BURNING TAR AS WEAPON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15900, 24 April 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

BURNING TAR AS WEAPON

GERMAN METHODS OF WARFARE. It was stated in the French official communique of February 27 that in Malancourt Wood, north-west of Verdun, one of our advanced trenches, recently taken from the enemy, was drenched with burning liquid by the Germans and had to be abandoned. Reports from soldiers who were present have, says an official report, now made it possible to establish what took place.

The French and German trenches cut across Malancourt Wood from west to east. They are very close to one another, and are often concealed from view by tho thickness of the woods and the irregularities of the ground. Both sides have dono plenty of sapping and mining, as ■well as fighting with hand grenades. We have advanced methodically, and captured trenches at various noints.

Towards noon on February 26 the men in one of these captured trenches, near the middle of tho wood, saw a thick column of black smoke rising from the parapet to a height of about 120 ft. Those who were some distance away saw the smok3 and thought we had exploded a mine- The defenders of the trench felt a gust of hot air in their faces, and in a few seconds they were drenched with a blazing liquid which they believed to have- been tar. Jets of liquid came at them through the smoke as if forced by a pump. /

In front of the trench there were wire entanglements about 30ft wide, but under cover of the smoke, the Germans, many of whom carried cutters slung from their necks, were able to clear their way through. In this way they managed to enter the trench, and, taking advantage of the surprise, they tried to advance further into the wood. We succeeded, however, in establishing a strong line of defence in 111) rear, and, on the following day, a vigorous counter-attack regained nearly the whole of the lost ground. The incident is of no importance except as regards the employment of a means of warfare which was supposed to have been abolished. The German armv was already well provided with incendiary apparatus, and has now completed its outfit.