STORIES OF THE BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 221, 6 June 1918, Page 5

STORIES OF THE BATTLE

THE FAMOUS STAND BY THE

BRITISH DIVISIONS

STIRRING ACCOUNTS

London. June i. Correspondents on the French front detail the experiences of the- four British divisions between Craonno and Bermericourt; The German trench mortars, opening fire at 1 o'clock in tho morning of May 27, knocked the wiru entanglements to pieces. By 4.30 a.m. the 50lh Division, on the eitremo British left, were hard pressed, the Germans having cut through their left and taken the 50th in the front and rear. The attack devoloped until the four divisions were swamped by overwhelming, numbers, though the British made the crossing of the Aisno a costly business for tho Germans. The British commenced to fall buck on the afternoon of May 27, and continued to retreat until' May 29, but since then the position is unchanged. It is estimated that the Germans lost 5 per cent, of the nuinbors engaged. Youth at Arras. Mr. Philip Gibbs says: "The 50th Division included several drafts of young soldiers, altogether inexperienced in actual warfare. The sector was quiet, and there was no reason to expect an attack. The enemy brought up divisions in the night, and hid them by day in tho wooded country. The nttack was, however, expected by the 26th. The thinness of tho British lino had made officers and men anxious, and throughout the night the artillery manned tho guns and mortars and wero ready to meet; tho attack. Then came the German bombardment of high explosive and gas shells alternatively. It is said that a hundred German tanks were included in tho iirst infantry waves. Squadrons of enemy aeroplanes, which had been carefully hidden during tho week, also flew over, attacking the British with bombs and machine-guns. Wo fought gallantly under tho most difficult conditions, only retreating under overwhelming pressure. Many of the gunners fought to the last, using their revolvers when their guns .woro put out of action and the Germans wero around, them. tho new drafts of infantry showed wonderful steadiness, nerve, and gallantry. A Thrilling Episode. "There was a thrilling episode at Maizy, where tho Germans sewed tho Aisno bridge. A party of British which was falling back did not know that four hundred Germans had captured tho bridgehead beforo even the tiilo of re-, fugces could cross. Women and children wore terror-stricken when they found that retreat was cut off. A small British and French, convoy was ulso obliged to surrender. As the retreating, British reached Mnizy they tried to swim- the canal. Ono gunner 6wam across for a boat and rowed back to pick up a wounded comrade. Thirty other British saw a chanco to escape, and, crowded into the boat. The Germans on • tno bridge fired their revolvers until twentytwo wero killed. Eight escaped, including the gunner and his wounded friend. They had then to cross the Aisnc, thougli under fire. Throughout tho gunner dragged his comrado through tho entanglements, waded tho river, and finally found a safe hiding-place in a wood, lhe British motor-ambulances had thrilling ft": ventures rescuing the wounded during the retreat." At Pompclle Fort. [ The "Morning Post's" correspondent at Paris states:-."Heavy fighting at Pompcllo Fort, east of Reims, resulted to he enemy's disadvantage. The Germans launched four regiments against Pompelle on May 31, and, after violent gunire, took some- French observation posts and reached tho elopes of the fort, hix tanks got near tho fort, but all wero destroyed or captured. There wero many acts of individual heroism, including that of a machine-gunner who (ought two tanks single-handed. A colonel led a grenade attack in person, and cleared out the Germane from Pompclle,, after hand-to-hand fighting, the enemy leaving nineteen machine-guns and many pnsoncrg "—\us.-N.Z. Cable Assn.