THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 April 1918, Page 6

THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

BIG GEIJMAN AVUQK REPULSED WELLINGTON 8. 'The following message'dated April sth, has been received from the i\ew Zealand official war correspondent, Mr. Malcolm Ross,: On the New Zealand front early this morning the enemy increased Ins artillery activity, lie shelled our front line and searched the roads and battery positions, and bombarded "lift villages, in which many civilians are «till clinging to their homes. Among the casualties was an old woman. A shell landed in her bedroom and blew off part of her leg and foot. We were aware that the enemy had brought up against us the best part of the new reserve division, which had not been as yet in the jjreat push and his artillery preparation indicated that he was about to- attack. At 9 o'clock his advancing troops, were seen through the drizzling rain and mist advancing from the south of the Serre Road, on a front of 2000 yards. They probably overwhelmed some of our outposts, holding only a few meu. At first the enemy came on in parties of fours and fives. Immediately the New Zealand rihesi rang out and' the machine-guns uegan to stutter with deadly effect. The German groups quickly melted away. These advance parties were followed by other waves, but they were met with withering lire, and nowhere did they get nearer than 200 yards to our trendies-

Not content 'with their machinepun and rifle fire, so eager were some of our men that they "topped the I jags'' 'and advanced to meet the foe in No Man's Land, but in this new development the Germans had no heart to face the tall New Zealanders.

The attack seems to have been carried out by two regiments each with two battalions in line. It was met by a numerically inferior force of New Zealand riflemen and machine-gun-ners*, who dealt the German regiments a staggering blow, their clead being strewn about No Man's Land, while many of their wounded were soon limping sadly back to the trenches from which thev came.

From the prisoners we gather that after the New Zealand line had been stormed the enemy troops, were to 'v.ish on to Colincamps village, which was their objective, an advance of ;3000 yards. Far from reaching this Hi.ev failed to gain entry into' a, single yard of New Zealand trench. All the enemy has done is to make an insignificant little bulge in his oavu line at Lassigny Farm, where he is attempting to dig in, but this, process isi cost-' ing him further lives, for our rifles and machine-guns and artillery are now playing on the farm. The indications are that he must have suffered the best part of 1000 casualties. In addition to what our Lewis gunners shot down our field guns are now pounding him to* some purpose, while the heavier guns are not neglecting targets further afield.