CAPTURE OF THIEPVAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3568, 30 September 1916, Page 5

CAPTURE OF THIEPVAL.

MORE "TANK" ADVENTURES

LONDON, Sept. 28. Mr Philip Gibbs, who witnessed the capturo of Thiepval, pays a tribute to tbo> invaluable help of the Australians work at Mouquet Farm in compelling tho ultimate* surrender of the Thiepval garrison. ... "The British loss," he says, 'is amazingly light considering the k>ng and stubborn lighting; and the.; gallant-, ry and desperation with 1- which the garrison defended themselves. Twenty - four hours 1 continuous bombardment proceeded the assault/When it ended there wore only 34 black and broken tree-trunks, and a mass of reddish brickwork which was once thts Thiepval chateau. Thero was not a German alivo above the ground, but many were hidden in a long series of vaults and tunnels. The Germans also mado many exits, where they could pop up rifles and mac-hine-'guns. :'Th(vßritir,H right wing advanced from Monquot. Farm, but tho left wing had a har.ler time The battalion leading tho a-ssault, dashed for the chateau, but from tho cellars beneath came savage machine gun fire. The British troops' were also raked by an enfuatio iiro from machine guns. • " "For a long time it was impossible to tret TK'fti- the chateau, but the cry was raised 'Bring the "tanks!"' Tho very idea was a fine tonic to the attackers. Soon a. 'tank' lumberod along, lurching ov.-m- sholi craters, momentarily si thug on tlio broken parapets and txinn wa-ddlin^ forward towards tho m/an'"'\Vho.n it. opened fire, it resembled a dragon'with indigestion. It got over. thcTonomy's. trenches, trudged down tho whole length, sweeping it wrth.nro,, and soon the ■German .machine guns wore- silenced. " "The British troops,, chcermg and shouline.- accepted • the 'surrender ■;'of tho garrison. Unfortunately, the mysterious anatomy of the 'tenk J got out of order, And the British troops .hail to face tho rest of the machine guns aloncv They bad to dive into the dark OTit.nVs and burrow for 1 the Germans. Tho search often resulted in hand-to-hand fight, in which British and Germans strove to throttlo each other in the darkness.

■"Msniy deep dug-outs wero blown in « #).t th-o entrance, and tho Germans forced to co-mc oufc on tho other side. Our, men smoked out others. It wm quite liko rat-hnniing. Ono party of 16 Germans treacherously turned inx>n their escort oi! two Englishmen and wounded them, but they received no mercy from other Englishmen who came- up a moment later.

"Perhaps.tbo most roinsrkablo 'tank' iwlvonture was at G'loudeeotirt. where the British wore hold up by the raking fi.ro of machine guns. A 'Lan.lt'

strolled down, rolled over iho tieiifi. with iiro fia^hinu; from both 5= i;:kv. and dolivt-Li-'d Jl i);!.o ; '.b iii;;ii.l:; vi th-i iiifantry. witb -AGO pri.-,.im-j-:.. -.vho waved white haudkort'h.i ■'.■•; :iho\c : :'r,a vavapot. .. ■ ■

'•'Exalip.i at if; .-:ii-<\\s-. -.'.■o 'tank' foUowei :i.io»)g riloui> hi m-.-u--. 1: of moro adversaries. Suddenly a hoi-do of Germans rr.shcd out, and tried- to. capture ifc. They tiling bombs and el&inberod -on its back, and tried to' smash it with tho butt-ends of thoir rs.fio.s- Tho ■wildest pandemonium prevailed for a timo, but when tho Hritish infantry ar~ rived they found 300 ki'llod anc( wounded Germans around t.ho 'tank.' "