A WAR STORY

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1929, Page 2

A WAR STORY

DAY OF BIG CAPTURE'S. \ r THE 57th AUSTRALIAN BATTALiv,., IN THE BATTLE OF AMIENS. On August 8, 1318, the opening day of' the great battle which was the prelude- to the Allied victroy, the 57th. Australians were'not called upon until our advance had penetrated the German lines to a depth of two miles. The Victorians were on the right of the. Australians corps, next to the Canadians, who were going forward on the southern side of the Amiens-Ham railway. The log had lifted when, at 8. 20. a.m., the 57th, in small columns with six tanks in front, took up the advance For the moment the enemy resistance was feeble, small parties of Germans coming forward to surrender.

But the battalion was soon among tli - German battery position, and near the railway a batteiv of ; 9’s firing over open sights ept the V’iotoiian« at bay. One tank drove straight at the guns and was hit at a range of forty yards, but when another worked round their flank the gunners came out of their pits and surrendered. Further to the left the 57th had to contend with the obstinate resistance of machine-gun nests which were either rushed or out-manoeuvred. The advance swept on. Guns of all calibres were passed, some already abandoned, others firing until their detachments were obliged to surrender to the tanks or the infantry. At this point some of our guns, firing short, caused loss to the 57th, who, leaving Weincourt I’Fuipee on their right cleared the Germans from a net work of railway lines and captured a dump of engineers stores. Cavalry armoured cars, and “whippet” tanks passed through the battalion to take up the pursuit. At a factory building north of Guillacourt' forty Germans were taken by the 57th who reached their goal a I ; ne south of TTarbonnieres —before half past ten, well in advance of the troops on their right. The trophies of the day, which inchided guns, motor-lorries, documents hoots, and cameras, were far too varied and numerous to be described here, and several hundred prisoners were taken. The 57th lost about 150 of all ranks.