REDOUBTS STORMED BY NEW ZEALANDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16665, 9 October 1917, Page 5

REDOUBTS STORMED BY NEW ZEALANDERS.

LIVELY FIGHTING FOR BERLIN FARM. GERMANS GIVEN NO CHANCE TO PLAY FALSE. Australian and N.Z. (Received 12.25 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 8. Describing the part of the New Zealanders in the latest phase of the Flanders battle, Mr. Percival Phillips writes: The storming of Abraham Heights and Gravenstafel contained much dramatic incident. The New Zealanders were rather handicapped at the beginning & the bulge of their original line. This prevented starting evenly, and in order to remedy this some New Zealanders had to fall back, and rush forward again when the barrage began, thus covering a considerable extent of extra ground at the double; Somewhat to the New Zealanders' surprise, a group of redoubts close to the jumping-off places were full of Germans. Otto Farm, only a few yards distant, came suddenly to life, and spat bullets from many loopholes, until stormed. There was a lively fight at Berlin Farm, on the west of Zonnebeke Road. The New Zealanders silenced Berlin Farm with Stoke's bombs. There was no time to examine the redoubt, but when broken open next day it was found to be full of dead Germans. A number of "pill boxes" were dotted about Zonnebeke Road, above Gravenstafel. In one case a German gun crew appeared through a narrow door carrying a gun and cartridges. They dodged between the trunks of the trees, but a New Zealand sergeant with a few men worked round them. When capture was inevitable the Germans put up their hands. A moment later their hands dropped. Expecting treachery of the usual sort, the New Zealanders killed all.