SUPREME VALOR OF OUR MEN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14286, 1 May 1917, Page 3

SUPREME VALOR OF OUR MEN.

SURPRISING STRENGTH OF UER-

MAN RESISTAMCE,

CANADIANS CAPTURE ARLEUX

aud N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, April 30. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: — Hard fighting began on Saturday morning on both sides of the Scarpe, m difficult ground, against stubborn reserves of the enemy, who have furilhei' increased their concentration of men and guns in order to hold us back at whatever cost from the Hindenburg line. •

Tlie results of the battle must not be reckoned by prisoners or ground ga.n'od. The real results consist in the supreme valor of our men in. assaultuig aa enormously strong position, and then, though almost spent, by fighting anu beating back successive waves of coun-ter-attacks.

The fighting is. of the worst possible kind, owing to the extreme difficulty of attacking high slopes defended by machine gun redoubts and isolated positions exposing the attackers to enfilade fire.

The English gallantry was splendid, and companies and platoons showed fine initiative.

The Canadians' capture of Arloux was tile result of hard fighting. The German shftill fire south of the Scarpe is the heaviest since tho opening of the Somme- offensive in 1915. They employed many new batteries of heavy guns. The strength of tho German resistance is surprising. They have been forced back more quickly than expected upon the Hindenburg line, and are now ■throwing in their main reserves to prevent us breaking . the line and iihperilling tb© retreat. Tlie Germans must jdo this or suffer real disaster. Already the Hindenburg line is insecure, and our heavy, .shells are falling in storms over Queant, which is the actual 'bastion of the Hindenburg position.

According to prisoners the enemy losses recently have been terrible. One Pommeranian company lost 80 men; in four days, paying a fearful price for Hindenburg's strategic plan, but they never fought fiercer in this wai\

This battle is one of the bloodiest episodes in history.

The weather is fine and hot and per feet for a croplands.