HAIL OF SHELLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25085, 26 December 1944, Page 4

HAIL OF SHELLS

ADVANCE CHECKED NEW ZEALANDERS RECOVER (N.Z.E.F. Official Correspondent) FAENZA, Dec. 21 Caught in an enemy artillery concentration just as they were beginning an attack, two New Zealanders were killed and about 20 wounded two night ago while crossing a space of 150 yards. This occurred in a farmyard not far from Faenza, where shell-pitted ground and buildings scarred by. flying metal splinters provide convincing evidence of the intensity of the German shelling. Our own artillery barrage supporting the attack had just begun. It was falling 100 yards ahead of a farmhouse and of infantry in position to move off. Realising that an attack was coming, the enemy began shelling just behind our barrage, where the advancing infantry would be, and on this occasion his tactics paid dividends —in this area anyway. . Those who could sheltered in a farmhouse, a substantial two-storeyed stone building, where, in one room that was used as a battalion command post, there crowded in addition to the normal complement some 20 wounded men, two who had died and as many others as could manage. „ The scene was described by an omcer who was there at the time as unbelievable. Shells were still crashing around and direct hits were scored on the house when an emergency operation was being performed on a wounded man. It is very much to the credit of the infantry that after such an unfortunate start they should later go forward and achieve their objectives in good time and in thorough fashion.