NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3561, 22 September 1916, Page 2

NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS.

AUCKLANDERS LEAD THE

ATTACK

(Special from the New Zealand Official

\V ar Correspondent)

. Sop'tember 15. I have returned to the Somnie battlefield, and for a week past have been privileged to witness preparations for the momentous battlo just commenced. During the preliminary bombardment our guns .must have thrown at least 12,000,000 shells on the enemy's lines and positions, xlfter dawn to-day the attack commenced on a grand scale. The cannonade was terrific, and the spectacle was more wonderful even than that of the J.uly bombardment. Every hollow and slope held batteries of our flashing guns, and in a few minutes th-3 front for miles was? one continuous lino of clouds, in which one saw the 'flashings of innumerable shells. On the left the Germans fired shells that burst in a, rain of rod sparks and sent long pillars of 'light grey smoko skyward. These bent serpentine,, and, gradually descending to the earth, formed a bank of fog that crept gradually across our terrain. In that locality in half an hour tli o whole battlefront of battered woods: villages and rolling do-.vns was enveloped in an ovor-spraadui:; cloud of ashen grey, out of which camo oxir planes, still holding the mastery of the air and dropping massages as to how the tide of battle was going.

The Tanks

With this dawn the Bocho saw for the first tune, approaching across his trenches, uur newest and most wonderful war invention. Slowly, creeping like Saurians across the deep trenches and shell craters as if they did not exist, thoy were monsters that spat fire and lead, and yet turned tho enemy s lead fro-iii their own hard skins. The sight of them must havo been a nightmare to tho first Boche that saw them. At the time of dispatching this message from tho battlefield all is. going well. v