops, which was attached to them in yesterday's battle

In Thursday's fight the Australians took 36 officers and nearly 1200 men, while our whole loss, bo far as is known, is very light, and much smaller than was expected. Then the Germans attempted to approach and build up a new line during the night. The infantry went out and captured another 55 prisoners and 10 machine-guns. It was the greatest pride for the Australians that they had the American infantry fighting beside them in yesterday's battle. They went _in this sharp fighting beside the Australian troops, with whom they had been living for .a few days. The Australians who saw them throughout the fight have 'come out saying, "They win do me. They are great boys, and they fight as Well ns any troops we have ever seen. We would be proud to alongside them in any sort, of scrap." That is how these Americans fought. "It was some Fourth of July," said one American. They all had the same tale. They lived among the Australians a few days, and had come to know them as if'they were their own countrymen. When the fight came they were not going to let the Australians down. They were in with them through thick and thin. Some units are full of stories about Americans exchanging coats with Australians, faking the colour patches_ of Australian units, taking sergeants' stripas off their arms, and doing -anything in order to get in this fight. When thn hour camo our men say the Americans in some cases started ac if for a rac&. It was neck and neck up to the barrage, and the American casualties were largely duo to their going in under the shellbursts of their own guns in their huvrj to get forward. In some places the Germans surrendered freely. Certain ncste of machine guns resisted, and were immediately 'dealt with by-the splendid co-operation of the tanks at one or two points—at one especially in front of the village of Hamel. A few German machine guns escaped; the vigilance of the tanks. Here the Australian infantry wont straight down and fought the Germans in the old way. Bodies of both sides lying there show how stiff the fighting was at one or two places, but they were only . small points. At most parts all that was wanted Was keen, swift, vigos ous advance. Before evening the position was well. consolidated. German guns, which our artillery managed to keep down more completely than I have ever known happen on any battlefield, became active during the afternoon, and from mid-day till nightfall the village of Hamel and the woods around afid south of it were seething with dust from the German barrage which never ceased to trail away from them. All the aiturs noon ono could see German ambulances collecting wounded, and small parties of the Germans filtering up from the new front line, in order to check any further advances. During the early morning, under the first barrage, the other Australian units all up and down the line raided the Germans or made a necessarj swing in order. to bring their lino into agreement with the main advance. All the morning news was ooming in, first of one capture of prisoners and then another. In the midst of all, news ar rived from the Australians in the far north, near Merris, of a small. operation on the previous day, wherein about fifty Germans were killed by a party of Victorians who raided trench.

Aeroplanes, with Australian planes taking an important part amongst them, helped magnificently in the air all night During the day there was more or .Jess continuous fighting in the air, but except for part of the morning, when the Ger. mans managed to keep some machines in the sky for a period, the air was more or less in possession of our planes. Details of individual fights by individual 'mite are at present too early to obtain, but. apart from the splendid help of the tanks and the planes, this fight will always be remembered as the one thing. As an Australian company commander put it in a report from the front : "The United States troops are now classified a.a diggers "

News of the battle of Hamel happened to reach the Prime Ministers of the British Dominions while sitting in conference. They immediately drew up a telegram of congratulation from all of them to the Australian commander of the troops. The number of prisoners brought in from the battle of 4th July no\v amounts to 1500, making about 4000 Germans token by Australians in various fighting since the German offensive began.

Men -who learned to mistrust the tanks at Bullecourt speak most warmly here of them after this experience. ' 'Give mo tanks to fight with," said one. "They will do me any day." He added that ha had seen tank officers out irt the strafe often -walKing ahead of the tank with a stick showing it where to go. The tanks

carried back any wounded. One tank was working ■with Americans neaT the Wood of Acoroche, before which the line was to be dug, when a German machinegun in the wood shot two officers dead. The tank mode straight towards tliis ma-chine-gun position, and ran straight over it. We, looking on from miles back, could see this tank glide forward, then suddenly shunt quickly backwards and forwards as a man might mov« a draughtsman across 'a board. This tank captured several prisoners. Another feature of this fight wns the manner in which the German artillery was drowned. Beside our own guns, those of the British on our left and the French on our Tight descended on the Germans the moment our troops started. Practically every German gun was being fired at. The result was that during the first five or six hours fhe German reply, perhaps, was less than one ever seen on any battlefield. Later during the day tbo German gunfire became haavier. I'esterday they concentrated still more heavily on Hamel village. In Hamel, as soon as the light grew, we could sea the French flag flying. This was olaeed there by a, young South Australian officer, who said he would do so. Despite heavy shelling this (Saturday) morning, that flag was flying there still. ' '