DARING DEEDS ON BRITISH FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 151, 29 June 1916, Page 5

DARING DEEDS ON BRITISH FRONT.

LIGHTNING RUSHES BY ATHETES. ENEMY SUFFER HEAVILY. Received. 8-35 p.m., June 28, LONDON, June 27.

Mr. Philip Gibbs describes two successful Anzac raids five thousand yards apart on Monday morning. in order to ensure shccess > the raiding parties consisted only of sixfooters, who had undergone special training, their comrades rubbing them down after a morning sprint. Trench mortars at midnight began cutting the barbed wire like beanstalks. Simultaneously the guns barraged the communication trenches, putting a fence of shell fire round the positions to be attacked. Then the Anzacs went forward with bombs and truncheons. German machineguns scoured the "No lUan/s Land," but the raiders escaped the bullets and rushed on. One party encountered Prussians and the other Saxons. A terrible ten minutes followed. The Germans came out of their dug-outs and were terrified to see the Anzacs in the trenches. Some promptly surrendered, but others tried to defend themselves with many killing their own comrades.

The Anzacs wasted not a moment, and accomplished a great deal of quick work. They rummaged the dug-outs for papers, hauled out prisoners, bombed along the trenches, u sed tomahawks to break through the debris of sand-bags which were •strewn with corpses, the result of vbe bombardment.

When the order to retire was given flii Anzac who was escorting prisoncry over the parapet shouted ",'1 won that five frnacs" to an officer who had made a sporting bet regarding the number of prisoners. Anther cheerily called attention to six bullets in one arm, and said he had had remarkable Luck.

raids, writes Mr. Gibbs, demoralise the Germans dreadfully, nightmares driving the men mad. In the Anzacs' raid on trenches, a burly New Zealander made a bet before starting that he would bring back a prisoner. As he : dragged a miserable, terror-stricken victim over the parapet of the British trenches by the scruff of the neck he claimed his bet, but apologised for not bringiug a better specimen.. -.■■•■■