STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 278, 13 August 1918, Page 5

STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD.

THE AUSTRALIAN ADVANCE FIELD DAY FOR ARMOURED CARS London, August, 11. II r. Gordon Gilniour (Australian Press Association correspondent), writing on Friday evening-, says: "Since General Focli countered tho Crown Prince at Reims tho moral of all tho Entente troops received such a stimulus that it becamo certain that the initiative in other parts of the front would not be allowed to remain with tho enemy, and they aro now fighting with much impetuosity." Referring to tho Australian attack, llr Gilmou.r says: "They went over in two waves, one going through Ihe other, thus expediting the unusually deep advance. Tanks accompanied tho troops, who, after a four-minutes' bombardment, quickly broke the piecrust of the first German defence system and had all their own way behind it. A feature of tho Australian sector was tho advance of the armoured motor-cars, whoso officers had n field da.v. Bowling along to tho eastward, they found trees down across the road, arid requisitioned a lank j to haul them off. The armoured cars reached a certain village, and found tho enemy transport ready to move back. They fired tnreo thousand rounds into them, causing complete confusion. Tho cars had lively moments /in other village!?, where they tackled a collection of steam wagons, causing an impaesablo block. They encountered a German gun, which blew the wheels off one car and damaged three others which, however, escaped. Two cars penetrated the main street of a small town, and fired into billets where the German troops were lunching. The cars lad quite a. battle with the Germans in the rest billets and old trenches, and killed many. One car penetrated beyond Lafiaque, where it secured many prisoners round a big dump." An "Easy" Offensive. llr. Keith Murdoch, writing firom Australian Headquarters, says the surpriso of the Germans was so complete that tho fighting by the Australians so far has been comparatively easy.' Thousands of tho men did not use a weapon; they simply walked forward through tho shat; tered thin crust of the defences to their objectives eight miles away, carrying "iron" rations and sufficient ammunition for several days. They secured village after village, and passed deep into the German territory Tho Canadians, whose overflowing 'battalions were at the top of their form, broke tho enemy crust like thin ice, and then swept forward. Large bodies of cavalry secured tho furthermost objectives. Examinations of prisoners and tho dead show that the Australians alone wiped out three divisions composed of Westphalians, reservo Prussian Guards, and mixed East Prussian and Saxon and Prussian divisions. The booty is unlimited. The prisoners include battalion and regimental command-ers.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.