AUSTRALIAN SUPREMACY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15192, 12 April 1917, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN SUPREMACY.

FIGHT FOR A VILLAGE. TEUTONS ATTACK VAINLY. (From Captain C. E. W- Bean, Australian Press Representative with Ihc Commonwealth Forces, Copyright by Crown.) War Correspondent's Headquarters, March 26: Yesterday, after stiff fighting, the Australians took. another village. The attack was made at dawn. The village had been thoroughly ruined by the Germans, but sufficient was left to cause the (struggle to lake on the character of true village fighting. The Germans held out for some time in at least one corner of the village, but were, overpowered. A proportion of the fleeing Germans had to pass a corner which had already been taken by the Australians. Most of these killed or captured. During the morning the Germans counter-attacked, creeping up at one point within oO yards of the Australians. The Australian field guns broke this attack. About noon the Germans attacked again from another quarter. This attack also was smashed by machine-gun and rifle fire. A third counter-attack in the afternoon, after a sharp bombardment, came to nothing. The defeated Germans could be seen digging a iin. across the fields about a mile away. The Germans, for some reason, were most desirous of holding this village. I.t was one which had been ts<ken by the Australians last. week, and was several times counter-attacked by picked troops- The first time the Germans succeeded in getting right round the village, but the Australians' outpost there field them and the attack was defeated. The second time 200 picked troops were followed by four companies of infantry. The. storming party failed to pass our posts into the town, but held on in a house till the afternoon, when it was blown up at a range of a quarter of a mile by the first shell from an Australian field gun which, had been brought up. The German infantry walked down the load in column of fours straight iuto machine-puns. All the men at the head of the column were killed. The rest retired and took cover, where, towards evening, they were again seen bv the Australian artillery, which put 400 shells into them within a few minutes. The cutting down of fruit trees and the needless wanton destruction on the countryside have raised a very grim spirit in the Australian troops.