NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16266, 17 July 1918, Page 7

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

In striking contrast to the character sketches which wo published yesterday of Marsha] von Hindenburg and Gene* ral Ludendorff brandy and beor, and dining off herrings and potatoes" —is the description given by the Commonwealth Official War Correspondent of the warin-hearted, spontanea ous, and generous-minded visit of the Grand Ola iUun of Jb'rance (M. Clemenceau) to tho Australian troops at tho front after their recent victory at Hamel. News of tuo iiattlo of Jiamel happened to reach Paris just at the time when tho Dominion Premiers visiting there were sitting round a table in consultation with AI. Cloinenceau and Mr Lloyd George, the correspondent states, and all sent, at once, telegrams of warm congratulation to the Australian troops and commander. The venom bio French Premier, a man upon whoso fiery courage and grand determination France has depended through this year of terrible trial, turning to his secretary, said: —"Telegraph them my warmest congratulations." Then, "No. I will go and see them and congratulate them myself." Tho following Sunday he waß true to his word. The Premier of France came from Paris in a motor-car to the Australians who were concerned in the Hamel -fight. The little, whitehaired Frenchman, with his genial, laughing face, humorous, kindly eyes, and chin firmor than steel, went amongst tho officers and men straightfnvpy, laughing and talking to them in English. It was not hard to believe that the crumplod grey felt hat, and strong, good-humoured countenance, covered a generous soul, and tho strongest, most unswerving determination. This little leader, 78 years old, looked not a day more than 60. Every week he travels hundreds of miles through the country, visiting the various portions of the French Army.

He gathered the Australian boys round him in one big semicircle. . Ho did not attempt to hand them out cheap and oasy flattery. He simply, with quito obvious emotion, told them what he had come from Paris to say on behalf of the Frendh people. Speaking in English, he said:—"l am glad to be able to speak at least this small amount of English, because it enables me to tell you what all the French think of you. They expected a good deal of you, booauso they heard what, you had Accomplished in the development and creation of your own country. I should not like to say that they were surprised. You have fulfilled their expectation, which shows the high standard by which they judge you and admire you. Hamol was not a great battle, but in a battle of that scale tho individual deeds show clearly, where in a groat battle they would perforce pass unnoticed. In this battle the Germans saw that they had against them men who came from far away to attest that wherever a free people lived—in England, France, Australia, New Zealand, or Canada—they were not ready to make way for the rules of barbarity and brutality, which the Germans are trying to impose on civilisation. We have all been fighting tho shme battle for freedom. You have all heard the names of theee old battlefields—read them in history. It is a great wonder that you should be here fighting on these old battlefields, where wo never thought to soa you. But you came to protect tho work of our fathers, which we wanted to hand down unharmed to our children. These men. tried to take it from us. They tried to rob us of all that is dearest in modern human society. But men are the s"""' in Australia, England. France, Italy, and all countries which are proud of •being the home of a free people. Hat was what made you come—that was what made us greet you when yon came. Wo knew you would fight a real flight, but we did not know that from the very beginning you would astonish a whole continent by your „ valour. I have come here for the simple purpose of seeing the Australians, and telling them this. lam going back to-morrow to say to my countrymen: 'I have seen the Australians. I looked into their faces. I know they are men who, having fought great battles in the cause of freedom in the past, will fight alongside us again till the cause of freedom for which we are all fighting is guaranteed by us and our children;' "

Of the actual fighting at Hamel the correspondent gives the following details:—"The assault was made over a front of about 6000 yards, the penetration at the maximum point being over 2000 yards. The scheme of attack had many novel features, apart from the fact that tanks were .used on a larger scale than. over before with the Aus- * tralians. There was no prelirninary bombardment, for observation had shown that the onemy was not wired ia very heavily. Indeed he had not had the chance, for since the Australians had been here they had kept things very lively. Recent Australian blows betweep Mericourt and Sailly-de-See had already shattered several German divisions, and three more have had a bad battering „during these last memorable hours. The early part of the night was calm, broken now and again by rival bursts of harassing artillery fire, Australia betaing Germany in every burst. Moreover, in order to deceive the enemy and lead him.to believe the Australians were nervous on an impending attack, our aeroplanes made noisy and frequent journeys over enemy positions, dropping bombs and flares. The real purpose of these demonstrations was to divert attention from the secret Australian preparations, and from the infantry, who, meanwhile, wero crawling over the top into positions in No Man's Land, where they waited the artillery barrage. All-went well in those anxious moments bofore the time fixed for the advance. The Germans sent up the nor--1 mal number of white 6tar shells, and fo'lowed each flare with a burpt of machine gun fire, but they suspected nothing. There was no call at this juncture for onr whose fire might have caused some discomfort to the Australians lyinp out there, with their noses in the dirt, counting the seconds until the time for going forward. Still the Germans suspected no+.hing. To them it wns all part of the nicht's programme. They could not sec in tho rear of our lines those hundreds of young gunnery officers, whose eyes bent over the second hand of their wntrhes, and whose gun-teams were to send over a steady stream of shells.

"There were many batteries in position of whose presence the enemy had no knowledge, for these guns had not fired before. They had been reserv?d for this supreme opportunity. Wh?n every watch on the sector indicated the appointed moment for action hundreds of heavy gunß and field-pieces belched forth a stream of death. The bursts of flame made a definite line across the side of the slope opposite the ridge, where lay the eager band of watchers, who were well aware that no battle had ever been viewed to greater advantage. Tho humming of the tanks could not be heard above the thunder of the massed guns. Only when the day gradually cast out dark shadows was it possible to discern their advancing tine far up the gently-rising hillside, and by the time individual figures wero dipcernible the line of flame, which marked tho barrage position, had passed .>ver the crest, and the gallant Australians were digging in for a now line of defence. This line stretched between Villers-Bretonneux and Sailly-le-Sec, also shortening the Australian line by about a thousand yards and makLijs

things more comfortable all round. Every detail of the plan went forward without a hitch, and for some tm® after daybreak the slope which the Germans had held was almost devoid of movement. Here and there tanus were scuttling about, and signal _ lamps Still flashed. Parties of prisoners began to walk slowly down the white tracks; but all the life of battle had passed on over the crest. While the ■watchers remained intent on this success, an officer came up with a report from one of the host of aeroplanes m the skv. 'All on objectives. Digging in hard. Tanks still going strong all over the country. Prisoners counted, over 400,'"