GREAT DAY FOR PALESTINE ARMY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14447, 6 November 1917, Page 3

GREAT DAY FOR PALESTINE ARMY.

STIRRING DESCRIPTION. OF/GREAT TRIUMPH. '" y |

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.*)

LONDON, November 5.' Mr. Massey, in a stirring despatch, desoribes General Allenby s surprise blow, which smashed the eastern end of the Turkish line and wrested Beersheba from the enemy. There was stern fighting all day, in which the New Zealand and Australian mounteds and British infantry displayed great endurance and courage, doing everything, .as -planned.- ySo the; staff scheme seemed to go like clockwork. The. story of the day wilL add glory to the lads from the English cities and shires and the Australian and New Zealand splendid horsemen. The -British infantry, after long night marches, attacked with such determination that tliey tore down the entanglements with their hands. Then, as .the moon i*ose over the Judean hills, the Australian horse dashed on strongly-held trenches and captured*. the. tpwii... '■','. At dawn on the '31st the Australians and New Zealanders were ; south jof Beer; sheba arid the British infantry -.Vere facing tlie northern, western, and southwestern defences, which cut into a range, hiding Beersheba from view. The Turkish .entrenchments . were elaborate., They were skilfully criosen and covered* with- wire,. ..while . guns •• covered all the approaches. '■':'. Prisoners declare that they believed Beersheba to be impregnable. General Allenby 's astonishing success in concealing his march across the der sert was an outstanding feature of our success.

Thejnovement commenced with a oavairy scrap on October' Z7, when 3060 Turks and 12 guns attacked the British cayalry .. s<3,'eeiii occupying the .'high ground i , near tho Jerusalem-Beersheba. Tlie British squadron held out ..throughout the day. . Both tlioir flanks :\vere enveloped, but, though surrounded '..ou threo sides, they beat off two deter.ljiined cavalry charges;. , >.'i--WHc*u thqjh'itish ..infantry awived ihcy werq, able to occupy the gro<uid without %<!$"$"• -. . v ■ •'■'*■•' ;•* TJue British .-,- infantry, , marched by. nigh^H-being .-hidden 7 * iii ; the-,. day time in • the -wady beds. ' :... |jOn the night of the'3oth "the Austral' ;i^ps and^ New, Zealanders made a wide; r-jpid aweep to the south-west in order to rush at dawn and get astride the .Hebron road and prevent, a Turkish retirement. y. : •-,.;..• '-filtv! . fi.-l ':..-". .fifi' ■'-The infantry then attacked Hill 1070 and succeeded by irresistible • rush-*" within half an hour, through a' German machine gun section, and occupied tho hill. fi' '■' fi ". ' \

>*. The infantry then . pressed on tlio W[ady. Sara trenches, making , rushes across thO opon, taking' hohped V en-s filading gun and spasmodicvmachine gunning and bombers, - They dashed .through wherever our artillery brokp, li the"-wire. • .' ; Elsewhere the BritislAprsvjtvre.j the., wire fVQm^the.irou It; was grand work,' ihe English country men: shoeing fiilo ; inspiring ,. • couragei -a pd resource... ;■ ;.-. fi-ivfi •<•'•••.• - fifi •'•> -'-'' .'fi, Though they 'had been -fighting -for 12---fyw 8 ,*. they! Qfiptwed; one defence afte? another, until all the Beersheba stronghold was captured by. 9. 30 a.m. .. I^ahy.of the Austealians: and New Zeat landers rode 30 miles before getting into i action, and jthe.ir work was as : meritorious as that of- the vßritisli' They first captured Sakuty,._a high hill six miles , north-east of Beersheba and dominating ;; a % wide -district. ; , : With their ' usual' elan, these big Australasians stopped at. no T thing, r They -rpiinded . up. every. Turk on Sak\jty Hill by one o'clock in the afternoon -apd vthen captured the Hebron foad. " .-., , ;. [yi : .,: ■-„,.. -' : t ■fifi. Even more diiflioult was the taking of ITel-pI-Saba, 1 . a foothill, thnee ; miles east rpf Beershebaj which had been converted mto'„.p. **pdoubt of great strength and madejalnxost unapproachable by the steep banks .pf t runnihg alongside. I But the Zealanders -carried vituby 3.30 jjj.m.., fi a,nd $<*$ turned •*. their . attention t9 A grqup of houses between the hill and thp Hebron road held by German niachine-gunners. This felt the, . . f yl| .weight of the colonial arm. It"\vas get tpg dark\ r .and there was anxiety about ,water for the t houses. • -.fififi- "'-,"•' •■ Other Australians settled matters. They formed up against the easton,,t?enprtes, .flxed bayonets, and, , charging line after line, went for the enemy.' Before the last wave reached the trenches the German machine-gunners were silent, "telling :.a tale of enemy t de5d, , . ,.. ;-,„, T - , ■■ . > yjQjbmouhl^ , -first yjine; 'of trenches; the Anzacs went! oh afoot, overpowering, all the Turks. Then, bringing forward . their chargers; they gal-, loped, cheerihgj ;intdthe? towh." '' ' ■ ''• ■*- f There was every evidence that the Turks were completely surprised. jA train was, standing, jn , -. tfid' §ta'tioii , ajid, the warehouses v?ere full; of icorn, almost intact. .'-,. '■ ' ■ " tt ''•■■■'-'" ■■". T..

The 31st was a great day for the.Palestine army. The staff Avork was admirable, and the morale of the troops never higher., ' '■' ..''••>'■■ "