New Zealanders And German Paratroops

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 44, 21 February 1945, Page 6

New Zealanders And German Paratroops

“PRIVATE WAR” ON SENIO RIVER FRONT (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) FAENZA, Feb. 14. Something in the nature of a private war is being fought at the moment on a small scale between a platoon of the 23rd Battalion and a unit of German ’ paratroops who are opposing them on the Senio River beyond Faenza. Possession of a former New Zealand outpost in a stopbank is at stake. The Germans hold the outpost just now and have inflicted minor wounds on two of our men, but the price they have had to pay is at least one killed and one prisoner. The exchanges began three nights ago when the New Zealanders in the stopbank outpost—there were six altogether—heard an enemy working party on the far side of the bank. They telephoned the information to their platoon headquarters a good distance away and apparently were overheard, because the next thing that happened was a series of heavy thudding explosions smacking against the bank where they were dug in, indicating the enemy was using an anti-tank rocketgun on them. The when the roar of the explosions had barely died away, a cautious head appeared over the top of the bank a few feet from the New Zealanders, but it was not cautious enough. The Germans appeared above the bank making a frontal attack on the outpost and for a short time there was a lively encounter as the New Zealanders engaged them with grenades and tommygun fire. Although outnumbered two to one, the New Zealanders held their ground, but when they suddenly found they were being fired on lrom the left flank as well by | another enemy party, they decided it was time to withdraw. This they managed to do, fortunately without casualties and were forced to leave the Germans in possession of the post. The following night a patrol went out to see whether the enemy were still occupying the post and if possible to regain it. The Germans were very much .there, and in strength, despite the fact that the area had been shot up during the day by tanks of the 19th Armoured Regiment and the patrol was unable to accomplish its object. While the men were crossing the fields in the dark, however, they surprised an enemy patrol about 15 strong and captured one of them. Once again our casualties were nil. Last night another patrol went out and two men on going forward ahead of the others found the post unoccupied. But they walked into a trap because no sooner had they reached it than the Germans opened fire on them from several different directions. But although both wounded, they were able to escape from the ambush. The prisoner captured on Sunday night, who spoke English, explained that the patrols of which he was a member consisted entirely of volunteers and had special instructions to bring back a prisoner, for which the reward was leave in Germany. The 20-year-old paratrooper seemed to think, it highly amusing when interrogated that he himself was now a prisoner.