THE NEW ZEALANDERS

Evening Star, Issue 16550, 9 October 1917, Page 3

THE NEW ZEALANDERS

ALONG ROULERS ROAD. SILENCING THE REDOUBTS AND'CLEARING THE FARMS. LONDON, October 8. Mr Percival Phillips, in his narrative of tho battle, says: , The storming of Abraham Heights and Gravenstafel contained much dramatic incident. Tho New Zealanders were rather handicapped at the beginning by the bulge in their original line. This prevented them from starting evenly, and in order to remedy this some Now Zealanders had to fall back and rush forward again when the barrage began, covering a considerable extent'of extra ground at tho donblo. Somewhat to the New Zealanders' surprise, a group of farm redoubts close to tho jumping-off, places was full of Germans. Otto Farm, only a few yards distant, came cuddenly to life, and spat bullets' from many loopholes until it was stormed. There was a lively fight at Berlin Farm', on the west of Roosbeke road, but the Now Zealanders silenced Berlin Farm with stocks of bombs. There was no time to examine the redoubt, but when it was. broken open next day it was found full of dead Germans.

A number of " pill boxes " dotted Roosbeke road, above Gravenstafel. In one case the German gun crew appeared through a narrow door, carrying the gun and cartridges. They dodged behind tTee trunks, but a New Zealand sergeant, with a few men, worked round them. When capture seemed inevitable tho Germans put up their hands, but a moment later their hands dropped. Expecting treachery of the usual sort, the New Zealanders killed them all. (Special from the New Zealand Official War Correspondent.) October 6. Our men have every reason to rejoice at their victory on Gravenstafel Ridge. More detailed accounts confirm the original opinion that they dealt the enemy a smashing blow on this part of the battlefield, lesterday afternoon prisoners were still coming in, while our stretcher-bearers, tired as they were, wound up the day by carrying in many German wounded. Our division is already receiving congratulations upon its latest feat of arms and upon the large haul of prisoners obtained. All over the battlefield there are many German dead. They can be seen in dugouts and shell holes, singly and in clusters up to 20.

The enemy were quite demoralised by the terribly destructive fire of our barrage, which struck them in waves. The intensity of the attack and "the completeness of its success seem, at least for the time being, to have thrown their organisation out of gear even far beyond their front line.

This morning I saw the men who attacked on the left. All were tired and sleepy after their strenuous exertions, but cheerful and elated nt their success. They met with considerable opposition, mostly from machine-gun fire at various strong points in ruined farms on their line of advance. But one after another these garrisons were killed or forced to surrender, and hauls of prisoners were made from concrete dugouts and emplacements. As with those on the right, so hero on the left flank the enemy lost all heart in the fight the moment our men got at close grips with them.

During the advance a German officer, who had been made prisoner, threw a bomb into a dugout in which his own men were sheltering, causing several casualties. The medical service was excellently organised, and the stretcher-bearers and tuiiners worked with tireless energy and magnificent bravery. The Divisional Staff worked day and night, and nothing that could possibly be done to ensure' complete success was left undono. ; Two members of the New Zealand Parliament who are serving on this front as junior officers took part in the battle,'going forward with their men.