WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS,

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1918, Page 3

WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS,

(From Captain Malcolm Ross, Of licit | War Correspondent with the Nei J Zealand Forces in the Field.) OUR MEN STILL FIGHTING WKLI August. 31. Yesterday ended with two more vil lages in our hands—Bancourt and Fre mincourt. As you already know, the, fell to the North Islanders and th , Rifle Brigade. Through the day tin New Zealanders fought extremely well Indeed, the more one sees of their worl and of the battlefield they had to figlv over, the greater one’s determinatioi and initiative are simply superb. Thcj are advancing over a wide front anc penetrating deeply, killing many Germans, making many prisoners, and caj taring innumerable, machine-guns am some artillery. They do all this in face of stern opposition, for there is no deny ing the fact that the enemy in this sector has all along been fighting his rearguard action remarkably well. His machine-gunners are stout, fellows, who fight till we are on the top of them. Rut the German Higher Command is ruthlessly sacrificing thorn In order to save bis artillery. OPEN WARFARE. ' Yesterday the New Zealanders on the right had very hard fighting, as Reincourt fo the south of them was still hold bv the enemy. They went gallant lv forward to their objective in spite of the difficulties that confronted them. It was typically open warfare. The men worked as though on a field day sections rushing forward under fire, then firing on hostile machinegunners and allowing other sections on their flanks to move forward. On their left the Rifles were counter-at-tacked, and their posts driven slightly* back, but the troops on the left con- ; formed to the line, and the enemy i made no great progress. Casualties I were caused by machine-gun live from | Reincourt, from huts to the north-east |of Yiliers-an-Flos, and sunken roads iin the same locality, one of our host ! officers >,eing killed. Another was wounded oarlv in the morning, but carried on all day. In two days aye had made an advance of 0000 yards m spite of strong opposition. Notwithstanding this speedy advance, the battalion had managed to get the food vjjriit ii]> to tho front linoi posts, find nil 1 men had their meals, except- some on the extreme left flank. Our artillery, taking great risk, have also pushed forward to extreme limits. To-day I saw cookers and artillery side by side, and ••one officer laughingly t.utt Lite enemy was being chased homo by ci'diteen-ponnders and cookers. RIFLES’ FINE WORK. The Rifles also did splendid work lerday. Late at night orders came for ' an attack at 5 a.m. For this troops were tohl off who had done two attacks at Puisieux. The order was to take Fromicourt. Those troops, who had been bivonaeing away north of Bapjiume. moved forward at 3 a.m. for a march of two miles, at a hurried pace, and arrived at the assembly point just nt the time the'barrage was due to commence. Thpy waited ten minutes, as if to get their second wind, and advanced to the attack practically without a halt. They then fought their way for 2500 yards. The enemy was taken by surprise, ami many wore killed and captured in and about their billets on the Bapnume-Cambrai road. During the day some *250 prisoners were taken. Unto in the day our riflemen, going into dug-outs to look forresting-placrS for the night, came upon sheltering Germans and captured them in twos and threes. One man found six German officers in one of the dug-outs in an hour and a half. Our men arc on a portion of a ridgo-Jivo hundred yards beyond Fremieourt. The troops oil the left had meantime been bold up in the trench system near Beugny, across the (’ambrai road. Our riflemen at the close of the day found themselves on a ridge to the right and left of them. Hie company commander sat there till near ]y two o’clock in the afternoon, u ith the enemy on both flanks. When the enemy came at him again, lie tell back reluctantly, but only lor a short distance.