BATTLE INCIDENTS ON THE SOMME

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2890, 30 September 1916, Page 7

BATTLE INCIDENTS ON THE SOMME

A TANK IN ATTACK j A DRAGON WITH INDIGESTION "■ •' • -i By Telegraph-Press .Aasomation-OoiprrigJit : : ." j (Rcc. September 29, 8.30 pan.)' London, September 2& : i Air.- Philip Gibbs, who witnessed thai j capture, of Thiepval, pays a tribute to { the invaluable help of the Australians .: j and ".their work . at Mouqj&et Farm, compelling the ultimate surrender of . • ! the Thiepval garrison. i ; The British loss was amazingly light considering the long, stubborn fighting j and gallantry! .and: ...desperation with i which the garrison defended • them- i solves. Twenty-four hours' continu- j ous bombardment preceded the assault, : ] and when it ended there were only, ! thirty-four black, - broken tree > trunks and'a" mass "of "reddish" brickwork'which ! was onco the Thiepval chateau. Not ; a German was alive above ground, but ! many were hidden in a long series of j vaults and tunnels. The Germans j also made many exits where they could j pop up with rifles and machine-guns. i The British right wing advanced ,| from Mouquet Farm, but the left had a harder tune. The battalion leading tho assault dashed into the chateau, when, from cellars beneath, oaina tho i savage machine-gun fire. The Brit- ! ißhers were also raked by an enfilade ' fire of machine-guns. For a long time : it was impossible to get near the cha- ; teaii, but the cry was raised "Bring j the tanks 1" and the very idea was a • I fino tonic for the attackers. Soon a tank lumbered along, luu&ing over' . sholl-craters, momentarily sitting on •' broken parapets, and then waddling j forward towards tho infantry. 'When j it_ opened fire it resembled a dragon 1 j with indigestion. It got over, the j enemy's, trench, trudged down- the whole length,. sweeping it with fire. j Soon ; the German machine-guns were i silenced, and the' Britishere, cheering ' | and shouting, acoepted tho surrender. j Unfortunately, tie mysterious anatomy j of tho . tank'got. out of order, ana the Britishers had to face' the rest of, the machine-guns alone; They had to dive into dark entries and burrow for the Germans. '' The" search often re-- -i suited in a hand-to-hand fight, in i which Britishers and Germans strove i to throttle each other in the darkness. Many deep dug-outs were, blown in at I the entrance; and the Germans were I forced to come out on the other Bids. i Our men smoked out others. It was j like rat-hunting. ~ One party of six- i teen Germans treacherously turned ] upon an escort of two Englishmen, and j wounded them. They had no meroy j From other Englishmen who camo lip a ' moment later. , . - j Perhaps the,-most remarkable tank" >. adventure .was at Gueudecourt, where ! the Britishers were held up by a rak- j ing fire of machine-guns. The tank strolled down, and rolled over the • j trench with fire flashing from both ; flanks, and delivered it into the hands of the infantry with four hundred oris- ' oners, who waved white handkerchiefs j above the parapet, and exalted its sue- i cess. The tank followed along alone in a search Tor more adversaries, when j suddenly a horde of Germans rushed " i out and tried to capture it. They i flung bombs, clambered upon its bsrak, ' j and triod to smash it with the butt- i end of rifles. There was the wildost ] pandemonium. When the British Sn« '* fantry arrived they found three hun- i dred killed and wounded Germans '■ i around the tank. j ■ ■ . ■'— i