STORIES OF THE BIG BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 1, 23 September 1918, Page 6

STORIES OF THE BIG BATTLE

TOLD BY CORRESPONDENTS

"ONE-OF THE GREAT DAYS OP

THE WAR."

London, September 20. ' Mr. Philip Gibbs writes:—"Wednesday was one of the great days of the war. It was far more importantly successful than I guessed when I went among the Australians early in the day. It developed into a viotory before nightfall, after many hours of desper- • ate fighting. Wo aro now overlooking tho main defences of the Ilindenbiirg ljne.,:r ",The.'enemy launched very fierce ~ counter-attacks against the Gaucho •-Wood, which tho Seventh Division or Lancashire and Yorkshire troops crushed with superb courage. The acliieveV,inent is the moro memorable because tlie diviSon has been fighting incessantly since August 8. Meanwhile the ' enemy is making a fierce attack at Moeuvres and Havrincourt.

I . ....., Blaok Day for the Germans. ) t "Tho German, commander ordered the !■•'.•: ■iS! x Jik..RJvision ; :to break the- British j > line, ami gave it forty batteries to help f<.,! in the.attack. The Germans advanced

!-'. \ under cover of a frightful line of firo, : but tbe Guards were there, and the ; glorious old Third Division, who were v tho hetoes of the dofenco oif Arras last [■ ■';'■ !■■ April. ■ They found quick targets ';■'■ ■'■. timorg theseMnasses of Gorranns, and i'y'"■;-.'.slaughtered them. It was-a hlack day ! for j3erninn hopes and manhood. / The ■ 2lst'Division, including the Linoolns 1 /■'• and Lejcesters, fighting south of Vill ; lereQuislain, 'captui-ed'tlie famous posi- !;'■'.'.:'" tion of-Vaucelletto Farm. • Advancing, ii-'.■;.' like the Australians farther south, I Upder cover of a dense smoke screen, '{:;.■ the Lincolns and Leicesters so confus- !;':;. ed'the enemy that.'the farm was sur- ■ •■;,,'■ rounded before a eliot could be fired. i' ' i.-Nearby were 'the 'Wiltshires. These i' met the Germans advancing to counp'.. ,ter-atack in Linnet Valley, but the (.:: never halted to. consider J ;..:/■ withdrawal. Tlioy,,charged .straight I ■.into'tlie 1 Ge.rman.wave of assault and • ;■.'■" "destroyefi it, capfiiring eight field-guns,

!, Hard Bitten Divisions Recapture their I ■■: Old Ground. j ' "It must- 1 never be forgotten that I- , - these men , o)f the l7th arid 21st.Divi- |:; nione suffered grievoiißly in the March !,' . retreat, yet they fought their way back j; and captured all the old ground. Our I ■ Eastern , County men had a very hard I■■.',-■' time at Epehy, where the Alpine corps J fought like tigers. Epohy contained : a strong earthwork called Fisher's U : '''-Keep;- "which ; was "finally taken after a [.' trench-raortar bombardment. The |i(i : Londoners repulsed counter-attacks {-..! throughout the day and night.. Furj.. ' : ther south, nearer St. Quentin.- were ;:■-.•■. the Buffs, Shropshircs, Slienvoods, and j Norfolks fightinc for Holnon Wood. i . Nearby were the Camerons and the ! Black Watch. ; At Berthaiicourtv ai:d t ;j, fresnoy; 'some; Germans of the 119 th |- i. Division ran. away, panic-stricken, but I '>. , : small bodies of brave nien kept tie ma- ;> .... busy in the capeee.

Vajua o7 the Smoke Screen. ~'. Mr. Percival Phillips writes:—"The battle of the ridgee, fought by the Third and Fourth-.Armies, proved one, of the most satisfying victories since ,-August 8. As the day wore on, the' enemy's discouraged troops began to wilt under the steady British pressure 'A grand ..German counter-attack at 5 o'c.loc.kvwas a complete failure, and .the Germans were broken. Officers taken . prisoner attributed our 'victory'to the smoke screen, which blinded them. Others simply cursed their men., who ftould not fight. The honour's of/the . day were shared by battalions from all parts of Britain. The First Australian Division took "Hargicourt and Villeret; the Fourth Australian Division took Lβ Verguier. Both ■ divisions went through to. the Hindenburg out...posk.system neSr the oawil, which they f>totrbed*and held in.greater part by ;■ nightfall. , They, completed its occupa•4ioD, so far rb .concerns; their front by ■a fresh '■ attack just before midnight. • The Germans opposite the two Austra--■lia»--division held a series of well-forti-'■fied positions' with three divisions, the ;'3Bth) ; sth Bavarian, and , 119 th.

■y." /.; ■-'.' Over; Naked .Cround, !.■'■• !r .(•'.Tho; Australians commenced the atj front of the oanal. at 11 a.m., ; ■; aiiij had'a mile. go-over naked coim- !• ■- try. fronv one ridge to another across '-.:■ ;s Valley swept ■'by niaohine-giiiis, then i • through deep'' belts of. wire.,, Before I . , 'Australians were through the i wire aid fighting their, way along the ; first trenches on the northern half of ;- the front , . ■ They were held up by a : -idnnken road on the south, .hut waited I patiently until .11 •at night.. .Then 1 : . they attacked again, cleared the road. ;.•-.-. and went through to the remainder of I the, Hindenburg outpost system. Tin's, i ( «v last advance- oif 'the First and Fourth; j. ; . Australian Divisions-'has taken the ;. ■ ' British Army where it had never been l' 9 in "this region. AVe now have com- ! plete .observation along the canal and I over all the country behind it. The J ■',.. English and Scottish troops on the AusI. traljans' right had harder fighting,- atI tacking over extremely difficult, and I nell-defended ground between' Poni truet and Holnon. iAt the seme time !" thei French' nttacked ■ the Manchester J .Kedoubt, a historic mound which wns i f defendeVl to the'last man on March 21 !■ by the Manchester Regimert. Tho i. British -loßsea nre' light.' Many batj talions took twice as many prisoners ; - a" %y had casualties. The spirit of \< Hie German divisions generally was not ;. good."~Aus.-N,Z. Cable Assn.

BRITISH VALOUR_ EXTOLLED (Bee. September 22,' 5,5 p.m.) London, September 21. _ Correspondents at Headquarters continue to detail tlie splendid achievements of the British units, including the Guards, who bloodily repulsed the Germau counter-attack at Havrinoourt. The Germans around Templeux-Guerard buried themselves deep in quarries and caves, which were honoyapmbed with machine-gun nests. The British Yeomen worked round under i- cover of smoke screens and cut them off. The 17th liivisiou perhaps holds the record for continuous'advance. Since it attacked on the Aiicro this division took Thiepval, the Schwaben Redoubt, PozioreSj Courcelette, Martinpuich. and finally crossed the Canal du Nord, seized the bridegheads, t and established themselves in Gauche Wood. —Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.. .