"THE BEETLE CRUSHERS"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16888, 28 December 1916, Page 8

"THE BEETLE CRUSHERS"

GIANT ARMOURED CARS,

A SHOCK FOR THE lIUNS.

(Fboji Oub Own Cobbkspondetht.) LONDON, September . 22.

" Our armoured c;ir» gallantly led the action, knocking out hostile machine guna, inflicting heavy losses by their muchine-gun tire, cm i hiding tho German trendies, and causing indescribable demoralisation ill the enemy 3 rallies." This remark from to-day s official communique on the attack on the 15-toth difcclosca lor the first tune oliicially something of tho nature of the now machines about which everybody has said

" Hush !" lor months past. Moro than one young Zoalandcr just commissioned in the Koyal Artillery lias been seconded for training with what they call tho "beetlc-crushcrs." It was understood to bo a weapon of olfence and deloncw against the energy machine guns, which havo always proved very deadly against our infantry attacks. The moment our bombardment of tho enemy trenches lengthens to allow tho infantry to go forward t!io Huns creep out of their dug-outs to tho machine-gun positions and open a deadly sweeging fire across the open sp.aco of No Mail's Land. Every device had been employed to cope with this; some partly successful, but none which could reduco tho losses to the desired minimum. Thero havo been numerous amusing descriptions of tho now Armoured car which has proved such a success in its first encounter with tho liun. It is, in short, a tank-liko construction about 33ft in length, fitted with "caterpillar" wheels which enable it to cross mieven ground and even tho enemy parapet and trenches. It goes only six miles an hour, but it has great engine power, and can solemnly butt down obstacles such as tree trunks and saplings and even outhouses. Wiro entanglements it simply rolls out flat. Tho New 'Zealancters saw the " tanks" at close quarters at Martinpuich, and approved of them quite heartily. And as the Germans say thev aro " unfair" and " impertinent," wo "may regard them as proved satisfactory. It is interesting to find here again the nimble intellect of Mr Churclu.?, who is once more posted to a battalion of tho army. Mr Lloyd George fays: "Wo must not expect too much from them, but so far they have done very well. And don't you think they. reflect somo credit on those responsible for them ? It is really to Mr Winston Churchill that the credit is due more than to anyone else. Ho took up with enthusiasm the idea of making them a long time ago, and ho met with many difficulties. He coir ertorl me, and at tho Ministry of Munitions we went ahead and made them. The Admiralty experts wero invaluable, and gave the greatest possiblo assistance. Major Stern —a business man — at the Ministry of Munitions had charge of the work of getting them built, and he did tho task very well. You see, tho enemy has by no means a monopoly of inventive ingenuity." ANTEDILUVIAN MONSTERS. The Times correspondent, who saw "a whole herd" of the contraptions a day or two before they were used, says: "It was as incredible as a nightmaxo or ono of Jui.es Verne's most fantastic imaginings. A slight hollow was full oi the monsters, liko cows in a meadow—huge, shapeless bulks, resembling nothing else tnat was ever seen on earth, which wandered hither and thither, like some vast antediluvian brutes which Nature had mado and forgotten. Painted in venomous reptilian colours, which made thc-m admirably invisible against the dun background of dry autumn grass arid baro soil, they wero inexpressibly suggestnvo of living things—-hybrids between Benemoth and tho Chimaers, toad-salamanders, echidnadragons—anything yon please which is mythical and fantastic. I watched the great things mancsuvre about tho field, grotesque and unspeakable; and at each new antic which they performed, each now capacity which they developed, ono could do nothing but sit down and laugh till one's sides ached. Were they only a preposterous joko, or woto they a 3erious contribution to modern warfare ? It was impossible to make up one's mind. But that they were appalling and hideous was certain as one saw them in tho gathering dusk wheel off, and, falling into singlo file, heave their huge bodios one by one up the sides of the hollow, and then go shouldering off, outlined against the skyline, like a great string of mammoths, to take up their positions in tho battle front."

" Prisoners that they are not civilisod war. Some of tho oflicur prisoners really g-et angTy on the subject, as if they had never hoard of poisonous gases or "Flammenwerfer," or passenger ships, or dropping bombs on open towns and sholling seaside resorts, so exquisite is tho German sense of humour.

" The enemy evidently had no hint of what they were. They emptied their rifles at them, and the things came rolling on. They turned on their machin© guns and the bullets only struck sparks from the great beasts' awful sides. And still the nk>ving horrors came on until they reached .the first German trench. There, in several places, thoy sat themselves complacently astride of the trench and swept it in both directions, and all the ground beyond, with their machine guns. "In some cases tho enemy surrendered from the drenches to Leviathan luinsd'f before the infantry camo up. In any event, when our infantry arrived the fight at that point was over; and then Behemoth ambled on to vrhero there was more work to be done. Against strong points they were invaluable bccause they could thrust themselves, secure in the toughness of thc-ir hides, to close quarters whero unprotected infantry could never get. In woods thoy trampled their way through tho undergrowth and climbed' over or broke down baa-ricados, contemptuous of the machine guns and fire which made approach of unamioured man impossible. " Some few met with mishaps: that was inevitable. Others exceeded expectations. There were joyous stories quite early in the fight, brought in by airmen who had seen tne individual monsters waddling over the shell-torn ground in the open far., from our front line, atid in advance of the infantry, who were busy cleaning up tho trendies in the rear. One was reported rolling majestically and alone down the empty main street of ilers long before the place was ours. Others, disjblayir.A large signs, 'Great German Defeat! Special Extra!' led our men victoriously into Martinpuich. Another seems to have gone unaccompanied into a certain sugar factory by Courcelette, which _ was known to bo strongly - fortified, and simply terrorised it— not an eagle, bnt & plesiosaurus, in a dovecote. In reducing tho object onable strong points about High Wood they were invalnable, and ono wounded' sergeant to ■whom I spoke toid ecstatic stories of the way in which one mastodon jiwt butted into the remaining tree trunks there and crashed them down on top of the defenders of the stronghold. "In onu ehort hour thoy did more military service, killed more enemy in uniform, and had a groater influence on tho war than all the Zeppelins have ever done. It may be that they will not continue their success indefinitely. Surprise, of course, was a factor in their formidablencss," I CREME JJE ME.YJ.TIE.

Mr Phillip Gibbs toils oi one of the tanks which had lurched up over our own troncnes in the grey dawn and carno forward to help a body oi infantry in difficulties, cheered by tko assaulting troops, whx) caflod out words ol' eiitouragomeni to it and laughed, so that some men were laughing even when Lullcto caught them in the throat. " Greme de Mcnthe" was tho name ot this particular creature, and it waddled right over the old German tranches, and went very steadily towards the sugar faotory. Suddenly the machine gun iiro burst out in nervous np«sms and splashed tho sides ol " Crcme do Menthe." But tho Tank did not mind. The bullets fell from its sides, harmlessly. It advanced upon a broken wall, leaned up against it heavily until it HI with a crash of bricks, and then rose on to the bricks and pa-55cd over them, and walked straignt into tho midst of tho factory ruins. From its sides came flashes of fire and a hose of bullets, and then, it trampled around over machine emplacements, "having a grand time." It crushed tho machine gnus under its heavy rib-, and killed machine gun totams with a deadly fire. Tho infantry followed in and took the plaoe after this good help, and then advanced again round tho flanks of the monster. THE TANK "NOSES ROUND."

At Courcoletto tho Tank camo along and ploughed about searching for German machine-guns, thrusting over bits of wall, nosing here and there, and sitting on heaps of ruin while it fired down the streets. By 6.30 last evening the village was taken. In High Wood our troopa had Ijpoii heavily shelled beforehand, and they found tho enemy in much stronger force than they hid expectfcd in that wood of bitter

memory. Hicy counter-attacked tho counter-attack and regained their old line, and then to their great joy saw tho Tanks advancing through High Wood and in each side, of it. "It was like a fairy tale!" said a Cockncy boy. "I can't help laughing every time. I tfiink of ifc"

Ho laughed tliorn, though ho had a broken arm and was covrred in blood.

"They broke down trees as if they mm match-sticks, and went over barricades like clephanta The I'uclies were thoroughly scared. 'They came running out of shell holes and trendies, F.hotit' liico mad things." " Some of thetiii attacked the 'tanks' and tried to bomb them, but it wasn't a bit of good. Oil, crikey ! it was a rare treat to seo! The biggest joke that ever wasfl They j*J?t stamped down the German dugout ,n* one mijfht a vrhop's nest." Before the dawn two of them came up out of the darkness anil lumbered over our front-line, trenches, looking towards the enemy as though hungry for breakfast. Afterwards they came No Man's Land like enormous toads with pains in their stomachs, and rosed at Martinpuich l>eforo testing the strength of its broken barns, and bucks.

The men cheered them wildly, waving their helmets and dancing rotmd them. Twenty minutes after the first waves were inside the first trench of Mivrtinpnich, and in advance of them- waddled a monster.

The men were held np for some time by tho same machine-irun fire which bad killed so many of our men, but. the monsters went on alone, and had astounding adventures. They went straight through the shells of broken barns and hmuses, straddled on top of German dn/r-ouls, and fired enfilading shots down German trenches. GERMAN TN A "TANK."

From one dnji-oirt came a German colonel with a white frightened face, who held his hands very high in front of the tank, shoutinrj" "TCamerad! Knmerad!" " Well, come inside then," said a voice in the body of the beast, and a_ human hand came forth from a hole opening suddenly and grabbed the German officer. For the rest of the day the tank led that, unfortunate mnn about on the strangest journey the world Ins ever seen. Another tank was confronted with 100 Germans, who "Mercy! Mercy! " and at the hear! of this procession led th*m back as prisoners (o our lines. Yet another "tank" went oil to the right- of MirtinPU'ch. and was so fresh and tint it. went far into th" enemy's lines, as thousrh on the way to TWlin. THE TAKING OF MARTTNPFTCTT.

Tho first news of success at Ma.rtmpuich came through from an airman's wireless, which said :—

A " tank" is walking ht> the Hich ■street of Flors. with the British army behind. Tt. wAs an actual fact. On" of lh A motor monsters was there, enjoyinir itself thoroughly, and keeping down the heads of the on"mv.

Tt' Imnrr out a birr picce of paper, on which were the words: GREAT HUN DEFEAT. SPECIAL.

Th-:' aeroplane flew low over its carcase machine-gunning the seared Germans, who flew before tho monstrous apparition. Later in tho day it seemed to have been in need of a rest before coming home, and two humans got out of its inside and walked back to our lines.