CAPTURE OF BRETONNEUX.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLV, Issue 13452, 14 May 1918, Page 5

CAPTURE OF BRETONNEUX.

HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES

(Sydney Sun Cables.) London, April 27. Mr Percival Phillips (correspondent of the Daily Mail) says:— The Bretonneux battlefield and streets and roads are covered with! corpses. This hackneyed figure of expression is literally true. Australian officers say that never have they seen the dead strewn so thickly in any battlefield in the war.

The battle possessed unusual interest, as Bretonneux is the last important towne ast of .Amiens, its orderly planned streets rendering it peculiarly suitable <for street fighting. Its houses included many ornate residences, chateaux, large mills, and a two-towered! red church, surrounded by farms and undulating country. The West York*. Middlesexes, and East Lanes, defended the town a-gainst' tire original German attack, which was successful owing to the gas and the morning mist. The Australians. Berks., and Northamptons' counter was a complete surprise. It fell on the enemy while he was busy preparing to renew the attack at "daybreak. The Australians, quickly getting to work, created terror, the Germans sending-up rockets and other signals of distress. After all-night fighting thn battle continued in daylight, when the Germans were beaten. The Australians and Berks, were carrying out a systematic house-to-house search till mid•day, when the town was completely cleared.

According to the Intest report the situation at Villers-Brotonneux has' been restored by a magnificent night movement carried out mainly by Australian troops. This village stands on the edge of the highland overlooking Amiens. Its capture, was held by the. Germans to be an important step towards the capture of Amiens. The Australian troops were, only involved in the flank- of the 'heavy attack whereby the Germans occupied Villers-Breton-neux yesterday. . Rut last night, by earrvirig out operations of almost unheard: of difficulty a long advance iviw made from two separate points over 3000 or 4000 yards of unreconnoitred country, leaving the enemy machineguns in the rear of them to be dealt with by troops who followed. Afterwards they carried the lines back to a point not far from that from which the Germans drove it in nearly 24 hours before. This operation was carried out. in dim moonlight. Some of the -Australians employed had been marching since the moniins;, and when some of us heard of it yesterday we did no' dream that it could be a success. The attackers had to leave in the rear m the town of Yii'ers-Rrotonneiix. in and beyond which the Germans liacl planted themselves with many machineguns.' Even German field-guns are reported to have been placed in position there, not to speak of a German tank, which is paid to ha.ve got through during; the morning. We do not know yet whether the field-guns and tank are really there, but the German infantry and machineguns were there and in the woods beyond the town. The operation seemed 'more like one of the adventurous night attacks of Gallipoli than a schemsoberly attempted on the "Western front. . , Yet this magnificent intantry earned out the plan almost to the letter. The ground was entirely new to most of them, and the possibilities of losing their way and becoming involved in most dangerous confusion were great. Bui the two forces held. on. despite heavy machine-gun fire from the Germans, in a position which was gradually left in the rear until they converged and neared one another east of the town. Here the machine-guns still in the mar caused one portion of the attack to slow down and swing its face towards the opposition. But the situation at the moment, of writing is that the troops are now east of Yillers-Brot-onneux, almost in touch with one another, i The British further south advanced on the Hank of the Australians, and reached their old positions. A coun-ter-attack this morning drove them in a few hundred yards, but they are believed to be practically in the position which they planned to reach. Every half-hour long strings of prisoners, 20. 30, 60, or 100 at a time, are coming in from Yillers-Bretonneux. where there are still some Germans.

Later —Australian troops are imported ill touch beyond A'illers-Brotnnneux. Since dawn at least 15 machine-guns have been taken out from tlie wood which the Australians passed last night and left behind their flank. At least 40 further machine-guns and 400,.-Ger-mans wore found in Yillers-Brotonneux. This morning, into the Australian position well ahead of the Germans, brought two German officers from a.position in the rear of the Australians. They carried a document intimating to the command of the British troops that he was surrounded by the sth Grenadier Regiment, who invited him to make his surrender, failing which he would be overwhelmed. This move appears to have been a. pure piece of bluff on the part of the Germans, who almost certainly realised that they were now caught by our attack. All these. Germans appear now to have been taken prisoners.