THE CAMBRAI THRUST.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 30 September 1918, Page 5

THE CAMBRAI THRUST.

MOST DIFFICULT AND. DANGEROUS. ATTACKERS APPARENTLY DOOMED TO DEATH.. BUT GO TO VICTORY WITHOUT PAUSE.. (Received Sept. 30> 8.50. a,na_) LONDON, Sept. 28. Mr Percival Phillips, writes: To-day's attack on the Hindenburg line was more difficult iand dangerous than that of last November. 'Ihe plan was to strike eastward across the canal and ■..then ' northwards. The front lay I parallel to the canal,, the crossing of | which was one of the most remarkable . .eats of our offensive. It is sixteen i feet deep and seventy feet wide, with ; deep mud on the bottom, and renderred passable only at certain points by surface bridges. The sides were -too steep at many places for dropping or climbing, and the enemy had the range for every yard. Bourlon wood gave most complete observation of our movements, and everything depended on the first rush. An officer said on Thursday night: "Give us, fifteen minutes and all will be right." Our men had to be assembled at night, scaling ladders were brought .up and flung down and over at the precise moment, an<S the first handful of intrepid soldiers descended the yawning chasm. They bore more ladders with which to scale the canal fae^ ■frith their heavy packs and loads of bombs to face the enemy machine gun- i naers. It seemed certain death to the men assembling on. the eve of the (attack. Everything depended on those fifteen minutes, in which the attackers j must descend the dark pit and reach | the other side after a breathless rush, : yet they must have breath enough to ■\ begin to fight for life on the other ' side. Here wa>s an ordeal far more

exacting and dangerous* than merely going over the top, but the men went to v_c_ory without mishap or pause lhe Canadians, after the passage of the canal.at Inchy, had two miles before them,, and strode almost leisurely up the slopes in the direction of Bourlon wood. It was open country, with several systems or fragmentary trenches. These were emergency lines .m.- % inferior Siegfried fortress line, lhe Canadians went through easily enough and reached the edge of the wood to schedule time.

; Meanwhile a British battalion on the Canadians' right crossed the bottomless canal, near Moeuvres, with greatest swiftness and before the enemy was able to-put down a barrage, and passed thia Hindenburg support line. Then some wheeled south behind it towards GraLncourt,. and had swept the area clear, before ten o'clock, reaching; the Bapaaime-Oarabrai roadl. Other British troops crossed the canal between- Moeuvres and the CambraiBapaume road, and met considerable resistance- from machine-gun nests. These garrisons were unaware that they were already sui-rounded from the north but surrendered-when they found them! •selves between two- fires. The Germans [on the Flesqunei-es; ridge had faced, south, expecting, the attack from the south as in November, but before they came to close, qua. tens they found that Bourlon wood;, Behind them, was full of Canadians. The- enemy artillery was active until- ten o'clock", but practically ceased thereafter, and was evidently withdrawing. Enemy aeropllanes wer c unusually energetic, their low fliers- attempting to machine gun the infantry. : Oomparatively few prisoners were taken in the morning, and it seems- certain that the enemy had withdrawn some troops in the, night.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.