NAZIS ROUTED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21573, 8 February 1940, Page 9

NAZIS ROUTED

ATTACK AT CHRISTMAS There was no Christmas truce on the Western Front such as that which occurred at the first Christmas of the Great War. At half-past four on Christmas morning, German troops attacked the French lines east of the Moselle. Heavy artillery “orchestrations’’ and trench-mortar fire preceded and supported the Reichswehr raiders on both flanks, according to the staff reporter of the “Daily Express,” London. Standing by in their trenches, the French soldiers on watch waited for the attack that they knew was bound to follow the bombardment.

Sleepy men, who had been dreaming of the Christmas that, but for Hitler, would have been spent at home, tumbled out of their shell-proof holes below the mud and waited, staring into the foggy darkness.

German patrol activity had not been expected on Christmas Day. When this attack came to the French line it was cut to ribbons by automatic fire. And the Reichswehr who escaped crawled back to their Christmas tree through the fog.

Wine and Champagne This attack was all over by 6 a m and another one about a mile and ahalf further west was then being beaten off. The Frenchmen were delighted with the success of their automatic fire. Some of them put it down to the size and quality of their Christmas Eve dinnef, wheh most of them had eaten chicken or turkey or goose, or some of all three. When they had beaten off the Christmas morning attacks each soldier, like all his fellows in the front line, was given a cigar, an extra quart of strong red wine—doubling his usual daily ration —and half a pint of chainpagne. Last Christmas there was no fraternising on the front between • the enemy armies. The Germans made no reference to their army patrol activity on Christmas Day in their communiques.