THE GREATEST BATTLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14712, 18 September 1918, Page 9

THE GREATEST BATTLE.

MONASH'S INSPIRING ORDER.

"I HAVE NO DOUBTS."

MAKING THE ENEMY STAGGER*

(By Keith Murdoch.)' ■ j Australian Headquarters/- Sepi. 3. ' ' *It is now permissible to " cable tl^e historic order of the day issued 'to his troops by ■ Lieutenaht-General Sir John Monash oji the eve. of battle. It stated : « "Soldiers of Australia,— For the fiyat time m history all the Australian divisions will to-morrow engage m the largest and most important battle operation ever undertaken by the Australian Force. They will be supported by now. erf ul artillery.} ''-'tank's, ' and aeroplanes. Oiir sister ■ Dominion, Canada, will also operate, whilst British divisions will juard th& left flank. The many success, ful offensives which you haW so brilliantly executed during the, past four months have been but the prelude for tin's greatest, and culminating . effott. Owing to" the completeness of . our plans and dispositionfe, the ' magnitude of the pperati6ns;/ana' tho dep.th td which we intend overrunning the enemy's positions, this battle Will be" one of the most memorable of the whole war •■ ' ' THROUGH TO X A. FINISH." "There is no doubt that the capture 5 , ! ,of .bur objectives will . ; inflict blows which will make the enemy stagger, and , bring the end, appreciably .nearer. I entertain no sort of doubt that every Australian soldier worthily will *ise to so great an occasion, and, imbued with the spirit of victory, despite every difficulty that may confront him, will be animated by -no ; other resolve than a grim determination to se«' through to n clean finish whatever 'task he is allotted. Th© work td'bo done tp-mo'r-rbw may, perhaps, make heavy demands upon the- endurance. and staying powers : of many, buf I '.arn 'confident that, despite excitement,, fatigue; arid physical strain, every man- wilt carry on to his utmost powers" until the g;bal is won. "Men, it is' for Australia, our Empire, and our cause, and I earnestly wish every soldier "the best of good fortune, and a glorious and decisive victory, the story whereof will re-echo throughout the world And live fot- ever jn the history of our homeland:"

GERMANS 'TRICK THEMSELVES. The Germans captured the order from the. body of a dead man and published it widely, changing and corrupting the text, and claiming it aa proof of the unparalleled efforts made to ' break the whole' German atmy and finish the war. basing their, claim of victory on this. . The Frankfurter Zeitung "said ; "This proud corps- is now shattered', and its morale must be broken owing to these false promises. We have iiothing -further to fear from the exhausted: Australians." • '

Tliis propaganda, intended for home and neutral consumption, reacted strangely vfpon the German troops. The commanders, thinking the Australians . exhausted, jammed their lines full of troops. Prisoners say that they were told that only weak attacks were to bo expected, and as a result the Germans were surprised and confused; and large numbers were captured.