BATTLE OF ARRAS.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14409, 21 May 1917, Page 3

BATTLE OF ARRAS.

NEW ZEALANDERS' SUCCESSFUL PART.

OUTWITTING THE GERMANS

(Special from the Official New Zealand

War Correspondent.)

May 4

Now that oxir victorious armies arc i'ar in advance of Arras ; it may be stated that New Zealand has played a not unimportant, part in the success of

the initial stages of the great battle. | For some time, the Tunnelling Company of the New Zealand Engineers and the ; Miners have been burrowing underground in the region of the old town, yet nothing could be said about their splendid work. You corjd walk for some distance through their drives and tunnels connecting the old caves. It was military mining on a vast scale. The tunnels were eighty a.nd ninety feet below tl:e .surface, and there were great caverns and chambers lit from dynamos working underground. The New Zealanders, and others too, had laid mines that on the fateful morning when the German line was broken sent j vast quantities of earth and trench j material, and wo believe many German soldiers, Irartling in the air. During tie past tv/olvc months the New. Zealand Tunnelling Company did most praiseworthy work. They are mostly coal and gold miners, but time after time they outwitted the German miners, and obtained the initiative, and gradually blew the enemy back till the safety of the British front trenches was assured. They worked with great vigour, breaking all records in tunnelling- - - • . They have had little sickness and very few casualties. After long waiting for the fruition of their great work, they well deserve their meed. , May 10. ' For some considerable time there has been little to report on our sector, but lately there has been increasing artillery activity. At times there have been intense bombardments. There wan. one heavy, intermittent enemy bombardment t'fcroughotit the night, but our artillery returned the enemy's fire with interest, making his position in the trenches and his back area very uncomfortable. Our- divisional artillery has1 also carried- out destructive operations with aeroplane observation. Our air activity has also increased. We have witnessed daily thrilling air combats. It is a splendid sight to see i fligt ts of sixteen 'planes flying across' j the enemy's lines, and calmly ignoring ! hundreds of enemy shells bursting j about them. Occasionally 'planes of j either side are brought down, but inI variably the honours- are" with, the English. Some attempted raids against tlie New Zealanders failed. One ua-s dispersed by or.;- artillery, trench mor- . tars and machine guns. The enemy I failed to reach our lines. Another raid j was claimed to gain information as to ; whether the troops in oiir sector had ■ been withdrawn from tho Arras bat- . ties. In the early morning following-a heavy bombardment, sixty Germans were seen advancing across No Man's Land. A few succeeded in entering our trenches. At first we feared that two i prisoners had been taken, but learned later that one got back wounded, and the other was killed. We captured one j German who had^ been recently called up after being six times rejected ow- ' ing to heart weakness. The morale of the enemy was not good, and only 30 had volunteered for the raid.

During the Arras battle some of the New Zealanders repaired the roadw in the wake of the advancing infantry.

They even captured prisoners, and assisted in bringing in others. They have secured '..two' D.S.O. awards, and, many Military Medals. ' :

Beautiful weather prevails. The mud his, disappeared, and our men, who Lave been deceiving special training oi;t^ of the trenches, look remarkably well. Tho division has never been in better fqrin, and the discipline is excellent. •