THE NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2886, 26 September 1916, Page 5

THE NEW ZEALANDERS AT FLERS

A THRILLING NARRATIVE . HEAVY ATTACKS HURLED BACK Australian-flow Zealoni Cable Association. (Rec. September 25, 7 p.m.) London, September 24. Mr. Philip Gibbs, writing of the-New Zealanders' action in the recent advance on the Somme, says:— In the fighting since July 1. there has been nothing fiercer or bloodier than the hand-to-hand straggles on tho left of Flers, where the New Zealandoi-s increased their fame gained on Gallipoli as soldiers who had to give up what they gained, and who could hold on to their ground with grim obstinacy against the heaviest odds. This is the judgment of a British officer who watohed then\ fighting during _ the last few days, and who speaks with a thrill-of admiration as ho recalls the stoicism with which they endured the heaviest shellfiro, the spirit with which they attaolced in spite of intense fatigue, and their rally, though discouraged by the loss of their officers, which' swept back the Germans in a panic-stricken_ flight. The story covers a week's fighting. Tho Advanoe.. The Now Zealanders at dawn on the loth advanced upon the left of Flers. Two lines of the trenches formed part of the famous Flers line. Our gunfire had not cut the wires or destroyed tho trenches, and the swish of machineguns showed that the enemy was alive and savage. The New Zealanders' losses would have been serious but for the "tanks," which had lagged behind, but arrived in the nick of time to attack the Flers line. In the most deliberate and most stolid way they sidled along the barbed wire, smashing it into the earth, and then poked thoir big snouts over the German parapets, firing from both their flanks upon the German machine-gun teams. The New Zealanders, following, took tho double trenches, and pushed on another seven hundred yards across a sunken road with steep banks,and thedeepest of dugouts. The Germans" did not stop until they established themselves in a new line running westwards from the top of Flers village, which the English lads had already captured. As tho tanks followed the Germans they drew the fire of a German battery fifteen hundred yards away. The Germans missed the tanksj and eventually the British artillery knocked out the battery. In a Tight Place. Meanwhile the Zealand infantry were ordered to swing to tho left to make a flanking front up the edge of a valley running north-west of Flers. They did this most gallantly, although they stuck out like a thin' edge into German territory owing to lack of support on the right and left, due to the Englishmen, beiug busy capturing Flers and fearful fighting in High Wood. It was a hazardous position for the Now Zealanders, and. they were ordered to fall back to a lino going straight westward from the top of Flers Village, which thev helped to hold on the i night of the 15th.l6th. Thencoforward the enemy made_ re- | peated counter-attacks. Sometimes these were of feeble strength, and were shattered quickly; but .they grow in intensity aB the' days passed, and it was seen that the New Zealanders were in a precarious position, owing to the weakness of the left flank. Here the Germans held out in shell-craters, which enabled tho supports to drive in a wedge between tho New Zealanders and the English troops north of High Wood. A brigade-of Germans attempted this movement. . They advanced in six or seven waves upon the English- soldiers, wbo were outnumbered two to one. The Englishmen met them in the open with the bayonet in the old-fash-ioned way. jTha New Zealanders watched the hght with enthusiasm, until tliey saw the : German ranks broken, and the remnant flying. It was a. great struggle, but not so long or so bloodv as the fight the New Zealanders had themselves encountered, » On September 20 the Germans struck tho New Zealanders at their point of junction with the British troops west of Flers. '.Hie Canterbury men, at the joint, were twice beaten back, hut twice regained thoir ground. Throughout tho night until the dawn on the 21st there was violent bomb and bayonet fighting. It was not a matter of British on one side and Germans on another; it was a chaotio struggle between isolated bodies of men, fignting in shell-craters and in bits of trench, and of single figures fighting duels, /llio groups, without joining, formed lines, which surged backwards and forwards. Tho night was horrible with the crash of arms aad the cries of the dj-

ling. A New Zealand officer, a. very splendid .aud heroic man, was the life and soul of the defence against the counter-attack. There were moments when his men became disheartened because in the lino of their back thrust the wounded lay thick upon the ground, but the officer put new. fire into them • by the flame of. his spirit, and rallied the gloomy ones. He was so careless of his own life, sp eager for the honour of New Zealand, that they followed him under a kind of spell, because of the magio in him; and so the enemy was put to flight down the valley, and the New Zealanders were masters of the ground. When dawn broke it revealed horrible carnage. A Charge to Death. . The enemy returned in strong force ill the afternoon, under orders received by telephone from the German General Staff. •The assaulters were practically sentenced to death. They were doomed men when the captain of the Canterbury Battalion again led his lads in a groat bayonet charge right across the open. The Germans stood and received the charge with blanched faces. The New Zealanders camo on at a trot, then sprang forward with their bayonets moving quickly as knitting-needles. The Germans cried out in terror. Those who could escape ran down tho hillside, falling as they ran. . This rout ended the counter-attacks. The New Zealanders knew they were masters of the position. Seeing the terror of the Germans they muttered "Poor Devils 1" The heroism of the bayonet-fighters was splendid, but the valour of the stretcher-bearers was perhaps finer. Their duty was to go into the open country in cool blood aud pick up the injured men. They had to pass through salvos of 5.9 'shells, which tore up the ground, buried many of the stretcherbearers, aud mangled many others. Tho stretcher-bearers went on st«adijy arid quietly hour after hour, until over 60 of their number had fallen. They oarried on their work of rescue careless of their safety. An officer of the New Zealanders said: "I'm not a sentimentalist, but the work of those men seemed to me very noble and ijood." Mr. Gibbs concludes: "This story will be read filadly in New Zealand townships and up-country farmsteads. If any words of mine can give a little extra share of glory to these colonial boys who have come so far over the' seas, I shall be glad and proud. My heart is very full of admiration for the valour of these men who fought in these great battles as well as any troops who shared the day with them." A Frightful Encounter. '"The first line of New Zealanders went forward with hardly a check to the German switch trenches five hundred yards distant. They, tho men of Auckland, Canterbury, Otago, and Wellington, put their trust in the bayonet, and had their desire. The Germans in the switch trenoh defended themselves to the last gasp. _ Only four | were left alive. It was a frightful encounter—a fight to death. The Now Zealanders lost heavily from shrapnel and machine-gun fire, and their ranks were thinned when they faced the stretch of 800 yards which led to the next trenches. The New Zealand Eiflos covered the ground quickly in open order, but keeping in touch with each other with fine esprit-de-corps. which is bettor than discipline. The German trenches, deeply due and heavily wired, proved a great obstacle." CANADIAN BEROES AT COHCELETTE London, September 24. Mr. Philip Gibbs, dealing with the Canadians' capture of • Courcelette, declares that it was one of the most astounding things of tho battle. After the Sugar Refinery was taken, the officers who were not wounded held a conference as to the possibility of taking Courcelette. All seemed quiet in the ruins. No one knew the size of the garrison, though an occasional burst from machine-guns showed that defenders remained, and it was manifest that it would lie a, hie adventure to undertako at the fag-end of tho dnv. Tho conference decided to try, andthf honour of lending the attack was given to » bnitalion largely composed of French-Canadians. It was afterwards discovered that there were 15,600 Germans in the village, greatly outnumbering the fitormers. Tiny 'parties of Canadians dashed into dus-outs.. full of Germans. One boy brought un twenty prisoners, including two German colonels, who were chagrined to find they had surrendered to such a smrJl force of attackers. The enemy made sevou couiiter-Rttacks durine tho night, and things often looked black, but the Canadian bovs camo through.