WONDERFUL FIGHT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9784, 6 October 1917, Page 4

WONDERFUL FIGHT

BRITISH CARS IN ACTION GERMANS HELD UP ON RUSSIAN FRONT. Writing to tho London “Daily News’’ from Petrograd on August 6th, Mr A. Rr.nsome described a visit to Russian headquarters. He reported ; In sxiito of the seriousness of events on tho southern section of the front, I found general confidence that the Russian Array is coming to itself, and is likely in tho near future to prove to the enemy that his recent gains have been due, not to skill or to strength, but merely to the success of the Extremist agitation among the ill-educated soldiery. - I was ahlo to obtain details of a wonderful little figbt on tho Russian frontier, where the honours of tho clay were witli three British armoured car R of Commander Locker Lampson’s expedition, who was particularly thanked by tho Russian commander. Tho Gormans bad crossed the river at Husiatyn, which is a wooden village in a narrow valley, below broad green uplands, faced on the further side by Austrian Husiatyn, which is now no more than a parcel of stone ruins. CLEARED FOR ACTION. The Russians held the slope above tho village on the eastern side of the river. The British cars were ordered up to give tho Russians time to entrench and to reconnoitre. The sun rose behind the clouds and a thick fog rose from the river and hung low' in tho valley. About seven, before the fog dispersed, two light cars, armed with machine guns, the Vernon and the Warspite, and one heavy car, the Venomous, cleared for action, and moved down the curving road frtim the clear daylight of the uplands into the fogy under cover of which it was suspected the enemy attack was preparing. During their descent they carefully filled in the worst of the shell-holes, which made the road practically impassable. This was one of the first points on tho frontier to which, the enemy succeeded in bringing hi s heavy artillery, and within twelve hours of his arrival he had an observation balloon flying, and consequently was planting sheila where ho liked. POINT BLANK RANGE. Then the light cars, Vernon and Warspite, went backwards down into the village in the. thick fog, leaving tho Venomous close by a church to be in a position to use its Sin gun. When right in the village the fog began to lift, disclosing German infantry at point-blank range making thenway from tho river towards an orchard by the church. The cars .opened fire, and as tho commander of the Vernon tersely, puts it; “When the targets no longer remained we withdrew.” After an interval, they repeated the operation with similar results. Five times those little land boats went down into the village. _ Five times, “when no targets remained,” they crawled back in and out among the multiplying shell holes to the top of the ridge. Towards evening the British attempted a combined attack with an armoured train along the railway on the left, which was to drive the “targets” across to meet the armoured cars. Owing to delay. in _getting the order the cars came down into the village when the train was already returning, and the enemy turned the whole of their artillery on the little flotilla, which had already cost them' so much. ENEMY HELD UP. Five high explosive shells fell exactly beside the Warspite, which happily was on, the wrong side of the road, and so, though shaken, escaped. In’ spite of the continued shelling the two little cars went right down into the village, hut this time no targets were to be found. The enemy’s shells alone were making the village untenable. The church and houses were burning fiercely, and the smoke of the fire and the exploding shells was so thick that it was impossible to see one foot in front of tha cars, even with the headlights lit. Finally, after preventing any sort of attack throughout tho day, and enabling the Russians to fortify their positions, the little flotilla went up the hill for the last time and returned to their base for further orders.