ANGLO-FRENCH OFFENSIVE

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11649, 18 August 1916, Page 2

ANGLO-FRENCH OFFENSIVE

TERRIFIC HAVOC OF GUNS. b? CHAOS TRENCHES. , GERMAN OFFICER’S STORY. ' A graphic account of the terrible leetructiou wrought by the AngloFrench artillery in the offensive in :he Somme region came to hand by [esterday’s mail. It is written by a German officer, Lieutenant Damntsch, one of the editors of the Seitung am Mittag, whose company yhs stationed in the trenches near ■ite Somme River.

|?The lieutenant was wounded in lie preparatory bombardment, but ?as there. long enough to see the Imbst Indescribable destruction wrought in the front line trenches \y the artillery. Writing under late July 7th, he says the massively [uilt positions had been regarded as iiEtnallv,.ladestructible and impregbut the event proved that the [regress in the development of jfifensive bad not been realised. [-.“Right at the |beglnning of the Irtillery preparation,” says the Leutenant, “the enemy showed the Germans a new thing in the'destruction of obselvation balloons. |n aviator swooped down on one sf these and shot fire balls from gjove, a burst of flame marking tbe |iil of the balloon. IOMB-PHOOFS BLOWN ALOFT* I “The second day’s bombardment, |nne ath, brought another surprise a the shape of aerial mines of un-heard-of calibres, which were feown in indredible numbers. The of the first air torpedo nattered by its tremendous detonason the windows of the bomb-proofs |id threw up a massive pillar of |iack earth, perhaps a hundred feds. This siiowered the whole feghbourhood with roofs, bricks ;id earth. This was a regular ‘Jesuvius eruption. |‘.‘-The destructive effects of this throwing of the heavift mines were almost “Bible. The entrances to the bombt’oofs were buried, and tbe inmates iid 10 be removed. ” |A few minutes ‘ later an orderly, |nt with a message to tbe left of a [mpany, returned, 0 reporting that te trench bad been completely (veiled. Lieutenant Dnmbifscb, iag to observe, saw as far as the ;e could reach crater after crater ■p feet deep, the earth between fing torn up in a wild, high chaos | trench timbers and wire entanglepats.

|| MONTHS OF WORK GONE. || !< The work of the day and night ||r nine months,'’ says the chroniIfer, “was destroyed in a few finales. Report after report arrived It bomb-proofs demolished [by aerial jrpedoes, burying the inmates, lie trenches became rapidly .leveltfi, communication between the fbtions being very difficult, The ijird lines were so heavily shelled Ijat it was impossible' to traverse lam. |‘An orderly sent to a captain was crs under way. On the left flank Jb company trench was so obliterv9d that it was diflScnlt to trace it. lie only means of progress was to fish from crater to crater fully exited to the enemy fire while cross.fg the intervening ridges. Finally I j arrived after a period of intense linger and found the left position lithe company in/the same condi|jm as tbe right platoon, A num-S-c of men were still buried in the iaaoiished bomb-proofs. Their Umrades worked for hours extriiting them. |EVERY Y ftRD OF GROUND I - ' POUNDED.

'{‘During this work an intrepid ttaJicn surgeon arrived with an ygen apparatus and stood for til's under a heavy artillery tire nistering to the half-bariew and ;emptiug to revive those asphyxijjfl. | ‘The bombardment continued liuout cessation, aerial torpedoes Sag burled from ranges such as •}re never before known for minetowers. The French artillery jandecl'every yard of giound with -{ intense tire ot big shells.” !?he lieutepaut describes how wel|ne2reint'orcements were sent that iijht, “quite as much to assist in !;ging out those buried as to conijbute to the defence. ” He was them to positions among the ;|uoralised trenches, when he and ijt orderly were wounded by an exlading torpedo. They were sent to H? hospital, thus missing the infit try attacks.