THE ATTACK ON NEW ZEALANDERS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14578, 8 April 1918, Page 5

THE ATTACK ON NEW ZEALANDERS.

OUR BOYS READX, FOR THE FRAY. SOME ' JUMP PATtAPETS A TO vi MI-ET ONCOMING HUNS. FRITZ'S CASUALTIES NUMBER A | . ... THOUSAND, . j (Special cable from the Official War I Correspondent.) | April 5. j On the-New •Zealant" front early this morning the enemy increased his artillery activity. He shelled our f-i*.oi,it. line, searched' the. roads, and battery and bombarded! villages , in which nia"ny civilians are, stiu djip.ging to their hpmes; Among the casualties was an old wpnjan, A sheill landed m her bedroom and blew off part of her leg and foot. We were aware that the enemy had brought tip against us the best part of his new reserve divjsions which had not been as yet' 1 m... the great, push, and his artillery .preparation 1 ' indicated that he was about to 1 attack"- At 9 o'clock his advancing troops were 'seenV through the drizzling rain and mist, advancing from south of the Serre road on a front of two thousand 'yards. They probably overwhelmed some of oiir outposts, holding only a few . men. At first the enemy came on m parties of fours and. fiv.es. Immediately the New, Zealand' rifles rang out, and the machine guns began to stutter with deadly effect. The German groups quickly irielted away. ; These advance parties' we're followed by other waves, but they were met with 1 ! a withering fire, and nowhere did they 3 get nearer than two hundred yardß to : our trenches. Not content with their ma- [ chine gun and. rifle fire, so eager were i some of our men* that thfty topped tho bags and advanced to "meet the ..foe in' No-Man's Land, but m this new develope; ment the Germans had no heart to face the- tall Npw Zealanders. The attack was to have been carried; out by two . regiments, each .with two, battalions m line, ' ; It. was met by a| numerically inferior force of New Zea-> land riflemen apd. maclun.o-gunne.rs, who.dealt the Gorman regiments .a staggering blow, their dead being strewn about No Man's I^andj while many, of their, wounded were soon "inlying sadly back to, the tronchbs froni "'which' they came!' ! • ; From ' the n prisoners, /we gather that.; after the New''' Zealand ' line had "been; stormed, tlie enwny troops were to push' on to Oblincamps N village, which was, their , objective— sin [ advance of three thousand yards. .'[ ..Far £romy reaching. Ithis,, they fai)ed to-gain an entry into' a singleyard bf,trlie New Zealand trench.. All the enemyihas-done-is to maWin-i

significant, little bulges m Ms own lino, art. Lassigny Farm, where he is attempt-] ing to dig m, but the process is costing! him further lives, for our rifles, machine- 1 guns, and artillery are playing on thei farm. j The indications are that he must liaydi saffered^Jyhe^best part of a Jthbttfeahd j casualties, addition to -whlcn'' bur J Lewis, gunners^ shot down^.a K^rmanj a^roslane~. ■'-.. *Du*r-" neltt-guns'yafe y now*: pounding him td some -purpose, while 'thei heavies are not neglecting targets fur-, ther afield. I