SPELT IN SHELLS

Evening Star, Issue 25068, 8 January 1944, Page 4

SPELT IN SHELLS

"HAPPY ffiW YEAR, FRITZ" NEW ZEALAND DIVISION DIVERSION iN.Z.R.F. Official War Correspondent.) N.Z.E.F. DIVISIONAL HEADQUARTERS, January 4. " Happy new year, Fritz," was spelled out by nearly 100 guns in the clear, frosty air, as in 17 minutes of firing over' 5,000 high-ex-plosive shells crashed down on to the snowciad ridges around Orsogna yesterday. The New Zealand artillery sent this heartiest of New Year greetings to enemy troops, but it is doubtful whether the Germans appreciated the spirit behind the sentiment expressed. The slioot was the result of ■careful planning over some days, and it is a tribute to the good stall work and careful gunnery that not a shell was wasted on an unprofitable area. As the new year approached it was decided that a suitable message should be sent over by the impounders. Subsequent planning fitted the message to the areas normally covered by o'ur artillery concentrations. As a result four ridges on which the enemy was known to be in maximum strength, were selected as the signboard, and the required tasks were plotted. Then came the blizzard of January 1. The shoot had been arranged to take place at 8.30/that morning, and at that time, despite snow, rain, and a chill wind, our guns were ready to fire. It was realised, however, that, the enemy would certainly be under cover, so timeliness was sacrificed for efficiency. The following day was bright and clear, with the selected ridges gleaming under a fresh mantle of snow.) Yesterday dawned 6unny. Punctually at 9.15 a.m. the batteries opened upon.the first letter. On the tracers supplied to each regiment the cheery four-word greeting was marked out in a number of different colours. The colours indicated which part of each letter each regiment was to fire. For example, the letter "h " for " happy "_ might have its left upright outlined in blue ink, its crosspieces in red, and its right-hand upright in green and black. A minute's gunfire was devoted to each letter—and each letter w;as 500 yards high. The first word, "happy." sprawled itself in regular hammering " lifts" across the white face of that first ridge, covering an area 2,000 yards long, and everybody was pleased except the gentlemen on the receiving end. Never has it been so aptly demonstrated that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Then the guns shifted to the next slope, and the second word "new" was blasted across _ the ridge as. by Hercules wielding a giant punch —the black pattern shellburst against the snow extending 1,500 yards right through the objective. The " year " covered an area of 1,600 yards, while " Fritz," which fell on. a ridge behind Orsogna, was calculated to flatten anything along its 1,800 yards' length. During the shelling the pretty snowcrowned town presided over the ceremony like a traditional Christmas postcard village. The efficiency of this artillery contribution to the festive season had to be seen to be believed. During the delivery of the message any man unwise enough to stand in an area nearly half-a mile wide by over four miles in length would be lucky to escape unscathed. The destructive power of such concentration is not limited to the immediate vicinity of each individual shell-burst. The flying fragments cover a wide area, and the perfee-t fragmentation of the '-'5pounder high-explosive shell is one of the main reasons for the success of the gun. Unfortunately the "greeting' was marred as a spectacle by the presence on the "billboards" of black tree stumps, precious shell-holes and earthworks, which rather spoilt the appearance of the finished legend. There is a sitrong probability that no member of the enemy forces can really afford to get into such a position as would 'permit him to admire the work. The Luftwaffe also, appears to have found more pressing engagements elsewhere. ' ■ . ...' " We really wanted something like that to relieve our feelings'after all that snow," commented one gunner, " but 1 hope that if Prita returns the compliment he will make it short." So far, however, Fritz has not produced a single " heil "—only odd punctuation marks,