A TEST BATTLE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17393, 2 October 1918, Page 5

A TEST BATTLE.

ANOTHER STORY OF THE GREAT STRUGGLE.

(Received Oct 1, 10,30 p.m.)

PARIS, Sept 30

Mr Beach Thomas writes: To-day was to be a test battle. The enemy knew that if he failed to stand here he could stand nowhere. Consequently he brought up special storm divisions. General Monash faced a problem as hard as a problem solver could wish. The only favourable accident was the disappearance of the canal under a hill, giving the tanks an opening.

When a 48 hours' bombardment ended with a hurricane of gas shells the Americans bounded forward. They fought with desperate bravery and forced the redoubts, the tanks helping. Midland troops stormed the colossal defences at Bellinglise t At 9 o'clock the Australians leapfrogged through the Americans, after which successive strong points of the super-Siegfried line were i won and signals were flying up from objectives a thousand yards ahead. Among these were Le Catelet, which is most valuable for roads and railways. Cambrai will soon be between pincers, the Canadians approaching from the north and English, Scottish and New Zealanders from the south. The New Zealanders reached the road towards Cambrai with unbelievable speed, sending back 1000 prisoners before the morning mist cleared. They encircled La Vacquerie and bombed out the garrison before the scheduled hour