NAZIS’ STEEL RING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20826, 3 July 1942, Page 2

NAZIS’ STEEL RING

BAYONET CHARGE MOONLIGHT BATTLE TRUCKS BATTER THROUGH (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (N.Z.E.F. o(Tidal War Correspondent.) (9 a.m.) WESTERN DESERT, July 2. Fighting across a moonlit desert with bayonets. Tommy-guns and grenades, New Zealand infantry forced a gap through which most of the troops escaped early on Sunday from the German forces that had surrounded them. It was a triumphant climax to a 24 hours in which New Zealand men, with English north country troops and a small force of supporting tanks, had held a position south-east of Mersa Matruh. Not only did they beat off violent tank and infantry attacks from every direction, but' fought their way out when it seemed the noose of the Afrika Corps' armour and artillery had closed around them. At dusk the shell and mortar firedied away, and after a day filled with the constant roar of high explosives there was an eerie silence. A few hundred yards south of our positions thft tank battle began. Lines of tracer shells shot across the horizon and again there was silence. With a group of liaison staff officers, I waited for the word of our next action. Coloured (lares from the German positions showed that we were completely encircled. Our job was to fight delaying actions. Would we battle on through another day or fight our way out to take up new positions? Infantry Hack Way Out Towards midnight we heard the answer. Three units, the Wellington and South Island units and the Maoris, would cut a gap in the German eastern line. In the early hours of the morning the attack began. Swarms of infantrymen, their bayonets gleaming in the moonlight, charged down on the German defences and cut their way through. Behind them- came hundreds of trucks, jammed head on to tail, in a headlong dash to force their way through the gap. The infantrymen scrambled on the trucks amid a hail of tank shells and explosive bullets. Eight men from a South Island unit jumped on my truck as it joined in the terrific onslaught. Engines roared and shells exploded about us. Machinegun bullets -came from everywhere. The trucks were hit and some exploded. A motor-cycle beside me went up in flames, but the column charged on. Our machine-guns, perched on top of the trucks, kept up a withering hail of red tracer bullets. We turned to head south and again the crossfire of tank shells tried to halt us. It was unsuccessful. Hundreds of trucks were through thp gap with few losses. The Incredible Happens It seemed .incredible that, without tanks ahead of them, the closely packed lines of trucks could force their way through German tanks, artillery and machine-guns, but it had happened. One' New Zealand formation was through and' another was following it. Though there were enough screams and explosions to shake the most hardened modern warrior, our drivers remained calm. When the trucks were hit, they -backed and swerved about in them so that the column would not be held up. Not until dawn did the coluhm halt and then only for a break of a few minutes, in the trek to new battle positions. We were tired but satisfieej. We felt we had completely turned' the tables on the Afrika Corps. A few hours before we had been surrounded. Now. in spite of General Rommel’s tanks and planes that had watched us all day, wfe were free and ready to fight again. Escaped Vicjops Fire Dashing through the darkness at full speed, cars, arpbulances, trucks and artillery of a large New Zealand column, withdrawing after the delaying action on Saturday, escaped in the early hours of Sunday from the vicious fire of tanks and artillery lying in wait across the route. The enemy scored direct hits.' There were spine casualties, -but serious consequences were avoided by the coolness and resource of the New Zealand drivers. I was travelling in a truck near the head of the column when the enemy opened fire from both flanks. One of the leading vehicles burst into flames as tracer, machine-gun bullets and shells flashed through our midst. We swung to the left, where the fire was less severe. Bumping along at all speeds, it seemed -impossible that we would not be hit. The whole column roared through the night with bursting shells and bullets everywhere. Flash of Flame “Your truck’s afire," I heard one driver shout to another. Glancing round, I saw a figure leap from the blazing vehicle. There was a flash of flame behind us. Our truck lurched. The truck behind us had been hit. Our driver clung grimly to the wheel and, if anything, the pace increased. Two men in the back of the vehicle had been hit by bursting shrapnel. Vehicles which broke down—there were only a few —were abandoned. The occupants clambered aboard others as they passed. The worst of the fire was passed, but behind us the sky was still patterned by tracers.

The rush became more orderly as the drivers moved their vehicles into some semblance of formation.' We stopped to tend the wounded but could not delay long. Within a few minutes we were again on the way. Dawn found us many miles away and, unhindered, we continued our journey.