Brilliant Feat by New-Zealanders.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 15 October 1918, Page 3

Brilliant Feat by NewZealanders.

HOW THEY CROSSED THE

SELLE,

EXCITING TANK DUEL,

Received this day, 10.40 a.m

London, Oct- 14. Mr Phillip Gibbs, describing the brilliant feat of the New Zealanders in crossing the rive--Spile, says in orJer to cover the retreat, and General Haig coming on too fast along the crowded roads, the German Command ordered the rearguard to hoki out to thfe death. On the river Selle our men for two days had been trying to force passages, and after stubborn and . heroic efforts — astonishing as storming the Scheldt Canal — achieved their purpose- We have now crossed the river. It is a strong defensive position because the banks are cut very sharply down to the stream, which is 2) feet wide and winds rounu several villages, each having machine gun fortresses. The Germans held tbe line in strength. We had to attack down a glacis swept by their fire. The feat was done b. York&hiremen, Lancashires, Scotch and New Zealand units,assisted by cavalry.

There were three tree trunks by the .river. Some of our men got across by creeping out on logs among floating brushwood. Others waded up to their necks in water, but all had to come back owing to German machine guns. Finally, the sappers made bridges under the heaviest fire. During the nignt we cut a way into the German trenches.

The New Zealanders fought their way to Biastre on the river bank, though the enemy was abie to see every movero eiit from th e high ground. The New Zealanders have already been fighting for days—since the marvellous capture of Welsh Ridge and Le Vacquerie on October 2 and 3 and the capture of Les Dain and -Esnes on the 6th, where the New Zealand Rifles and Canterbury Battalion fired their Lewis guns from their hips, capturing many prisoners and repulsing counterattacks, which the enemy made with a tank captured from tne British. It was a battle of tanks. The British tank charged the Germo-British tank, outflanking it, and then poured in a broadside which blew it it bits

Ihe New Zealanders went on the villages of Beauvois, Fontaine and Yiesly, capturjng Biastre on the Selle River the 11th. On the 12 th -they forced the river and fought their way up to the Bellevue heights, where they are fighting now.