AUSTRALIAN RAIDS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1918, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN RAIDS.

GREAT GALLANTRY SHOWN. , GENERAL BIRDWOOD’S tribute: : (From Mr Gordon Gilmour, Special Representative of the Australian Press K Association.) j Australian Headquarters, France. March 3. “Don’t worry about me lads, I’m only a common soldier.” These last worua ’of a gallant officor as lie was being carried/back across No Man’s Lnnu. amid the fury of hundreds of guns, j will bo ever remembered by the little band of Australian raiders in the latest series of successful raids, which were ■carried out with such slight losses. The death of tho popular officer has had a poignant offect,The Australians made raids at Warno. ton on two successive nights. On the second night tho guns were so firing as to cut off the retreating Bodies, and 'result in greater killing when the raid•ers reached the trenches «nd dug-outs. Apparently the Germans could not. hear tho humiliation of these rude shocks to their front system, therefore, they decided upon stronger resistance at all costs. While tho larger raiding party was assembling awaiting the protective barrage, it was pretty certain the enemy was aware of their presence, because it was difficult to prevent men coughing, and the lines were only 70 yards apart. The scouts preceding the stronger bodies of bombers had a tussle in the front line, while minnen. werfers were bursting and making a terrific uproar across No Man’s Land. < Despite the enemy’s utmost efforts to annihilate the raiders, the’ latter penetrated deeply killing every German enmcountored. A party of Germans was seen kneeing in line across a roadway among the

' bursting shells doing rapid rifle fire, hb j though they were on a parade ground. ! Tho bombers came near enough to make j a sorry mess of thorn. An officer deI scribing the raid summed it up accurate. ; ly. “We stouclied them well,” he said “Hardly had the guns settled to sleep -than tho Germans retaliated a small -way further north. Our guns came I -down heavily within a few seconds, I but the Roches succeeded in approachi ring to -within speaking distance of an ; advanced post, whero there were 20 men j who energetically bombed them back.” i I have a vivid first-hand description of j the previous night’s raid by Now South j Wales men still farther north in the }i isame sector, and simultaneous with the !j first raid against Warneton. | ' A RESOURCEFUL OFFICER.

! A young Penrith officer, who earned ; the Distinguished Conduct Medal as a ;• sergeant at Fromolles, choso a score of boys from his unit, the whole of which •volunteered. They stole out, and effectually dealt with three pill boxes. They found the Germans gamely defending i their positions and tho gun crew actually faring machine guns. The officer worked round behind, and with his revolver shot two men. Meanwhile our lads approaching the front accounted for the others, tackling two of them with their fists. Finally the Germans were killed or taken prisoner. One was brought in weeping, so that an Australian gave him cocoa and toast. The most exciting incident of the raid •occurred when the men were returning and the real work had been completed They met eight Germans approaching from the flank. A German rushed up to the officer and dealt him a blow in the face knocking out his teeth. The officor, with his revolver, shot his. assailant in the stomach, whilo the boys bombed the remainder in three seconds The German barrage prevented them returning to the original point, but the officer, knowing Jfo Man’s Land, as well as his own home garden ( promptly led the party safely out. A youngster, nicknamed “Curly” from Coolamon, is believed to have secured the greatest, number of scalps. Tho officer explained that he himself, “Curly” and two others, among the raiders, had lost brothers at the war, and they were taking every opportunity to secure revenge. The party is elated by the exploit, and declares it will follow tho officer ! anywhere. I * | ENEMY’S REDUCED MORAI/H. |. A striking proof of the enemy’s reduced morale iu consequence of the Australian raids is contained in a dead officer’s diary. Repeatedly, ho states, the artillery is strafing heavily, and everywhere is unsafe. 110 adds that many of his troops are deserting into Lille. General S' l " William Birdwood inspected a largo group of raiders gathered ; in a front area, and presented several ' with Military Medals. He told the ; lads they had done proudly, and had achieved greater successes than was at first, thought. Tho men aro great- • ly pleased with tho knowledge that their efforts have been so fruitful. A prison l or declares his company alone sufferied 35 killed in a single raid. If it I were desirable to make a raid nightly there would tie more than sufficient , volunteers, but rniding is just as seien- • tific with similarly definite objects as tho greater offensives. The recent successes demonstrate the adaptability of the Australians, including the newer soldiers to this highly specialise and exceedingly difficult form of warfare. If the energies of the Auk. tralians bo diverted to another form ol fighting, their dashing methods will b< easily modified for tho purpose of a st born defensive, in which the attacker: aro assured a hot time. Nothing is left undone to ensure thal : the Australians give a good aecoun of themselves in any contingency. Ac companying Sir William Birdwood, visited a peculiarly interesting part o the Australian line. The men every where were buoy. I conversed wit] many and found them as happy a sandboys. They have three hot meal daily, and frequent hot baths. The; 7 sav they have nothing to complain ol • This area furnishes a remarkable con tract to the Ypies sector, which i still brown with broken earth, and i t mass of flooded shell holes. Here th grass has had time to reappear sine f the shells churned up the countryside a s tho time Messiiips was captured, e Thursday was the first really sunn • dnv thi9 year. The men in tho fron posts were lying without their coat £ enjoying tho new warmth unmolesto • bv shells because the wily Germans n< wishing to expose their battery pos tions, refrain from much gunning whe - the visibility favours our watcbfi aeroplanes.

ABHIISSr REMOTE'S A LASDJ MASK. : Th 0 most noteworthy event on the i Australian front- wins the singularly good practice of one of our funs in .smashing down a ferro-concrete observation tower 50 feet high at Warneton. Every Australian and Now Zealander in. France knew it, and regarded it with certain awe. Built beside an old brewery, the chimney tower looked down on the low ground just southward of Mossines village, making a daylight movement perilous. It had for long been the target of all sizes of guns, but it had defied the heaviest shells, which had only broken off slices of concrete, exposing the irregular iron ribs. It is believed the tower latterly had fallen into disuso owing to these harassing bombardments. The final effort was intended for its moral effect, and came as a climax to the punishment the Australian raids had inflicted. A big gun obtained a direct hit in tho first fow rounds, Tho whole tower disappeared, great chunks being scattered (hundreds of yards away. Fragments dropped harmlessly around the Australian advanced posts. All heads in the Australian trenches were peeping over the parapets and cheers were given for the gunners when they saw the terrific effect. The shell removed a landmark which in ear- j lier days had been a menace to our communications. Thus another of the enemy’s eyes had been poked out.