RAIDING THE GERMAN TRENCHES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17273, 14 September 1916, Page 7

RAIDING THE GERMAN TRENCHES.

. ♦ . V. V . NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION? -'■ • ' : ’ /■, •.<..,.,,.'1*^ VALOROUS DEEDS IN NO MAN'S LAND. , U. , '/■ - . . i.m ■ > (From Malcolm Ross, " Wdr Com* pondent, with the New Zealiyjd Forces.) - - - •v»V; ‘ NORTHERN FRANCE, July 18:.: ; While tho whole ‘ army and tlia people of England .are "being thrilled with fhe glorious deeds of Our soldiers ia tho great - battles beyond tho Somme, it must not be forgotten that along other parte of the long line other of our armies are still worthily upholding tho honour of the Empire. These men, for the moment, are not in the limelight. None the less, ,they are

daily, and nightly, killing and wounding Germans, and; themselves, in fcirn, , being killed and wounded in'the cause wo have alf espoused ' .In. .comparison'- •' with the resounding clash of arms "oil' the Somme bur battle orchestra !s. par- - hap 3 playing -in a minor key, yet its cadences £lay a part—an iniipsjtaajb . part—in the grand, symphony. >’ ■ , Artillery 1 raids are the orfier of tlSdiay ; raids, and counter-raids the oirifF of the night. And in these venturi* a great purpose is and deeds of stirring heroism/ are \ bsig performed—-deeds that now pass-almopt .as commonplace, hut which, in' ordinary times, jvoula make the pulses beit x little faster to the thrill that tiiwr engendered., } , Recently, during an enemy.'attack on a salient that ....we hold,-. jibe, 1 Zealanders fought with a, sedf-saiiff-ucing heroism worthy of their b«fc traditions. During raids; successful and unsuccessful, they have i'ougbby' with dash and gallantry that-, at times,, lias risen to the superb. Australians, idanadians, and 'otner British troops oeyond the sound of the guns on the Somme have equally well played their parts with fortitude and heroism. - Raiding has become almost a science, but it is as yet not an exact science, and, with conditions as luey :• there must be a good deal or giy§-and-take about it. It is perhaps sufficient tor our. purposes that ~the Honours have. been largely ou our 546, there is every indication that tcsy will continue to be eo. rf During a refcoat German raid ah enemy party came into contact with a party ot cut men at the apex ;?qfa salient: and there were signs that liiougli our men were overwhelmed mey put up a great fight. • A ffeHr may have been taken prisoner. One • was reported wounded} and one body was found next morning. The raid .n.gnu soon alter midnight by the enemy putting a semi-circpiar barrage on our supports after a steady bomuardwent lasting about two hours. Our, machino-guu sections concerned are. bilid to have done fine work. At one > period of the bombardment two of &ur signal officers Were blown out and >. fiAir signallers were killed, but comiunnication was pluciiiiy maintained by runners. ’ The whole of one macniue- c gu.. team became casualties, and were, ouried with their gun by a shell ex-/, plosion, but the gun was dug out and got into action again. Several ..of the enemy must have been kiiled :.by our retaliatory artillery fire. On* howitzer battery, which had another zono of fire, was pulled out into the open and fired seventy-five rounds op to the enemy’s front line. The raidea did not remain long in (far trenches, and we captured one wound-*-, cd Saxon. An Auckland battalion had repaired tlio daimigo to our trenches by daylight. Not long after this, adventure a party from a battalion of the Rifle Brigade carried out a successful raid ou the German trenches. Excellent work was done by our artillery, trench mortars, and machine-guns. r lve minutes after miu.iight the party had ■ "succeeded iu entering :the German firstniie trench, and teii minutes later th- whole party had successiuliy withdrawn. At 12.25 a.m. (with the exception of the left bombing sect.on) they had got back into our own ti enches.. .This section,, took cover m a shell crater from the enemy s fire . in “No Man’s Land,” and withdrew at 1 a.m. No, prisoners wore taken owing to the fact thaf the enemy trenches had been obliterated by (fyX fire, and all the enemy rema.ning in ►iii, section attacked were killed, ine dead found in the German trench were very much shattered. . It is certain that the enemy’s casualties must have been heavy. The remains of several dead were seen, .and . many °th®**d must have beeu buried by the explosions of our shells. Our casualty •

tvero extraordinarily ligni-. . . An Otago party were not so tor* tvuate with thoir raid, ns they wer® met by enfilading fire from machineguns, and also shrapnel aim high eft* plosive shells. Though nil the office?® an.i several of the N.C.O. s hat. J* misfortune tc ho hit.quite early,in «■; operations the men’ seem to have mW the situation bravely, and, assisting their wounded comrades, to have with-:, k drawn withettt panic. Many, after thev had themselves safely returned. . wont back over the parapet to the assistance of wounded comrades. A captain who was wounded quite early, though not seriously, refused to go oV i stretcher while any of his men r®-. quired attention, and was subsequently ; • killed in “No Man’s Land. daylight came the body of this galladt . officer was located near our own paw; j pet and was brought m under cover of the darkness on the following night. ( Alanv gallant deods were done. Two. lieutenants, though they did not belong to the raiding party, went bravely out over the parapet -under heavy macli n£_ - gun lire to assist in binding up the wounded, and one was hunsef badft., , wounded. two privates and a sergeant, after safely reaching our trenches went out again and again under heavy machine-gun live to bring.*. .j in wounded. This they did m of the fact that they had. been through a two hour’s heavy bombardment. One man, when his lieutenant TO® wounded, tried to shelter him with bw,; , own body. Thoro was another who was under a suspended Benton§ft. .•, oF five years’ penal servituoo i seen bv the trench, officers boldg. standing up under fire and wounded men over tire. p-rapet. .dKv ,« almost goes without saying that _hiß ■ eontonco was remitted next aw.*, When the left flanking patrol was m difficulties and the subaltern in charge - badlv wounded, a lieutenant wont • bravely over the parapet to their ax-, sistancc, and, though seventeen were;; casualties.. Wight them back to tire trench. The splendid bravery and coolness'of the officers and men madr amends for the ill luck attendant’upon ' this .operation. '* - J)