THE WEST FRONT Sweeping German Defeat

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13849, 8 November 1918, Page 3

THE WEST FRONT

Sweeping German Defeat

EXTRAORDINAiRY FEiAT OF NEW ' ■ ZEALiViNDERS. j

LONDON, Nov. 6 > i Mr. Phillip Gibbs writes re yesterday's victory:—The sweeping German defeat could not be more complete. The result seen to-day in the booty Mean, yesterday shows the steady disintregafcion of the Gormaai! armies. "■' J One corps was captured coumplete t with, a road-aimking unit, a. detrelict' train, and a water -supply column ' with Avagons and plant. A .SPLENDID ACHIEVEMENT, j The New Zealanders crowned their splendid achievement at Le Quesnoy by brea,king through the German gun line eastward of the fortress, and one hundred guns. Our men witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of Gea^nan batteries driven 'by their own teams into the prisoners' cage. I The New .Zealandeirs penetrated the wagon lines, and rounded! u/p tihe tramsport. Othei- batteries were taiken in the foi'est. ' HOW THE GERMANS FOUG-lIT. The German infa;ntry fougflit i'e-tea-minedly wherever an offioar was present to eniforc© discipline. | A STUBBORN COMMA/NDER. Le Quesnoy held out ail day long ■at the bidding of a stubborn- com- '; mander, who met three invitations to sun-render with point blank refusal. ! Landireoies resisted in th© same ,way. Other villages remained

1 strong points until surrounded. : GERMANS ADMIT DEFEAT. Normal forest gave amipie cover, and an abundance of wire pits en i aibled the defenders to delay our i troops, but in. some places where opportunity offered they surrendered pathetioaUy. Tiheir conversation in the cages is a never endiing cho:*Ui» of defeat. A DRAMATIC EPISODE. The storming of Le Quesmoy was. a. most dra.mia.bic episode. The old 1 town, with its- ancient ramparts, has ; often been besieged, but it never I saw harder "fighting than tihe Naw Zealariders made yesterday. The New ' iZesalanders were just westward, of the ifortificaition. A division on the r'Jjht i wag held, uip 'by machine-guns in a. • chapel unit. Five* tanks reduced thim. j .■Bombardmeoiite against thei game-on faiiled to dislodge them. The New Zealanders tried to take Le Quesuoy by frontal attack, and reached the outer raanpairts, and were them held up by machine-guns. { Tihe old fortifications were* full of • Germans. Further advances 1 ty that • method were impossible, and the £*?w Zealanders worked northward and southward, and picketed, the t- wn. , They went ahead towards Herbi^oiea, Jolimitz and Forming. HOW THE ARTILLERY \y 13 ) • TAKEN.; A German artillery line of many • battea'ies was grouped under ?ov»>r f i', ! the buildings a,nd hedges, firing furi- : ously'" in oi-der to protect Le Quesnoy. j Before any guns could withdraw tlie f 'New" Zealanders were swainmiing . among the guns,. and demanding ! thejr surrender. * ! THE TRANSPORT RUSHED. Without stopping to' count their trophies the New Zeala.ndei'gi rysihed. tihe wagon lines, cutting*off the tnansport on tihe point of galloping away. A STUBBORN GARRISON. The Le Quesnoy -garrison wias first aware of the ciatastropEe when the protective barrage suddenly ceased, ' leaiving them perplexed, but defiant. A British aeroplane flew overhead, and dropped a. message demanding ; sun-ender. The only answer was'! another outbreak of 'miacihine-gun j fire. The New Zealand commander, j after *an interval, sent in two parties, ! each with a German officer, pointing J out the futility of further bloodsdaed. I but the garrilson'fs commander sttill decJined to. surrender. FI-GHTIiN'G THROUGH RARRI- 1 CADES. The New Zeaianders late in the ■ afternoon, attacked again, and pusihed through the i*aJnparts and wiped out the machine-guns. They penetrated the streets, and were ofolisred to fight a war from barricade to barricade before the remainder of tihe garri&on threw down their arms. Over a thousand prisoners were collected from cellars and improvised hiding places. The capture of ,Le Quesnoy will be* remembered ,as -one, of the most thrilling episodes in this campaign. ' It is believed to- be the first time a besieged town has been formally summoned to sivbmit by British troops. —A. and N.Z. Cable.