A WAR STORY
THE NEW ZEALAND RIFLE BJUUaEE CAPTURE LE QUESNOY
Le Quesnoy was surrounded as early as 8 a.m. on November -1, 1018 and our victorious advance swept on eastward. It was left to the battalions of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade to take the town and that ps cheaply as possible. The old fortifications were effective still against almost anything but heavy artillery. Botween the inner and the outer moat there are bastions over 20ft high, faced with oricic and covered with trees and vegetation ; these are connected by walls and hanks and are ideal lor delenee oy snipers and machine gunners. Beyond the inner moat is the thick brick-lniilL main rampart which rises to a height of GUl't. Machine-gun lire from the walls was impeding the advance.
On the soum-eastern side the 3rd Battalion tried in vain to rush tire cause-way which runs in between two lakes. German prisoners who we/re sent into the town to demand its .surrender brought 110 satisfactory plyuu the north and north-west a patrol of the 2nd Bat (.alien reached the ramparts quite early in llie morning, but were driven out again. A machine gun which they had seized they pitched into the-moat. A whole platoon then dashed inio the moat, jvhere heavy lire kept - then pinned nearly all day. A message to stirrendcr was ignored 'and nothing ■mild be done until a Stokes mortal vas able t) come into action.
'llie !bit Battalion on the west, had •Insed in on the outer moat before the uorning fag had lilted and one company gained a footing among the out er bastions. The German resistance ,rad 11a lly weakened under the coverng fire of Lewis guns and mortar, vliirh ovontualy permitted two pluckv mini terns to reach the top of tin nner ramparts by means of a scaling adder.
The- battalion followed up the same ladder and Le Quesnoy surrendered ai about four in the afternoon. About 701) Germans were taken in the town. Between them the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions collected 5 field GO machine guns, many trench mortars, and much miscellaneous booty
The civilian inhabit.; 11 :s gave tie New Zealanders a wonderful welcome
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Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1929, Page 8
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364A WAR STORY Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1929, Page 8
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