NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 173, 11 April 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE BATTLE

« SPLENDID DEEDS OF GALLANTRY A BRAVE OFFICER HOW THE GERMAN PLANS WENT WRONG (Special dispatch from tho Now Zealand Official War Correspondent, Captain Ross.) April 7. The enemy made another attempt to attack the Now Zealanders last evening, but were promptly stopped, mainly by our artillery barrage. During, tho recent fighting there havo been some splendid individual deeds of gallantry by officers and mod. Perhaps the finest of these was performed by a captain in a Waikato company. When his commander, a young Aucklander, was wounded in an attack opposite the Serro Road he took command of the company, which was hung up by a severe machine-gun fire. An advance of forty yards was made into a depression whero they again got into attacking formation. Tho machine-gun fire at this time was terrific. Just before the moment of attack the captain climbed out of the depression and walked along tho top, calling to his men to take no notice of ''those damned things — meaning the machine-gun bullets which were thudding into the ground all about him. His puttees were cut by some of the bullets. The men, inspired by his splendid leadership, went forward with great dash and gained their objective. He himself rushed forward to one machine-gun position and killed a German officer who was escaping. Tho captain and his men had been travelling for five days, and had had only about two nights' sleep. I hey had marched thirty miles, ten miles of which immediately preceded the attack. Oh the following day he ascertained that some of his men were wounded, whereupon ho crossed the railway line, which was swept by ma-chine-gun fire and bombed by trench mortars, and .taking ono of tho wounded men on his shoulders carried him by relay to a place of safety in the support line. Fifteen minutes later he came back and carried off another man. On the third day several of his men were buried by the burst of a minethrower. A sergeant who had extricated himself found his officer digging out other men with his hands. He had already dug out one private and was working away to get out a second man, which he succeeded in doing. He then superintended the evacuation of these, after which he returned to the front line to see that his company was all right. All this time the locality was being swept by machine-gun five and bombs were bursting quite close. A German Diary. Some illuminating evidence of .the failure of the German plans has just been obtained from the diary of an officer who was killed by the New Zealanders. This diary begins in joyful strain about tho prospects of the great drive. Tho objective was due west towards the coast as Abbevillo, the plan being to separate England and France. The chief blows were to be against the English, because it was thought that if England and France were separated the war would end quickly. "Everything (continued the diary) has beeri planned, and it is impossible to fail. All possibilities have been thought out and met, and if the attack fails in one placo it is immediately to bo broken off and another place tried." The attack was tt. be in three places. As the days passed the diary began to assume a pessimistic tone. Bombs damaged the Gorman transport and the attack in this sector without artillery preparation failed. Then every moment camo a different order, indicating want of organisation of the enemy's plans. Tho English shrapnel was searching the ground. New orders arrived and the unit marched southward twenty kilometres (about twelve miles) in. spite of heavy rain. Tho Bapmimo Road was blocked with transport. Hero was awful mud—the roads wero bottomless. Tho division had extra artillery, but was held up by cleverly hidden ma-chiue-guns. There were many casualties. Hero there is a significant entry: "We have to start trench warfaro acain, sinco the English nro very strong?' On March 30 they had mado little "progress with fairly heavy losses and tho diarist hoped to join a more successful group farther south because "here the resistance # is ton strong for us." Then the division was to be relieved, and there was to be no more offensive there at present. On April 1 tho'y learnt that they were to take part in tho next big attack and force tho passage of tire Ancre. The division was in Hcbute/no— the sugar factory sector—to attack Colincamps. There was tremendous traffic on the Bapaume-Cambrai Road. The roads were' bottomless and often blocked by traffic. Tho diary continues: "At 2 a.m. wo got away. It is pitch dark and raining, with numberless holes ami old trenches. We got into a hurst of fire. Ono shell landed between two platoons, causing several killed and wounded. Wo arrived at 7 a.m. The battalion had lost itself during the. night, and we are not in the right place," but it is too late to change now Tt is an awful mix up. Wo are about two kilos, south of Hebuterne. Tn front of us we have inhabited country. Tho weather is horrible. By day wo are in an old English trench. It is very difficult owing to five or six battalions being mixed up." It was at this stage that the diarist and his men bumped up neainst the New Zealanders. There was a further mix up. and one more. German diary camo to an abrupt end." _