RAIDING THE GERMAN TRENCHES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2876, 14 September 1916, Page 6

RAIDING THE GERMAN TRENCHES

NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION

VALOROUS DEEDS IN NO

MAN'S LAND

(From Captain Malcolm Ross, War Correspondent, with tho New' Zealand J'orees.)

northern France, July IS. While the whole army and tho peoplo of England are being thrilled with tho glorious deeds of our soldiers in tho great battles beyond tho Sommo, it must not bo forgotten that along other parts of the long lino other, of our Armies are still worthily upholding the honour of tho Empire. These men, for tho moment, are not in tho limelight. Nono tho loss, they aro daily, and nightly, killing and wounding Germans and, themselves, in turn, being killed and wounded, in tho cause we have all espoused. In comparison with the resounding clash of arms on tho Sommc our battle orchestra Is perhaps playing in. a minor key, yet its cadences play a part—an important part—in tho grand symphony. Artillery raids are tlio order of the dav; raids and coun-Tfir-raids the order of tho night. And m_ these" ventures a great purpose is being served, and deeds of stirring herdlsm are being performed—deeds that now pass almost as commonplace, but which, in ordinary times, would mako the pulses beat a littlo faster to tho thrill that thoy engendered. Recently, during an enemy attack on a salient that wo hold, tho New Zea'laiiders fought with a self-sacrificing Heroism worthy of their best traditions. During raids, successful and unsuccessful, thoy have- fought with dash and gallantry that, at times, has risen to tile superb. Australians, Canadians, and other British troops beyond the sound of tho guns on. the Sommo have equally well played their' parts with fortitude and heroism. Raiding has become almost a science, but it is as yet not an exact scienco, and, with conditions as they aro, <thero must bo a goo'd deal of give-and-take - about it. It is perhaps sufficient for our purposes that the honours have been largely on our side. There is overy indication that they will continue to be 60.

A Lively Encounter.. During a. recent German raid an enemy party came into contact with a party of our men at the apex of a salient, ■ and. there wero signs that though our men were overwhelmed they put up a great fight. A fow may havo been taken prisoner. One was reported wounded* and one body was found next morning. The raid began soon after midnight by the ,eucmy putting a semicircular barrage on our supports after a steady bombardment lasting abont two hours. Our machine-gun sections concerned aro said to have done lino work. At ono period of the bombardment two of our signal offices wero blown out and four signallers -wero killed, but communication was pluckily maintained by runners. The whole of our machine-gun team became casualties, and wore buried, with their gun by a shell explosion, but the gun was dug out and got into action again. Several of the enemy must havo been killed by our retaliatory artillery fire. Ono howitzer battery, which had another zone of fire, was pulled out into the open and fired 75 rounds on to the enemy's front line. The raiders did notremain long in our trenches, and wo captured ono wounded Saxon. An Auckland battalion had repaired tho damage to our trenches by daylight.

Not long after this adventure a party from a battalion of the ltillo Brigade carried out a' successful raid on the German trenches. Excellent work was dono by our artillery, trench' mortars, and machine-guns. Five minutes after midnight the party had succeeded in entering the German first-lino trench, and ten minutes later the whole party had successfully withdrawn. At>12.25 a.m. (with the exception of tho left bombing section) they had got baok into our own trenches. This section took cover in a shell crater from tho enemy's fire in "No Man's Land," "and withdrew at 1 a.m. No prisoners wero taken owing to the fact that the enemy trenches had been obliterated by our fire, and all the enemy remaining in tho section attacked wero killed. The dead found in tho German trench were very much shattered. It is certain that the enomy's casualties must have been heavy. The remains of soveral dead were seen, and many others must have, been buried by the explosions of our shells. Our casualties were extraordinarily light.

An Otago Enterprise. An Otago party were not so fortunate with their raid, as they were met by enfilading lire trom machine-guns, and also shrapnel and high-explosive shells. Though all the officers and several of the n.c.o.'s had the misfortune to be hit quite early in tho operations, tho men seem to have met the situation bravoly, and, assisting their wounded comrades, to have withdrawn without panic. Many, after they hac'i themselves safely returned, went back over the parapet to tho assistance of wounded comrades. A'captain who was wounded quite early, though not seriously, refused to go on a stretcher while any of his men required attention, and was subsequently killed in "No Man's Laud." ' When daylight came the body of this gallant officer was located near our own parapet and was brought in under cover of tho darkness on the following night. Many gallant deeds were done. Two lieutenants, though thoy did not belong 'to the raiding party, went bravely out over the parapet under heavy machinegun fire to assist in binding up tho wounded. Two privates and a sergeant, after safely reaching our trenches, went out again and again under heavy ma-chine-gun fire to bring in wounded. This they did in spite of tho fact that thoy had been through a two hours' heavy bombardment. One man, when his iieutenant was wounded ( tried to shelter hiniwith his own body. There was another private who was under a suspended sentence of five years' penal servitude who was seen by the trench officers boldly standing up under firo and lifting wounded men over the parapet. It almost goes without saying that his sentence was remitted next day. When the left flanking patrol was in difficulties and tho subaltern in charge badly wounded, a lieutenant went bravely over the parapet to their assistance, and, though seventeen • were casualties, brought them back to the trench. The splendid bravery and coolness of the officers and men' mado amends for the ill luck attendant upon this