THE CORRESPONDENTS DESPATCHES.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14874, 24 September 1918, Page 5

THE CORRESPONDENTS DESPATCHES.

APPROACH OF WINTRY C©V DITIONS. •■>

GERMANS' WANING DISCIPLINE

REFUSING TO FACE'THE MUSIC.

(Undted Service.)

(Received Sept. 23, 7.45 p.m..)

w . . London, Sept. 22. Writing from Australian Headquarters on Sunday, Mr Kefth Moardoeh states :-Cold winds begin to .-drive over the battlefront, heavy rains bring the old familiar muddiness, and the detested duekboards reappear. The cosiest people along the British .and French sectors are .the infantry in the front and support lines. They are snug in deep old-.trenches-or new .narrow lines in which they are safe from shells, but a man must be earmarked for heaven if he gets hit in such places. Wreckage from the battlefield provides' ideal material for shelter from the weather, and there are ample supplies of German corrugated iron and timber .available. For tho past two days there has been 'little fighting, for the Boche mpa'tfight. He has given up his attempts to regain ground, ana simply refuses to face oi;r guns, despite stroogly-woidea i orders by leading .general that'ihese lines axe vital to the -whole system of defence.

The First Australian jßivision captured documents adding to the mass of evidence tending to shW tlie German decline. One,, signed by a divisional coipmander, referring to iW ■ territory from which the enemy were evicted on Wednesday, says: "Tho whole of this system must fcse feeld ft>r -winter ■quarters. You nvnst fight to the.last cartridgeand the iasfc man."

- Another, signed by an army -commander, directs that all positions must be held, and if the troops are driven Back ihoy mtist retake tliem at all costs.

, Our observations =slk>w many signs of decreasing German respect for tWir officers. At the Fourth I>i vision^ prisoners* cage hundreds of German privates crowded the entraince as each battalion commander was brought in, <sarcas^teally eheerittg. tiad waving €ieir hands. Sometimes the battalion 'commander and Ms staff cheered :baek. Such things would have been impossible a, few months' ago. Nearly all the tSerman officers, however, express ma-rily, regret over their capture., senior officers inyariaMy feeling it is a deep disgrace, some adding that they have found the war most interesting, and are sorry that tliey h&ye to leave it.

The Australians captured some most striking testimonials to tlie Tommies, including an harassed German commander's order that gas discipline must be made far more rigid. "O-ntlie fßxitisk front," he says, "only yesterday 215 men were' gassed in a single 7 battalion. It is suspected, that-men ace? purposely getting this gas in order to avoid fighting the English."

No farmer ever longed for raisti with the intensity with which the -Boche commander must now pray for bad weather. If the siext few weeks are fine, the Allies' blows may have an extremely far-reaching effect. On .ihe' other hand, nothing is .calculated to hamper attacks -more than mud .and rain, which would enable any rallying elements in the Boche lines to hold out in isolated positions, possibly gaining enough time to reorganise the position. The whole weight of'-.the British heayy gunpower is now turned upon the wire entanglements, concrete machine gun posts, and tunnels of the inner Hindenburg system. Much is hoped for, and the atmosphere is charged svith ex-

pectaney of a further advance. Tlie confidence is all the greater, because the German artillery,,is proving much less; formidable than was expected. Artillerymen prisoners explain : that so many guns lia.ve.been captured'that the Germans arc finding it impossible to keep up the firing. .

There is evidence in our hospitals of ■a--considerable amount of effective fire upon the Germans themselves. Many bear ;i;,nmistalc{>ble signs of having been shot from behind, and show- no disposition to discuss the circumstances. There has xindoubtedly been a- fair amount of German fire turned upon their own men in. anger .- at. their re-

treat,