"BITTER FRUIT OF EXPERIENCE."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, 7 October 1916, Page 5

"BITTER FRUIT OF EXPERIENCE."

, CANDID CONFESSION IN CAPTURED REPORT.

UTTER FAILURE OF <GE,EM&N

WAR MACHINE

ENEMY GENERAL ADMITS WEAKNESS AND DISORGANISATION.

ALL DEPARTMENTS FOUND !

WANTING.

(Received October 7, 1916. LONDON, Octoher .JB. -Mr Gibbs statas that a repent Jhy General yon .Arnim, commanding i.he Fourth German Corps against .the British front on the Somme in July, has fallen into our hands.

The writer analyses' with impartial candor our qualities and the weaknesses and failui-es of his own .organisation and leadership. General yon Arnim confesses the utter failure of his war machine, .acknowledges the British superiority' ;nnd the ever-increasing strain upon ifierman organisation as the effect of .our antillery and the mastery of the flying *or,ps. Demoralisation of the enemy command is admitted, and. "as the Sitter fruit of experience," yon Arnim says: "The British infantry learnt much in ifhe autumn offensive of 1915, and shows great dash in attack, to which great, confidence in its overwhelming artillery' contributes. The English have showedj great tenacity in defence whale their* artillery registration and fire scontroriS; assisted by well-organised aerial ob-i servations." , k ! I Yon Arnim recounts how the far-] reaching British guns brought ifche Ger-j1 man, battle headquarters under fire,] causing officers to beeo~ie pafaie-strick-en^ The German artillery is much | hampered by the steady intensity of the; British fire, which has also rendered; ■enormously difficult the bringing up of reserves. Yon Arnim. confesses the; utter failur©' of German counter-at-tacks, which were without method or weight.

The/numerical superiority of the enemy's airmen, and the fact that their machines are better, has, he says, become disagreeably apparent, and they •are able to" successfully fire on our troops from a low elevation. He admits that German equipment and am■mißiition reserves are very faulty; that the German machine guns are too heavy, and that there is an insufficient supply of grenades.

Tort Arnim does not suggest that the food_ supply of the army is insufficient, "but "says it is difficult to get food to the front trenches. All other departments -of German organisation have been found wanting, and the war machine has %een thrown out of gear by the ferocity' and continuance of the British assualt.