WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS

Evening Star, Issue 16824, 28 August 1918, Page 2

WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS

START OF THE ATTACK TOWARDS ALBERT-ARRAS LINE, WELLINGTON, August 26. fkM& *Jfw War Correspondent.]

August 21. At dawn this morning a long line of British troops, among whom the New Jealanders were represented, attacked the jcemy in a new battle south of Arras. ; The utmost secrecy possible had been maintained regarding the operation. The divisions concerned made their preparations hurriedly during the past few days, with tho re-suit that the enemy were completely surprised, _ and thjj first trenches were stormed before the Germans were thoroughly awake. Many prisoners were taken, and considerable territory was regained along a fairly extensive front. The weather was exceedingly favorable for our plana. A grey day, on which 'the enemy pianea could do nothing, succeeded bright moonlight. Towards morning a heavy mist enveloped the landscape, and the assembly of our troops was quite unknown to the enemy. Practically all the movement necessary was done at night under a bright moon. The troops marched from the back areas, with tho bar*&s jiajiug. (sweating mule and horse teams and mechanical transport swung round the corner of & Tillage street towards the battle front—an inspiring sight it was. A New Jiealander standing in the shadow of a two-century-old church directed this traffic through the village. J At five minutes to 5 the guns all along [ the line opened a thunderous barrage, and ' the troops followed close. There wa3 no preliminary bombardment. The mist was almost like a London fog, and even from an advanced position it was impossible to Bee anything of the battle. Later tho sun made two or three attempts to break tho veil. For five hours wo waited, and then we marched nearer tho front without seeing anything. We could tell by the absence of.machine-gun fire, except in a few isolated spots, and from the leable n-piv of the enemy artillery, that the surprise was complete. Early in the morning the first batch of prisoners loomed through the fog in charge of soma sturdy New Zealanders. They were Bavarians, and seemed not sorry to be captured. The New Zealanders gathered about them, and listened to amusing attempts at conversation. Both these and others whom 1 saw later gazed incredulously when they were told of the recent successes of the* Allies and the large haul of guns and prisoners. The news had been kept hidden from them. One wounded man to whom I gave a puce ci chocolate seemed greatly astonished. and he remarked that he had not had that in Germany for a long time. They said food waa getting scarce, but the soldiers got enough. Generally speaking, the orisoners captured by the New Zealanders were a good lot, and were well clothed. Another thing the prisoners would not believe was the number of Americans in Sraaca. .Never before have I seen a battle in which for so many hours the fighting wu - j so one-sided. At an early hour I heard that the New Zealanders had captured I their first objectives, that their losses j were extremely light, and that on our I right and leit the other troops were going I well. On our left they attacked on .i broad front, and other fresh troops followed and went on the same breadth of line. The New Zealanders attacked in dashing style- in a dense fog. and forced their way well into the enemy defences, surprising the anerny, and killing or wounding some, and capturing others who did not fight. One or two pockets which had been overrun in the fcg gave some trouble for a time with machine guns, but these were quickly dealt with, the giui crews being either wiped out or taken prisoners. In company with the London correspondent of some New Zealand newspapers I walked along the front- line. By 10 o'clock the sun had pierced the mist, which rapidly disappeared, and the remainder of the day was blazing hot. A damaged tank and a dead German in a shell hole just beyond the German front lino indicated where the battle had begun. The air was now alive with our planes, and the Btutter of machine guns overhead announced a fight in the air. Tho blue, sky was punctured with the black bursts of hundreds of shells. The German anti-air-craft guns and tho other German gunners now warmed to their work. Four balloons could be seen distinctly ahead, evidently directing their fire in a hollow ■where' some of our tanks were held in leash. Others that bad gone ahead could be seen on the crest of a ridge, and became a target for the German gunners. Our ■advancing troop 3 and reserves were also shelled, and other shells screamed overhead into what was now our back ?.rea. Close at hand on our right instantaneous fuse-bursts were sending fragments almost to'our feet,. Thi3 latter at least was ineffective shelling, for there waa nothing living there to hit. Almost all the wounded we saw were Germans, whom we gathered. Our own casualties were light. Indeed, at midday we came upon two horse ambulances well up towards the front. Thev had been waiting for four hours, and had nothing to do. By midday the New Zealanders had captured over 200 prisoners and several machine guns. Our own artillery, ma-chine-gun companies, and trench mortars did good work. Early in the day we saw howitzers and other guns moving forward. There was considerable traffic on the roads that morning. News of a further French success in the south and their big haul of prisoners spread during the morning over the battlefield, and it was inspiring to our troops. August 22The progress of the battle to-day was slow. The New Zealanders could not advance further owing to the troops on the ritiht being held up. The troops on the left were counter-attacked. These were English troops, and they not only beat off the attack but captured 200 Germans. Yesterday the Rifles holding the front of the Ancre defensive flanks were to join ■up with, the troops on the right, but they were worried by a strong machine-gun position 500 yds outside their own boundary. Presently the German gunners began to «hell their own machine-gun position. The New Zealanders, who had boen all the time watching for an opportunity, now dashed across the front, and the troops on the right cnvickly put- the Germans out of action. About half the garrison were killed by two German shells •which fell in the position, and the other half were quickly dealt with by the New Zea-landers, who returned triumphantly to their own lines bearing two German machine grins on their shoulders. Some of these gallant fellows also helped the troops <m the right to capture an enemy position that was delaying tho advance. Some amusing incidents occurred during the fighting in the fog yesterday. Our light mortars actually advanced far enough to be able to capture prisoners. They prondly sent a message to Brigade Headquarters announcing: ''Have captured prisoners ; sent them down in a wire cage." To make quite sure that they would be dulv credited with these Germans they naivelv added the fact that they had taken the precaution to get a receipt for them. Another unusual incident was the capture of six prisoners by an artillery forward obs'Aving officer. "Amongst the captured domnents was one giving details of the bad.-es of the units of the New Zealand Division. The document also contained a complimentary reference to the fighting c=«iiiisf *** the New Zealand Division. It %n rot eav thev were cannibals, but it said that thev took few prisoners. This testimonial came from our former friends. ♦he Fourth Bavarians The description was not strictly accurate., for that very afternoon 250 Germans found themselves inside the wire cases, One battalion, whose casualties for the whole day were only 13, three of whom remained on duty, captured 81 men and one officer. Practically all these were sturdv fighting men, _well equipped. All prisoners were most kindly treated by. coir men, and the wounded were attended to as their-own. When, some of J hem came into the dressing stations and Otmd good bread, butter, tea. sugar, milk, sad evea oranges laid neatly on the tables

1 th-eiv amazement was great, and when they themselves were invited to participate in those luxuries as if they were British wounded they were still more astonished. Probably if "the facts were known behind the German lines in the villages in the war zone the New Zealanders would take still rr.ore prisoners. The German statement, of course, is designed solely to get the men to fight to a finish and not surrender. _ Yesterday when our men were advancing in a thick fog on the eastern outskirts.of Pniseux. tlwy spotted a German officer 1 makinic strenuous efforts to pet his men.to keep down, evidently with the object of taking our men as soon as thev had gone past with their own barrage. This failed, for our men turned on this little nest of Germans, .and in a very brief time subsequent proceedings interested them no more. August 23. Th« battle was resumed this morning alonsr the whole corps front, and probably bevo'nd it. From a very early hour an incessant thunder of artillery has been beatin" the air. In dear moonlight the planes began th?ir work soon after midnitrht. The weather continues fine and hot. The New Zealanders are still engaged. j