STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 9, 5 October 1918, Page 8

STORIES FROM THE BATTLEFIELD

THE FIGHT FOR CAMBRAI

DESPERATE RESISTANCE r ■. ;

'-,'■ ■>'■■ London, October 3. Mr.'Philip Gibbs writes: "The Battle v.of, Cambrai cpntinues.with intense, -ar.d ■"'desperate lighting; -; Tho Canadians say. there was never harder "fighting dur\.jng the-, war., than that of. yesterday, '.'"when' the intensity of the sti-uggle .'eclipsed'that in the Battle, of Ypivs.' .'.There was-very little artillery/firing • ; 'south 'of Gambrai in .the morning; -it , was close fighting in the suburbs, where ■ tKe infantry ■ worked" without the srip- , .'port of the guns. ''Evely house in cue. ..Jong street leading to the city is a. roachine-guii fort/ Following the sue"oessful early'moruiiig: attack of tho i \ : Canadians on Tuesday, ceaseless severo ■• struggles continued all day. . '.The Germans,couutor-attacked again 'and again with'almost fanatical courtage. "They, advanced in close formations down' the Brantigny and Eaillencourt . '.Valleys,' and tho Canadian observers '■-'■ signalled■'"toVtTio'-'gumiersj who had •'- human-targets nt : short range to fire on :: .for hours,with open sights.. The.shells ■•- ; raked : the German, ranks'':and tore gaps V'iri them. The'men] :lay in heaps,' hut ■;'others-filled the gaps and struggled oil' A'in the effort to • break the Canadian ■ ilines. There was a great massacre.of ..■■men in-:these.-valleys;; Our-guns,were •j'served until they were too hot to fire. :! Stilli under [thereover of the sunken 'roads, and embankment/cuttings, the. //German infantiy came on, regardless of 'I losses, and forced a, passago tlirouj>ii:'Eome of tho. ruined villages till it was ; .?hecessary ;for some of the. Canadian' libattalious to fall back. One party was :; ; isolated in a perilous position for hours, v ibut held its ground, and ultimately o.b'tained touch'with their main line. •';■■■'. • "All the. Canadians.say that the numVjher of dead, strewn on this ground, is .7 horrible.to"-see;-bvt they themselves ; paid a'severe price. The. ground is held ?,' in strength,- and,-the'Germdn resistancq ■ has so stiffened' since tho divisions from' ; : Ilanders and-elsewhere arrived that it ~; j teoomes 'clear that we : .will not : •'(the' city without/further severe nglnis' possible that the eneniy will "f'cling to it for some days, at'least, in vil spite, of the loop we have flung around .•'it. : 'lt is even likely, that they will •'!counter-attack.on a. scale.in or-. tder to throw us out of its sipproaches. ' ijlore 'to the south ;there-Is a new -t.tr ■ tfeck ■ :ljy;/the "Australian :and English '■'•Aroops, ; who : Have 'pushed" 1 forward- a "■' little beyond, tievergies and Ramicoiirt, 1 where , the Germans are"rushih(j'..;ii>,;re-yinforcements.^,'—Aus.-N.Z.' v Cable;Ass)i;

fB GRAPHIC PICTURE OF THE; : : f,/-:3;v':V-^-BATTLEFmLp;:- ;: .,; ; THE AUSTRALIANS AJjfD Zf&V'; ■--■AMERICANS , ;."'■■ :: f'-l ] :;r: ; ;.(Rec.-October .4, 9.30 p.m.) ';■;;'' ;;:. .London,: October 3; ;• ;^: ,:ilr,\;.Keith 1 (Australian ;'/! Headquarters! on Monday, ;H ; 'says:—"The/fine/ successes of" all sec'"itions of the Allied aimies in north, ■-."south, and.c'entro," resulting m at least '';■.■■ one 'hundred thousand of. ■ the enemy .■;;C;tr'oops beingi.put flut.vof_action; in four ■~;■: days, inchide many.: heroic stories, none ;;:..surpassing .the American advance. Vv.Storming overvniuddy.shell-holes and ;• .acres of harhed-wire entanglcd tren- :.■ iphes, nothing'coUld exceed their brave ■•■.determination; 1 thqir 1 willingness.to un'lidergp■ aiffering, : sha,their eagerness to r':;secure victory.- Alfier capturing Belli-. /j'-xburt;: and Nauroy.-they■' refused to :■ ■ pause, scattering -.further afield,' and de/"'dlaring that ;ihe,y L would not let tho •;.■;:•■ 'Außtrelians'paes.them;,.but would take ; : Hffieirp6bjective : *as;vwell''as ours.' They •Mpushed-on: t6 : Joucburfc; whore late in - ~the afternoon the A'tistralians found 'groups holding out gallantly against .enemy : . forces... Subsequently ■r'iyth'e hij^was,established at.?fauroy for j.'ithe night'. ; .LMany.;tanks which were ■;i intended 'tp"'help .;the, 'Americans were y iknook'ed;;oufc ■sboiv-- after starting, tho •?,.whole line boing blown up by a series /df small land-mines._/The Americans ■ locked skill in clearing out German ;;.nests.hidden in the-large tunnels, and i dug-out system, and had ,-; : to. pay the price „•.. for 1 their lack , of ivtknowledge." ..:.'..'.,;.>;,.- ! ' :■ ~ ~-:

:; In the Famous Tunnel. ;.-.'-. /■ v ',-■-.■. :■ ■' ' ■ ''■•■ ; L'7:i Writing on^Tuesday,i Mr. :i Murdoch 'v-.V-describes the • of<thc-•i>'i!Ailstralians'-through; the•• Hindenburg '■;,f'system under t'erriblediffimiltiesj- in '■'.-'•pieavy rnin : and -mudi ; and without nrt.ilBuppbrti''for fear'of pouring shells -.'•j'Sipoii'isolated pooEets of 'Americans left -:■ :X 3ii ; / " the; "forward.'. shell-Holes; ■ •''The /^holo.'area, is "covered with scattered ; f:'"[{fighting-;wherein..nejits .of- machine- ■ ; ,.gu]is'mako,. it, impossible for tho disi ■ i patoh-runners! to go overland, and :: ; i'shelling -makei-.tcleplKinin. cqminunicav.i:|tion almost impossible..; '.The best way ■ '-to picture the fighting is to think of !. •. ,Wo bare rolling ridges, a fow, scattered .-■■ villages, n-nd numerous lines of deep (.- trenenes; iio sign of life bxcept spurts '.■/.t-,:<£ white smoke as bomba burst.-.'., Pier / i.ture,laborious parties of soldiers fol--.'lowing lines of bursting bombs ; teirig hurled against tho Germans hid- ':■: 'den in the tronchos ahead. The Huns ;,yc\mg desperatolyvand resourcefully to V : .';the'trenches, covering tho whole or the : : tuiuierfrom which 'stair,;■;'.ivays' lead .to 'the.exits. .Concrete.posts .!;■•, on the- suitfaco -held the machine-guu- ; .ners.'- The tunnel is twenty-fivo feet ■:'.'. wide, and troops H,here are safe. No . shell could pierce the walls, no gas ,/ fumes could enter. As, wo '■.. win tho .'•.; surface of the tunnel, yard by yardj ■ \ys throw bombs inside, guarding every i , :. ....outlet. -The Australians and Ameri- '- : cans in-tho captured portions havo -• -sumptuous 'battle quarters.. They :; eat German .sausages and smoke Ger- ;.-.• man cigars aboard their barges." . .

p;;:V:, Sporting Chanca of-. Big Events. ?;':.:•: ■',•:. Writing -on Wednesday, jie says: — •i:fif; "The situation is best summed up |:' j.;: : ;'thus--ive have a sporting chance of jA,v;":'turning tho German defeats into wide bf,-- sectional. retirements akin to a rout, [.*,■ ■■ but if tho weather enables the enomy !'•',"-,•' to stick on eomo temporary lino for f.. ... the winter we won't miss 'much, lic- ■■. .cause wo are confident of nimhing the ■\::■ ■-. ■ job .when- Spring comes. Yesterday' 3 ■•' '■'■■ .".and to-day's "fighting .show that the' t■-.'.;. \ enemy's disorganisation iff approaching ; /;" in some places tlio phase." of disintegr.i--i/, .: tion. The enemy apparently lias no M;' , plans, except, to stielywhere ho stands, \{ -...'';■■■; -Showing bravery .and determination on j.':;.. ■ sonio ; sectors. aiid ■ wretched moral on j; v ; . others: - Perhaps .the most striking ;.;■:.. evidence of deterioration is the uuni:V; .. berof unburied dead behind the rlinv;. dohburg line. Tho Germans always f;.!/-..'; Jiavo been puiictiljoiis concerning miii- £■;}: iary burials. 'To-day you cannot avoid K ':.. ghastly sight's of.decomposing Germans. F'.' . The , nindenjnirg' line itself is nuidd.v '.■■..; and dirty. Its : . immense -strength anil in .vast system, Jf dug-outs, tunnels, and f:'. . concrete emplacements are mocked •by J- 1 ; stinks, abominations, decompositions, r;' the decay of the proud Kaiser's vainp glorious force;"— United Service. 't, v ANOTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE vp.., ,■•: .tunnel;. |;v . ,■■■-, . (Rec. October 4, 9.30 p.m.) ;■/-■■ Lontlon, October 3. I ' .- Mr. Gordon Gilmour-, writing ou j;i .Monday, says: "It is feared that miraIV bers of Americans , who went forward j- , ~; -«cf.orfkv as far as Gouy have been

taken prisoner. Tho Australians, pressing on to-day, released many parties of Sammies who had spent a wet night in tho shell-holes. Tho attack undoubtedly threw the enemy into a stato of serious disorganisation, and speaks''highly for the. American fighting qualities and dash, and the rapidity with which, they are acquiring the "technique of soldier-craft necessary to make the finished fighters."

In .tho Hindenburg Tunnel. ■.'"' "Writing on Tuesday he says: "Tho Australians and Americans have lost no time in investigating tho captured underground canal, which all qonsidered to bo dne of the chief-obstacles in the'Hindenburg line. They found the place in utter darkness. Electric torches disclosed long lines of floating barges, with every sign that the Germans liad recently been living there. Large , numbers of Americans whose xlnty it was to guard the southern end promptly adopted tho house-boat life, and made themselves comfortable. Adventurous spirits declnred that they had walked through, the entire length of 'tunnel, six thousand yards./ This would he a risky thing to do, because Germans are believed.to have burrowed in all directions, making the canal tunnel, the, main •corridor from which radiate' numberless shafts, passages, and dug-outs. Our Hue at present embraces two-thirds of the tunnel. Proof was afforded during the Australian advance of the fact that some of the Germans remain at certain places in the vast underground habitations as wo push on. Their position will become perilous unless tunnels exist leading back into the German lines."

The Fighting at Joncourt. .-• Referring to the desperate, resistance round Joucourt, he says: "Evidently, tho .'Germans on this part of the front have been made to realise.that .they, have their backs to the wall, and that the Hmdeuburg line must be held. They have already sent in two reinforcing divisions and are making most of their artillery, but our men feel vth'at tlio epemy,.does not possess the guns or troops in numbers or capacity !to stop them. The Americans are . highly "pleased with their success.. They tell amusing stories of the surrenders ■of German-Americans, who, as the Americans ■ approached the German trenqhes, greeted them with a ' pronounced Yankee accent. One shouted: 'I'm from Olia-Tlft'itown I. I've> been waiting for you since 1915.' Many of them' had already put on their packs in readiness to surrender." •

Writing on Wednesday, he says: "The penetration of the Hindenburg line is being steadily completed. The Americans, "who first reached : the Riqueval entrance of the underground canal, found jl ablaze with electric light, like, a vast fairyland grotto. The. Germans had left their packs and personal belongings on tho floors and shelves of the barges. ■• In the cookhouse fourteen corpses were Jfound. Apparently the cooks hnd been killed liy an exploding shell. Five wounded Germans were discovered on a barge. They, stated that they had been untended for four days. The, whole tunnel and Jits' extensive . ramifications have ijot yet beeiv explored."—Aus.'.N.Z. ■ Cable .Assn. ■. .

FIGHTING IN THE ARGONNE FOREST VALOUR AND BNER.GY f OF THE , ■■■) . AMERICANS. 1 .' -■'■;■■, (Rec. October 4, 9.30 p.m.) London, October 3. Renter's correspondent at American Headquarters , says:—"Fighting on ten miles of front in the tangled forest of theA'rgonrie the Americans are obliged to dispense with motors rind horses, and use man-power to drag their artillery and supplies. When smashing the wire defences, the men have frequently exposed themselves in order to locate the machine-guns. The whole advance shows the greatest valour and energy."—Reuter.