WAR STORIES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 December 1929, Page 2

WAR STORIES

A LAST ENCOUNTER IN BELGIUM. At about half-past nine on the morning of November 11, 1918, there arrived at the bivouac of “A” Squadron, 7tu Dragoon Guards, the infantry brigadier wlio commanded the advanced guard of the 2.)t’n , Division. He orouglit the news of the armistice and wanted the crossings of the River Dendre at Lcs.sines secured before the fatful hour of eleven o’clock. There as a distance of nine miles to go. The squadron saddled up at once, and. led by the brigadier, went ,i, a fast cantor through Laliainaide down the main road to the river. A mile out of Lessines the leading troop came under the fire of snipers, ami machine guns, lint our horsemen soon bustled the Germans back tee the town, where twenty-four of them and a maouine gun were captured. The inhabitants of Lessines helped to round up parties of Germans still lurking in the place. German officers began to argue that they lmd been taken after the armistice lmd come into force, but another German settled the discussion by firing from a window and killing a troop horse. Altogether the cavalry captured three officers and 193 others. THE AUSTRIAN COLLAPSE IN THE TRENTINO. From Asiago our advance on November 2, 1918, took the main road through the Alpine gorge called Val d’Assa. Huts and dumps of stores were ablaze, frequent explosions were heard, and there' was every sign of a disorderly retreat. At Mount Porreche the 6th Royal AVarwicks quenched some machine-gun opposition and held the hill'while the rest of their brigade marched oil. The <tli Battalion collected various parties of Austrians from the mountain sides. Soon our men passed from Italy to Austria at Osteria del Termine. At night they were on the outskirts of Vannoza, at the top of the pass nearly 5,000 feet up, and here they stayed confronted by an enemy force.

Early next morning, however, the Austrians came forward bearing torches and firing coloured lights. They were very excited, believing that an armistice had been signed, but consented to surrender. The ith Royal Marwicks pushed on into Yaneza, and here two complete divisions barred the way. They also talked of an armistice, se were given ten minutes in which to yield as prisoners of war. fortunately this enormous force were amenable, and the garrison of an almost inaccessible hill fort was also prevailed upon to capitulate.

The sth Royal AVarwicks collected more and more prisoners as they followed the winding t'oad down towards Caldonnzzo.

It only remains to add that the colonel of the 6th Warwicks motored into Pergine—46 miles from Asiago—but failed to persuade three Austrian battalions there to surrender to him alone The armistice with Austro-Hungary came into effect next day.

YEOAIANRY AND CYCLIST IN THE PURSUIT IN ITALY.

After our troops had forced the line of the Piavc. in October 1918, the pursuit of the Austrians was continued through cultivated land, with numerous houses and farms, towards the Alontecano River. The Northamptonshire* Yeomanry and tlx? 14th Cyclist Battalion went ahead oil the morning of October 29, pushing forward from Vazzola and clearing the country on both sides of the Codogne road. Alany snipers and machine gunners were accounted for, and the leading Yeomanry troop olf Yeomen charged down upon a machine-gun post defending the main bridge over the Montocano.

The whole of a demolition party which was advancing to blow up the bridge, was then killed or captured. Next morning when the advance had been pressed further, the Yeomanry and cyclist, with part of the 12th Motor Machine-gun Battery, made a dash to secure the crossings of the Livenza River at the town of Sacile. After covering five miles a line of machine-gun posts was surprised and captured; then a company of cyclists with the motor machine-guns rushed into Sacile by the main road. In tire town were nearly 3,000 Austrians who at first were inclined to surrender, but they thought better of it on seeing how few their assailants were A brisk engagement followed, and although the motor machine-guns had to be adandoned, our men drew off without many casualties. The retirement was for only a short distance, and Sacile was in British hands next dav.