AUSTRALIANS' DESPERATE FIGHT AGAINST ODDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16674, 19 October 1917, Page 5

AUSTRALIANS' DESPERATE FIGHT AGAINST ODDS.

• FORCE HEMMED IN RESISTS ALMOST TO LAST MAN;V United Service. ;',,.'• , \ -', LONDON, Oct. 17. Mr. Keith Murdoch supplies further incidents of the/fighting north-east of Ypres last week-end. One fighting ; man volunteered. to help his wounded captain back to the linns, but was killed. A second took his place. Ho, too, was killed; then a third was killed, . but the fourth brought the officer safely , in. '■( Describing one of the . German; counter-attacks, Mr. Murdoch says "They came \. on in waves, maintaining , inexorable discipline. . The Australians called r upon ; the \ artillery, but the barrage descended behind the enemy, owing ;to the : misapprehension that we were. holding a more distant . line. Therefore there was nothing left for it but a desperate fight with rifles and machine-guns, partly choked with mud. rThe' enemyfar outnumbered us. ■ > * \ .■/,',•"•'/.. . "Our Lewis guns mowed down the first wave like •• ripe• corn, ; but a second wave and a simultaneous flank attack enveloped our positions, and isolated a body of 50 men, including Lewis gunners. They . determined .to; fight. the.ir way out. Such fighting ' has seldom been seen. .One man shot 13 Germans before he was ; killed by a shot from behind. v. Only six '■ survivors reached the lines. The 'Germans,: now broken ; into scattered parties, after their heavy \ losses, retired. ' Other attacks following were broken, but believing it to be impossible to ! hold the . position, which was also useless without :. further ;■; advance, ;•' the Australians'withdrew. They . had stood in flooded shell holes, •• sometimes in water, to the shoulders." ,