FEAT BY ENGINEERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24758, 4 December 1943, Page 6

FEAT BY ENGINEERS

ROAD AND BRIDGE BUILT STEADY FLOW OF SUPPLIES (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) FJOHTJJ ARMY FRONT. Nov. IK) Supporting arms aro . being sent through with little interruption to New Zealand troops across the Sangro River. That an almost constant How has been maintained is owing largely to the magnificent, work of our engineers, who constructed a road across the flats and in quick time had the river bridged. .Ditches and depressions were filled in with anything available —tree trunks, railway sleepers and even telegraph poles can be seen under layers of river gravel which has been deposited to bind the mud into some semblance of hardness. * The river has again been bridged, this time by a heavier structure. Its span was put up in about nine hours. Great quantities of gravel have been deposited on the approaches. As the engineers work our anti-aircraft gunners stand by ready to meet sudden enemy air raids which usually end with the attacking planes disappearing with Spitfires hard on their tails. Infantry in our forward positions have been subjected to mortar fire, but not on a heavy scale and there has been occasional bombing and strafing without casualties being caused. The past two days have been gloriously Fine, but the nights are bitterly cold. Most of our troops behind the very forward positions aro living in bivouacs on sticky ploughed land, some of it with a sprinkling of young crops. Some more fortunate are occupying parts of farmhouses voluntarily vacated for their benefit by the Italians. It lias come as a surprise to the New Zealanders to see so many peasants going about their farm work while our shells whistle overhead and heavy German shells crash down on hillsides and in valleys. Attacks from the air seem to be the peasants' main concern, but they are few and far between. PATROL ENCOUNTERS WOUNDED OFFICER'S RETURN (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) ITALY. Nov. 27 Brushes with Germans were frequent in early patrol work on the Sangro River. In one such encounter the enemy were mistaken for Italians and so opened fire first. The return fire was fortunately more accurate and few Germans were left alive. One patrol accounted for six and another for eight killed. Considering the strength of the enemy line and the closeness to the river the work of these small groups was little short of amazing. Trained in iree movement in darkness the infantrymen surmounted most difficult obstacles to gain their objectives in driving rain and then had .to face a flooded rive*on the return journey. Cut oif by difficult going and flood waters near daybreak, one patrol lay undiscovered throughout one day before returning to the lines without casualties. After an engagement in which the enemy lost heavily, another patrol withdrew leaving an officer who was presumed dead. Though wounded five times by bullets, he lay hidden all next day in a ploughed field, and during the darkness, made his way across the river and rejoined his battalion.

THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL 4 VISIT TO THE NORTH (P.A.) WELLINGTON. Friday The Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, leaves Wellington to-morrow afternoon for Waitangi, Auckland and Hastings. He will return to Wellington on December 16. SERVICEMEN'S WIVES POSSESSION OF HOUSE (0.c.) HAMILTON, Friday A complaint that in a number of cases lately heard the Court had not received the assistance from counsel to which it was entitled was made by Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court to-day. He added that in future if cases were not properly argued lie would have to deprive counsel of costs. The case before the Court was ono in which the wife of a serviceman overseas sought possession of a house which she owned and which was occupied by the wife of another such serviceman. Mr. Paterson said he could have given judgment on the day the case was heard if his attention had been drawn by counsel to the 1943 amendment of the Fair Rents Act, which placed the wife of a serviceman in the same position as if the serviceman were the landlord. An order for possession would be made, but it would not become effective until after the holiday season. The date fixed was •January 20.

SICK COW ON ROAD CHARGE AGAINST FARMER (0.C1.) DARGAVILLE, Friday in the Magistrate's Court to-day, bofore Mr. Kaymond For nor, S.M., William Dreadon was, charged on the information of the county ranger with allowing, a diseased cow to be at large for some days on the Rtiawai-Darga-ville highway. Mr. Colliding, for the defendant, pleaded guilty. The ranger, Mr. T. W. Neild, stated that the cow, which was suffering from advanced tuberculosis, collapsed while being driven to the boiling-down works. The defendant should have destroyed it on his farm, burned the carcase and claimed compensation from the Government. Mr. Colliding said that farmers were short of labour, and assistance in droving, which had been promised them, had not materialised. Defendant was ordered to pay 10s costa,