WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13886, 11 October 1918, Page 6

WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS

GALLANT ATTACK OVER SCHELDT CANAL. HOLD MAINTAINED ON POSITIONS WON. (Special from the Official War Correspondent.) FRANCE, October 5. Magnificent courage and tenacity marked the storming of the Crevecoeur bridge, on the Scheldt Carnal, by the New Zealanders. The preliminary conditions were all against them. To begin with, there was a bitter wind and rain. Orders did not reach the battalions. They were only received later by telephone. Then the runners to the companies lost themselves in the darkness in strange country, so the orders bad to be given verbally and hurriedly just prior to the attack. This meant that the companies instead of getting forward to their positions of deployment had to start from where they were bivouacked and rttarch independently. They advanced under a barrage across the canal while it was yet dark. In the van was an Auckland company, led by a captain who had already distinguished himself with the Mounted Ritles in Palestine. The other troops who were to have gone forward through the North Aucklanders, bore too much to the right in the darkness, but cleared the enemy out of Les Rues des \ ign?s on our own side of the canal. The battalion commander followed with troops who later helped the Aucklanders in the desperate lighting that ensued. The Auckland men made for two bridgeheads. One they found blown up and the other had only one plank across it. They rushed the second one so quickly that They Surprised the Germans

left to guard it. Had the guards been ready they could have held this narrow bridge against the whole battalion. Our troops now found themselves on an island with the river and the other bridgeheads beyond still to be forced. They tried the traffic bridges on the left, but were met with a storm of bullets from the village, and the other bridges ahead they found destroyed. Nothing daunted, their commander brought one platoon back and got them over a river bridge further back. They worked their way forward once more until they came up against another branch of the river. Here again they tried to force a bridgehead, but again a hail of machine-gun bullets foiled the attempt. They found another place and #rossed on a fallen tree tree, but the position gained ft once became untenable and they had to fall back for a time. Some were missing, but 12 who lay hidden until night regained their unit. Others took up their positions at the bend of the river and commanded the bridgehead so that the enemy was powerless to cross. At this stage it was clear that nothing could be done by frontal attack. It was, however, decided to hold on to the valuable position already gained across the canal. In grim earnest these brave fellows set themselves to face the music of shells, enemy machine-guns and rifles. The worst Are came from snipers, who caused most of the casualties. Hidden in houses and trees they flred with deadly aim. All that day Our Men Clung to the Island Position. At six o'clock in the evening the enemy counter-attacked from the village. Their fire swept the position The attack was beaten off with further casualties. By noon the Auckland company, which had been reinforced by one platoon, had had numerous casualties, and the commander at nightfall fearing another attack, withdrew slightly to shorten his line. A protective flank was formed to the canal, and all night our men held on. Next morning the Auckland and Wellington men attacked and captured the village, but the Aucklanders in the sunken road came in for a heavy shell, machine-gun and rifle fire. That morning the men holding the island had the exciting experience of sitting down under one of our own barrages, but still they held grimly on, and, taking all available shelter, escaped with only four casualties. Throughout all the first day's fighting it was almost impossible to cross the canal in daylight, but in any case there was nothing to be gained by sending assistance to those already over, for it would only mean bunching up troops in a limited space, and in consequence further casualties. The whole area was gwept by lire. I■ CAPTURE OF CREVECOEUR.

HOT FIGHTING.

SOME STIRRING INCIDENTS. October 5. The capture of Crevecoeur, across the canal, was brought about by an advance of the Wellington and Auckland troops, the former actually taking the village. The Wellingtons got across a canal bridge in the dark with scarcely any casualties, for the enemy was shooting short of the bridgehead. His barrage, however, was heavier than he had put down against us for some time, though it fell mainly upon the support company. The men went through the village, where there was no great opposition, and they got several prisoners out of dug-outs. The troops norlh-east of the village near the sunken road had the hottest fighting. At one time both flanks went, but these men with fine determination stuck to their position and helped to save a critical situation. Their commander did fine work. In spite, of heavy casualties and though wounded badly in the leg, he refused to leave his men. At one stage he was helped round his position in order that he might see. for himself what should be done and to encourage his fellows to stick out. Battalion headquarters was shelled for 48 hours, and none lost any time in his exits and his entrances. There was one mnn killed by a shellburst, though sitting well down the shaft of a dug-out. Some ' Wonderfully Bi'ave Work was done by a corporal of signals. On one occasion when he went forward with a party at night a shell fell among them, killing his best pal and wounding two others. He himself was wounded in the mouth, hut he collected what was left of his small party and went on. He continued at his dangerous work for three days, leading a telephone wire right out to company headquarters under heavy fire. Wounded again at a later stage, he slipped back and got his wound dressed and carried on for another 24 hours. The first crack which he got was enough to send any ordinary man into hospital for a month. At midnight on the Ist he borrowed two pioneers and with them salvaged wire to complete his magnificent work. Under these terribly trying circumstances he enabled telephonic communication to be maintained and undoubtedly was the means of saving several runners.

The Aucklanders came under shelllire in the Crevecoeur attack during the greater part nf their journey to the assembly point across the canal. Two leading companies readied their objective and tool; many prisoners, after which they went on north of the village. During this advance our barrage died away, as the ground was getting out of range of our guns, and the New Zealanders came under heavy shell, machine-gun and rifle-flre. Later EngJtosh troops came up -tuod tbe line was

established. Two sergeants had an exciting experience. They saw a gunteam trying to get away, so they lay beside the road and sniped the leading horses. Then they rushed forward and captured the gun crew and the remaining horses. One of the horses continued grazing in the vicinity under shell-fire for the rest of the day. Previous to this in another attack some cows were seen grazing on the battlefield, a somewhat unique experience, indicating that our advance is taking us into pastoral lands. At least two stretcher-bearers behaved with great bravery, carrying wounded away from heavy shellllre in the sunken road into deep dug-outs, and afterwards to a regimental aid-post. The lives of several of these wounded were thereby saved. There has been some further fighting to-day, in which the Hille Brigade and the Canterbury men were taking part. We have crossed the canal at two or three points below Crevecoeur, and have gained more ground, though the enemy is still holding the ridge in strength and fighting with considerable determination.