THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17246, 23 February 1918, Page 10

THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY.

ITS FAMOUS INFANTRY. I'akt I—Continued. NEW SOUTH WALKS. (By tho Australian War Correspondent, C E. W. Bean.) (Copyright reserved by tho Crown.) War Correspondent's Headquarters, FiiANCE, November 22. With the battalions of tho First Australian Division there will always bo associated tho battidions of tho grand brigade which landed with tho former Now Zealand and Australian Division on the firs.t day at Anzae— tho old 4th Australian Brigade. The 13th Battalion canio from Now Jiouth "Wales. It was thrown at tho landing into the corner on winch the troops who had disembarked earlier wero driven back —tho angle at tho head of Monash Valley, which, from tl>e first day in Gallipoli, was tho main anxiety of the position at Anzao, and which, in a few days, crystallised into tho three posts at Pope's Ilili, Quinn's Post and Courtney's Post. From that day for six weeks this valley head was tho scene of the liardee-t fighting at Anzac.' When tho fight calmed down olsewhero it nover ceased thoro. On May 2 tho 13th Battalion took part in the attack by which it was attempted to straighten this situation. It seized Dead Man's Hill and dug the trenches there, and it was only when it was quite isolated that it withdrew to Pope's Hill on being definitely ordered to do «o. Tho 13th Battalion took part in tho great night attack of August 6, and by daylight was holding tho extreme flank of tho Anzac position among previously unknown hills. It was thrown in again to tho desperaro fighting across the Kaijik Dere at Hill 60; and when it camo to tho evacuation this brigade had the longest retirement to Anzao with the possible exception of the New Zealand infantry. All these honours wore shared by it with the 45th Battalion, into which, on tho withdrawal 'to Egypt, half of-the old 13th was absorbed. On reaching Franco both the 13th and 45th plunged ehortly after arrival into the tremendous fighting beyond Pozioros and near Moquet Farm.. The 13th was engaged in one of tho finest efforts against 'the farm which was made by any troops, and extricated itself when three parts surrounded by a retirement which will servo as a model for Australian students of war in future. Both the 13th and tho 45th faced tho Somme winter, and both were engaged in the fighting which battered the Germans out of Stormy trench on the eve of their retirement in February —tho fighting in which Captain Murray won his Victoria Cross. Shortly afterwards there camo for tho 13th Battalion the fight of its history—the first Bullecourt battle,— when, without 'the aid of artillery, and in spito of tho tanks not reaching the wire, tho 4th Australian Division broke through the wire of the Hindenburg Line, and held tho two lines of trenches until completely cut off from both flanks and front. Both battalions were at Messinos, but the great fight there was that of the 45th, which, at Messines, with its flank in tho air, maintained for threo days and nights a hand-to-hand struggle 20 times harder than anyone at tho time realised. Both battalione were in tho great attacks at Ypres. THE "NEW AUSTRALIAN." How the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th Battalions—" tho New Australian " as they were then called—arrived in Gallipoli in tho thick of tho August fighting at Hill 60 is an old story with Australians. None who saw these magnificent, robust, cheery troops pouring in amongst tired, wasted men who had made the Ajigust attacks will ever forget the long breath of relief which every man there drew at the sight of them. They wero largely JNew Guinea troops, these four first Australian troops on active service, and as sturdy as any that ever left AusJ tralia. The 18th battalion waa thrown into action at once—too soon in ono sense—into tho tangled fighting of Hill 60, twice within tho week. The 19th was thrown immediately after to connect up the Anzac hnc with that at Suvla. Smaller detachments of all 'were u«ed in tho fighting m the Kaiajik Dere, but the main rolo of those four battalions at Gallipoli was tho holding, from this time onward, of that same crucial anglo of tho old Anzac position—Russel's Top Pone's Hill, and Quinn's Post. Tho 20th Battalion hold Russci's Top far longer than any other troops; and the same is probably true of the 17th and 19th at Quinn's and Pope's. Tho 13th, after its very heavy fighting at Hill 60, was for somo timo in reserve to the others before entering tho same corner at Courtney's and Steele's. . . The 20th Battalion arrived m Pozieres first of the four, and was thrown in on tho night on which it arrived in a desperate attack upon the old German lines south-east of tho village. From that moment onward the terrific problem of the old German lines on the right of the Australian front was that of these four battalions and no ono elso. The 20th attacked them threo times before it finally took them, with the. 18th on its flank. Tho 17th, with the bombers of the whole four, carried on up these samo trenches what was then, and probably still is, tho heaviest bomb fight ever fought; which, aiter swaying for 30 continuous hours up and down Munster Alloy, ended for both sides exactly where it began. Tho 19th Battalion hold tho line east of Pozieres during this tcrriblo fighting for 12 continuous days—a record which has probably never been equalled under such shell fire.

It was tho 19th which fought tho most successful fight undertaken in the worst mud of the Sommo winter near Flers. All four battalions went through tho Somme winter. Wihen tho German went back they were some of the first to follow him through the fighting for Malt trench to Grevillers; indeed, it is a question whether they or the Ninth Battalion were the first to .discover the evacuation. Tho Nineteenth Battalion supported tho taking of Lagnicourt, and with the Seventeenth and Twentieth drove back the Germans when thev attacked at Lagnieourt, the Twentieth Battalion with the Ninth filling the gap which tho German attack made. Tho whole of the four battalions were again in the second attack on Bullecourt, where they received a heavy handling. At Ypros all were fighting, and it was the 18th which placed the flag on A-nzac Redoubt. A NEWCASTLE BATTALION. Tho 13th Battalion belongs to New South Wales, coming very largely -from Newcastle, as did the Second Battalion from Maitland. After some time in Egypt and on tho canal, the 13th came with ite division to Europe, and was thrown almost at once into the first great fight of the A.I.F. in France—the very heavy fight at Fronelles— where it crossed No-man's Land on the left flank and helped to hold tho German trenches until in tho early morning the Germans worked in behind tho flank and a way had to be cut baok through them. The 30th was through the Sommo winter, being amongst tho first sent into it and into some of tho very worst trenches. In the early spring, when the Germans withdrew, the 30th was the first battalion actually through Ba-paume, losing somo of its men in tho streets and on the Fremicourt road beyond tho town. It was in tho retaking of Beaumetz —as sharp a village fight as has been fought on the British front—and at Bullecourt, and in tho battle front of Ypres. MESSINES AND PASSCHENDAELE. The 33rd, 34th, 35th, and 36th Battalions are New South Wales troops. Their first great open fight in France was at Meseines, where they made the pivot for tho whole battle line, and for that reason came in for a very heavy time. It was in the first attack by the 33rd on tho cxtremo flank that Private Carroll won the Victoria Cross, while the 35th took Grey Farm. It was these battalions which were engaged in tho subsequent work at Messines —which was almost as trying as the battle itself—the pushing out of outposts into the German rearguard positions at tho vxjtterios, which resulted in his retirement practically to tho River Lys. Tho 31st. 32nd, 34th, and a portion of the' 33rd also took part in tho attack 'by which some portions of our force actually reached Passchendaele, in spito of tho difficulties of the mud and tho shortness of the preparation. Tho 33rd put out and maintained outposts at tho furthest point actually captured and retained by Australians on the Paschendacle Ridge.