QUALITY OF OUR TROOPS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17113, 19 September 1917, Page 5

QUALITY OF OUR TROOPS.

HOLDING THE DmiATTVEL LETTER FROM GENERAL BffiDWOOD f (Feom Otm Owx CosHESPOifqron;.) WELLINGTON, September 18. .The following is an extract from a lette* from Lieutenant-general Sir W. R. Birdwood to the Hon. Sir James Allen, dated ~ July 24, 1917:— " During the last few weeks my corps has, for the first time since our arrival in France, been, having a rest, and a. thoroughly well deserved one as far as my men aw aioncerned. Wo had a very hard time of it just before wo came out for this in all tho fighting we had in the vicinity of <■ •. Bulleoourt, bat that is all Each an old story now that it photzld be very stale news u I were to write about it. It was, I think, tho hardest fighting in which our troop* have yet been engaged, for on one oo- ,-, casion we had to fight our way into 'the Hindenburg line and maintain onreeh«es there with both, flanks exposed for several days and nights against constant conutcr- s attacks until other troops joined up with us. "Here we are not holding a regular line of trenches, but a series of villages, with posts hi between. One of these vilfegeß ! the Germans were able to penetrate, and there got hold of five of my light gveos, which they blew up. Then cur counterattack fell upon them from all sides, hrrd- - ing them back with tremendous loss. W« actually counted some 3000 dead Germans >; in front of onr different villages, white ; further off they bad to struggle back ' through their own thick _ wire entanglements, and while doing this the whole of my heavy and light artillery were on them as hard as they could go. What tho Germans actually lost there we, of coarse, do not know, bat we could see large piles _• of dead heaped around. Ton can imagine -"' how thia delighted my boys, whose tails i •' were completely up, while from that day ■ the Germans never attempted to advance, '.• to the attack against us, though as I hare ■„ said when we were actually in the Hindenbnrg line we were subjected to eon- " stant attacks. _ . \ " I know how delighted yon will all haws _. been at tho magnificent work done by your ' ,f. New Zealand Division, alongside of whom ~ # I am glad to say two of the Australian *Vj Divisions were fighting on the Mossines Ridge. I was very pleased at being able "] to sco them just before the attack and to ' * go through all their orders with .them. ' I felt perfectly confident that their opera- |J ' tions would result in complete, success. I was very glad to see also at least a /[ hundred of my old friends who were on the ,'.* Gallipoli Peninsula with me during my"/*' short visit to them ', ' ; "There is no doubt about it that the , ! j Germans in front of us have their taila '?, well down and that they have lost all power, -; of initiative. _ I wish this meant that I t saw tho end in view, but I am eorry to [yt say I do not, for one cannot help realising that in these days of barbed wire entangle- ,■$ ments and deep trenches it may always be 1 {■; possible for a beaten force, as long as they J$ have plenty of ammunition, to hold out for 'L' a very long timo, especially when fliey. ? realise, as their military classes do, that' l Ji defeat means their extinction. ' ->tti