NEW ZEALANDERS AND AUSTRALIANS TAKE MESSINES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16561, 9 June 1917, Page 7

NEW ZEALANDERS AND AUSTRALIANS TAKE MESSINES

IMPORTANT POSITIONS WON BY IRISH AND ENGLISH.

NEW OFFENSIVE WIPES OUT THE FAMOUS YPRES SALIENT. Australian and N.Z. Cable. (Received 10.10 p.m.) LONDON, June 8.

Mr. Philip Gibbs writes :—Australians and New Zealanders captured Messines in 100 minutes, in spite of a desperate defence by the Germans. They killed many of the enemy. Irishmen captured Wytsehaete, English troops taking Battle Wood, south of Zillebcke. The Germans are now massing towards Warneton for a counter-attack. The Ypres salient has been wiped out.

(Received 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Juno 7. The correspondent of the London Times at British headquarters states that the New Zealand Division took Messines.

The Germans captured Messines on Sunday, November 1, 1914, towards the end of tlio first battle of Ypres, which began on October 21, and died away on November 17. The first day of November was remarkable for two isolated attacks, one against Klein Zillobeke, which was beaten back, and the other against General Allenby, now commander of one of the British armies, around Messines. Tho village was levelled by terrific shcllfire, and by its capture the Germans gained tho low ridges from which Ypres could bo bombarded.

The New Zealand Division has been on the western front about 13 months. After the evacuation of Gallipoli tho force returned to Egypt to recuperate, and the reorganised division arrived in the south of France during the second week in April, 1916. From Marseilles it was carried by train to the neighbourhood of Aimentieres. The next month was spent in this neighbourhood, some 20 miles from tho front, yet within sound of the guns. Tho soldiers were billeted upon tho peoplo, which was a now experience, and the days were spent in strenuous training and routo marching. A fortnight after it; arrival, the division moved up to Estaires, about five miles behind the Laventio sector of the front. There it spent 10 days as division in reserve. A move back towards Hazebrouck followed and then tho New Zealanders returned to Estaires, whence by night they marched north 12 miles to tho town of Armentiorcs.

The division took over the trenches at Armentieres from the British regiments who then held them, during the third week in May, occupying a divisional front, about four miles. When tho offensive on tho Somme began, this sector was doubled by the inclusion of the Rue do Bois and Bois Grenier sectors on the right. *

In the middle of August the New Zealauders were withdrawn from Annentieres and went into divisional rest near St. Oiner. Shortly afterwards they journeyed by troop train to the Somme Valley near Abbeville, and thenco marched to Fricourt. They entered the trendies on September 10. Marching from Fricourt, past Mametz Wood, Montanban and Trows Wood, thoy relieved the sector between High Wood and Delville Wood. Alter four days defensive occupation of the trenches, at daybreak on tho morning of September 15, they began their attack upon tho German positions, pushing forward against heavy opposition. Thereafter, for 23 days, they ware engaged in making fresh advances' and in withstanding violent counter-attacks. Finally, on October 7, they wero withdrawn, having advanced over two miles beyond thoir original line and upon a front of nearly 3000 yds.. Since November they have held a sector in the northern part of the line, which has not been included in the scope of the major operations of the past few weeks.