End of Hill 60

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 October 1915, Page 3

End of Hill 60

GERMAN orij.C'Ei*-'S SIORA

ilow .I tlll i)U v, a.> obliterated alll its

place left a veritable liu mail's land, (.-.ays the London correspondent of the Chrisiciiureh .News) tinfena.olc by either side is told by a Ufeinian officer who semis a graphic letter lo trieiuls in Germany. "There was a treineiidouus explosion," lie writes, "and the whole ol Hill lit) was blown into the air."

'"Hill 00, since December 18th, :n the occupation of the lOoth Regiment of Saxons, who had thrown the French back after a bitter light was now taken over by the 132 nd Infantry Regiment ot the Jaegar Battalion 8. The English took over the positions of the French, and a ireu . tough, bitter enemy was opposed to ns. The opposition positions were built up like fortresses, and, toy sapr> and mines, approached each other to within a distance varying between iifteoii and filtv metres. Tho miners who in this campaign have had so much to do. were liore in lull action, in March we bleu up a group ol houses which, within ivaelf ol the enemy, had causel us much damage by being us<?d as points of artillery observation and places of concealment lor niaciiineguns. "Alter this explosion there was a comparaihe re.-i as it had been made impossible lor the English to make gootl observations while we had a clear view up to Ypres and Lake /illebeke. Oil April 17th. at- 7.M in the evening, oliis rest wa» broken by a volcanic detonation which sheok Ihe oartli lor a great distance. ' Tremendous eloudi ol black smoke heralded the mightiest explosion that has been experienced in the whole war. The whole o!' Hill 00 oil a widt-h of 120 metres had been blown into the

One of the enormous craters had

a width of thirty-five metres and a depth of fifteen mciro«. In this crater could he seen all the horrors ol war.

The English artillery lire which at once began is not to he described in words. The whole of the hill and the country lying behind it was smothered in a deluge of iron hail that made t'Tie district a place of terror. The light which now followed for the position ol Ifill 00 lasted three days and was fought our

r the most part hand-to-haix! uitl> the h;ivoiH'l. The RTt-tcnuvss o! tlii.s fight iloliwi dt'scriplion. .ll<>ro hv» hard enemies tiicL. tor the lOoth Kegimont only Iwitl oiui motto, the liill will bo hold to the hist man. while tlio Kuglish wore finplovin<jc thoir host troops, and, recognising tlio importance of the position. Irii' Ito break Lliroiiidi. Tin' rrsult ai the tree d!tyn' hitter battle was tlio complete levelling of our il'onchtvs. They luuV disappeared completely. ijii t twenty metres behind them a new and strong position imd been made, notwithstanding liiu enemy's lire. ihe craters ionntd by ilic explosion lonued the dividing line. This .sido oi them we held; oil the other .side were the Haiglish. Attacks uiuiei taken in the night by botli •sides tailed every time, I lie lufcsi'B ol the English must have been iearlul, buL w.: also did not maintain our position without paying a heavy price."