ESCAPE mOW ENEMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16850, 15 May 1918, Page 7

ESCAPE mOW ENEMY.

AUSTRALIANS' ADVENTURES. TRIP THROUGH ENEMY-iSes! V „, '" •'•< LONDON. Hay 3. Two Australians, Private R. Ruschpler, of Sydney and Corporal; C. Lane; of West Australia, who were captured by the Germans at Dernancourt during the present offensive, have escaped in exciting circumstances, after having been for 10 days in the German lines. At first they were employed by the Germans in picking up wounded men on the battlefields, burying the dead, and stretcher-bearing wounded men from the field station to the hospital at Peronne. Later they were employed in levelling ground for a new aerodrome at Bray-sur"-Somme. They were confined in' a prisoners* "clink" at Peronne, and marched to Bray early each morning for work on the aerodrome. This is contrary to the provisions of The Hague Convention, as they were within the reach of shellfire throughout. They had no blank! ts, and for food only four ounces of sour black bread, a pint and a-ha]f of thick soup made of macaroni and barley or dry vegetables, and a pint of coffee for breakfast and tea. The food was quite insufficient for a day's work commencing at eight o'clock and ending at four o'clock, in addition to the long marches to and from work. Lane and Ruschpler broke out of "dink" through a shellhole in the ,barbed-wire, which had not been repaired. Luckily they found a service map at Peronne, and set it by the stars. It was impossible to use the roads, as the Germans were very suspicious, so they decided to cut across ploughed fields. Several times they were challenged by rationing parties and obliged to he hidden in shellholes until they passed. The greatest dangers were encountered when they reached the reserve lines, where the Germans were Iving in dug-outs hollowed in the high road. Ruschpler and Lane crawled through the reserve lines, moving whenever it was opportune. British high explosives distracted the Germans' attention. They crossed the Ancre by a duckboard bridge, and finally reached the German front hnes opposite the .Australian front When they approached, the Germans in the trenches, hearing sounds, stopped their work and sent up a Verey light. Ruschpler and Lane again crawled towards another sector of the front, where a German sentry heard them, but feared to fire, as he would reveal his | position to the Australian lines. Instead | he threw bits of earth to ascertain if they were still ti ere. The men continued for three-quarters of an hour to crawl inch by inch across the trench. \ Seeing no wire, Ruschpler and Lane determined to make a rush across No Man's Land towards the supposed Australian line. Directly the two commenced to run, German sentries fired their rifles at 20 yards' range, while one ■» sentry fired a machine-gun and explosive bullets. But Ruschpler and Lane, now falling into shellholes, now falling oyer dead Germans, somehow dodged the ballets, dropping to the ground whenever a Terey light flared up, and then darting in another direction in the? darknessr-to mystify the Germans. Finally 7 the Australians commenced firing/ but luck; wis with the escapees, who reached their own front line. After an exchange of -warm language they persuaded the Australiansto admit them. They were: taken to headquarters, where they established their identity and had their first square meal for 10 days. '-,:,' Sjjl^:.:''^'t: