WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1929, Page 6

WAR STORIES

HOW THE KONIGSBERG WAS DESTROYED. The British monitors Mersey and Severn, after their indecisive attack on the German light cruiser lvonigsberg on the Rufiji River, East Africa, spent some days refitting and arranging for accurate spotting from the air with the two available aeroplanes. On July 11, 1915, they steamed in once more, accompanied by one of the aeroplanes and by the other ships of the British squadron on the East African station. The firing was excellently directed by messages from the air on this occasion. The British vessels dropped Bin. and 4.7 in. shells almost vertically on their target, doing great damage. A 6in. shell struck the Konigsberg near the conning tower and put the crews of both her forward guns out of action, also wounding the commander severely. Another shell started a great fire in the stern of the ship which compelled the crew to flood the magazines. Early in the afternoon most of the ammunition on board was used ,\ the last shrapnel was fired at the British aeroplane and so damaged it that the machine had to make a forced landing. The Konigsberg was in a deseparte plight. Seeing that she could not 'bo saved her captain gave the order to destorv her, after disembarking the crew. She was burned astern but, completely to wreck her, two torpedo heads were arranged in suitable places below the water line, and fuses to them lighted. When the British forces withdrew the Germans examined the wreck and found that all the Konigsberg’s guns were intact and could be used after effecting light repairs to them. They were brought ashore and employed for the defence of the German bases in East Africa. THE 7TH BEDFORDSHIRE . REGIMENT AT. THIEPVAL. .On the night of September 26, 1916 the Bedfordsliires came up through a heavy barrage from Thiepval Wood to relieve three spent battalions in the ruins of the village, the north-western portion of which was not yet cleared of the enemy. Day broke before the Bedfordsliires were in position, but the two leading companies were sent forward at once, without artillery support to complete the capture of Thiepval. They rushed in with the bayonet under machine-gun and rifle fire at close range and routed the Germans from their shell-holes and dug-outs. Seventy prisoners were taken in this successful attack and more than 80 of the enemy killed. The prowess of a subaltern in several bombing encounters earned him the Victoria Cross. The way was now clear for the attack northwards in the direction of Schwaben Redoubt. This was delivered at l p.in. on September 28, the other two Bedfordshire companies leading the assault of the brigade. The platoon advancing on the right •was almost annihilated by machine-gun fire, and in the fierce fighting with bullet, bomb, and bayonet which went on all the afternoon the whole of the Bedfordshires bore their share. A counter attack on the left was beaten back by the raj)id fire of signallers, bat men and orderlies. By evening th'e Bedfordsliires had taken everything they had been ordered to and a little more ground besides an advance of well over a mile. THE CAPTURE OF PLOGSTEERT VILLAGE BY THE IST ROYAL DUBLIN FUSILIERS. Moving forward to attack on the right of their brigade front on September 4, 1918, the Ist Royal Dublin Fusiliers started towards Ploegstreet (“Plugstreet”) in the early morning. There was no artillery support and the German machine-gunners fired from shell-holes, ditches, and buildings, so that pi-ogress was slow and attended by heavy loss. Even after 8 a.m. when the village was shelled by our guns, the enemy resistance did not weaken, and the battalion came to a halt when there was still a distance of nearly a thousand yards to go. Officers and men took, what cover they could in the wet ditches; so many had been hit that two companies were amalgamated, but the Fusiliers were stiTl eager to get to grips with the enemy. The opportunity was provided at three o’clock in the afternoon, when our artillery put down a creeping barrage and the Irishmen tried again. Nothing seemed able to stop them now. On the outskirts of Ploegstreet there was a strong belt of wire, but they hacked a way through this and fell with the bayonet upon the Germans among the shattered houses beyond. But now the enemy was anxious to surrender and nearly 180—mostly Silesians off the 22nd and 156th Regiments —including 6 officers were captured. In little more than an hour the Dublins stormed the village, where an abandoned field battery of four guns fell into their hands, and advanced twohundred yards beyond. They lost 3 officers and 136 others killed and wounded on this day, but fewer than 20 fell in the last successful attack.