ICE-BOUND FRONT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9618, 26 March 1917, Page 3

ICE-BOUND FRONT

BEFORE THE BIG PUSH DEADLY EARTH CLODS FLUNG UP BY SHELLS. (By H. AT. Tomlinson, in “Daily News.") BRITISH ARMY IN THE FIELD, SUNDAY, JANUARY 28. It was certain that a spell of Lard bright weather this winter would undeceive the Germans, who were cosy in the assurance that they had baffled ns on the Somme, and that their period of anxiety was ended. It is hard to believe that anybody could ever have supposed that the Somme affair was over. Yet I learn to-day that the attack south of Le Transloy took the Germans there by surprise; with the* result that wo captured an excellent position, three ma-chine-guns, took six officers and- 352 other prisoners of a reserve Bavarian regiment, Konigin Olga’s Guards, in the process; maintained, wired and consolidated the new ground in spite of several counter-attacks, and did it all at a coat —X have seen our casualty figures—which is incredibly low. Our troops concerned were Irish and North British. THE “HISSING" HABIT. Some of his documents which have come our way—because he left them behind, being in a hurry—show that clearly enough. His men on certain sectors got to losing themselves, and then found, to their surprise and annoyance, that they were in British lines. _ It mould bo too much to say that this d® - veloped into a sort of habit, but it happened often enough for the German local command to note “the increased number of missing." Obstacles were then ordered to be strengthened before the Gorman front line, which served the double purpose of making it difficult for us to get iu and the Boohe to lose himeelf. . , liras ten to add —as some irrepressible optimists are always listening for far more than is said —that I do not think the Boohe is cracking up. Far from it. He is still a bonny fighter; but now and then he does giv? signs that his heart has been overwrought. Certainly what he now confronts is bleak enough to daunt the best of men. No wonder at times he ardently desires peace; ao we bare plenty of proof that he does.

THE TABLES TURNED. What is it that the experienced - Gorman soldier knows, and that the people in England only dimly guess? There was a time, not so long ago, when the enemy made misery for our men. It was heart-breaking then to realise, as one easily did whenever one was in the line, that the strength of our numbers and the power of our munition works were insufficient for our fellows in any fire trench to rely on much but their own ability to stick it till they dropped. That is not good for men to know who have already borne the heat and burden of many attacks, and are becoming numbed through patient endurance ot a deplorable winter wbilet the foe lavishes over them his abundknt mumtionment. Tommy looked anxiously for his backing, and it naturally seemed to him long in coming. Tho Bocli© know all that. He “didn’t halt let us forget it, eitner," as Tommy would eay. Now, just at a time when his leaders assured him the end would be, and he was to go home victorious as the reward for his valour, the enemy finds he can’t go, and has no idea when he may, because we have developed a perfectly prodigal way of making fearful trouble. At present, too, the battlefields are icebound. Instead of sinking into mire and bursting deeply, the. shells scatter clods widely that are as dangerous as metal. The mud has congealed into concrete. The cold is polar. The wind cuts like flinders of glass. The bombs and rifle grenades burst as though in narrow corridors of masonry. You need the assurance of having the upper hand of your opponent to endure these Arctic conditions on the front line, especially when food is not so lyrish, regular, 'and good, as it might bo. And the Boohe has lost that assurance. Perhaps the loss of that, as much as anything, gave our troops the great advantage near Le Transloy on the Kaiser’s birthday. -Their own assurance, too, is fine. “We'ye got him now,” is their usual comment. They certainly had him there. Moreover, the enemy cannot pretend that he never guessed we should want to take the position we now occupy. It gives us an uninterrupted view into the valley in which the village rests. ’ LB TRANSLOY ATTACK.

AtLe Txansloy yesterday our men got out of their trenches as soon, as our guns began. The enemy had nob been allowed to wire his position there. The attack, oyer a front of about 1000 yards, was carefully planned and balanced. It worked to perfection. Tho enemy was thinking wo were giving him the nsual morning punishment when he found he was surrounded. There was no machinegun fire. The Boche had no time to get the things up. X am told perhaps nbt one of the enemy was killed in the affair except in two isolated trenchea where he fought gallantly but hopelessly. He was taken prisoner in one practically intact parcel, being found sheltering in the dug-outs of a sunken road running south from the village towards Morval. Motor-buses were waiting fop him, and ho was at once run out of danger, on schedule time. He gave no trouble, no doubt seeing it would he an idle waste of time. „ , These Bavarians were fine fellows, who confess they had been fed in a manner rare to-day in the German army. They vrero selected men, worth more nie-at and potatoes than the average German, When he thought he knew how matters stood—though he did not—the Boche got Ws guns to work. Several times he massed for a counter rush, but each time he was caught disastrously, .We hold what we gained.