THE TANK.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3234, 7 May 1917, Page 1

THE TANK.

FRITZ IS AFRAID OF IT

"This is a most congenial life; I really lovo it," writes Lieut. Harrison to his relatives in St. Kilda, Melbourne, in describing the beginning of tho great British advance. "It is full of adventure and uncertainties, but what's that to one who does not regard lifo as everything P "I would bo satisfied to go under fliiy time in some of our wild charges; on 9 does not seem to mind a scrap wli.cn there is anything doing. One has no thought hero whatsoever for his safety. Just go, into it like a beast and do your damnedest. It's glorious, and especially so now that we are tasting tho fruits of victory. Wo have Mr Fritz well beaten now, and well he knows ib. Spine little time ago ho put up a notice board on his parapet, "When is your offensive going to beginF" It has begun, and I bet my bottom dollar that ho wishes to God that it would end. He is getting a little of his own back now, and naturally he squeals. "I suppose you have read of the mysterious Tank the British have evolved? It is a wonderful engine of destruction, and you ought to see the Bqcho fleeing for his life from it. We ffiirly roar with laughter. The infantry just follow the infernal machine up. It demolishes everything in its way. Buildings it fairly eats up. Trees it just loves. Shell-holes and craters are nothing to it. It just plods along, breaking every obstruction in its path. It rolls the barbed wire down, climbs the parapet, and crawls over without the slightest trouble. Rifle fire, bombs, or machine gun fire can't hurt it. It just advances toward the machine-guns, crushes them, and shoots the gunners. Fritz surrenders on all sides.

"One prisoner exclaimed when lie saw ifc closely, "Gott in Himmel, how can they expect us to fight against such monsters?" Those Tanks carry machine guns and light artillery inside, and the only thing to hurt them would be a direct hit from a big shell. One of them took a village on its own, and waited for the infantry to come along. It just sat down, so to speak, in tho middle of the street, and no one dared go near it. "Our brigade is different from the ore which left Australia, but we have had very heavy casualties. Still, what matters so long as the result is a glorious victory to our arms, and that would he an impossibility without a bisi sacrifice of men and money.

"We are advancing, but trench life is a terror, and I sincerely trust that wo will not have to settle down to it again. It is only a matter of a very short time now when we will have Fritz pushed back into open country, and then the cavalry will also be able to operate, and the fun will begin. We have been two months on end in tie line, so have had a fair taste of war now,but in a few days we are boing relieved for a spell in England. Our leave is altogether too short, though, only 10 days."