NEW ZEALANDERS IN SOMME BATTLE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 13 November 1916, Page 5

NEW ZEALANDERS IN SOMME BATTLE.

SOME BRILLIANT FIGHTING. THREE THOUSAND YARDS INTO ENEMY TERRITORY. THE SWITCH TRENCH STORMED. THE PEERS LINE HELD. (From Malcolm Ross, official war correspondent with the N.Z. Forces). Divisional Headquarters^ 17th September. Thursday broke fine with passing clouds and a keen wind after the rain. As the day wore on visibility increased, and our guns continued the bombardment with vigour, sending a veritable rain of shells into the enemy’s territory. The tanks, our new engines of war, began to crawl slowly upwards towards the front line. Four out of the number available were allotted to the New Zealanders. In the evening our heavy artillery, far behind the line, suddenly opened a furious bombardment.

The New Zealanders had to attack on a line between High Wood and Dclvillc Wood in the direction of Flers village. English divisions were to attack on the right and left at the same time. The first serious obstacle was the Switch trench, which came down from High Wood on the left, and ran right across their front well forward of Delville Wood. A thousand yards ahead of the Switch Trench was another German trench with two sharp salients in it that would permit of enemy enfilade fire where our men had to cross it. Three hundred and five hundred yards ahead of the second were two more trenches, one coming down from the left and joining the end of Fat Trench, which, by the way. was continued across the front of Flers village to the right, and the other, known as Flers support trench. Away on our right was Flers village* with a distant corner of it jutting out on our line of advance, which corner our men had to capture, the British troops on our right taking the rest of the village, which was a straggling street with houses ,on each side of it, and a T street running across it at the further end. It was the left-hand corner of the T that the New Zealanders had to take. Beyond the trenches last mentioned and joining on the left top of the T was a sunken road five or six feet deep with dug-outs. It dropped down to a little valley on the left. One of the strong points of the short fort trench protecting the left top of the village rested on this sunken road. The general road of advance was down a gently-sloping spur that petered out about 1200 yards beyond the village. OUR TROOPS GO FORWARD. At 6.20 a.m., just as the sun, already risen for some, time, was gilding the upper fringes of the dark cloud that overhung the battlefield behind the German position, a deadly barrage from many guns burst with a roar along the front line. The barrage crept on so that our. attacking men could follow it leisurely, protected from the enemy’s fire. Field-guns and howitzers were used on approximately the same targets. In addition to these guns the heavier howitzers began to shell objective after objective, taking in the first Flers trench and the Piers support trench on the way. OUR MEN GO FORWARD.

From early dawn till the -hour of jumping off our men -.-ere straining on the leash eager for the attack, never had they been in better form or more splendid spirits for an attack. At Armentieres they had been solidly shelled in their trenches for weeks, and had never a chance of getting what they call a bit of their own back. Now their time had come, and they meant to take full advantage of it. There was no cheering as they went over the parapet, but most of them were light-hearted and they chaffed one another as they rose to the attack. In places the barrage was a little bit short, and caused casualties in their ranks, but. under all the circumstances that is inevitable in this kind of warfare. Immediately in front of them was a weakly-held German trench. They they took in their stride and the few Germans in it got short shrift. They went slowly forward behind the barrage on towards the Switch trench, walking with heads erect as if they were on parade. Their splendid courage might well be envied by almost any troops. these were the Aucklanders and the Otagos. The Cruisers were to have gone on in advance of them, but were late in coming up, so the New Zealanders had not the expected support they had hoped for from these new engines of war . Meantime the German gunners had opened with a deadly hail of shrapnel and high explosives, and the ranks began to grow thinner. The Otagos on the left got it hottest, as the enemy was paying particular attention to the High Wood sector of the lino on which they abutted. They were loth to lose High Wood, one of their few remaining points of observation along this front. Our men came into what they said was a regular hell of fire. But they went on without any halt-—on toward the famous

Switch Trench. They had already captured a machine-gun. From the Switch Trench they were met with machine-gun fire, and later with bombs. The Germans, by this time thoroughly scared and greatly demoralised, came running towards them with their hands up endeavouring to make their cry of “Kamerad” heard above the roar of the guns and the bursting shells. Others legged it down the opposite slope for all they were worth. Those who remained in the trench in many, instances fought gamely, hut they did not last long and few prisoners were taken. A German threw a bomb at the feet of one of our men, but it did not explode. At once he put up his hands and yelled “Kamerad.” “I’ll give you ‘Kamerad.’ ” shouted the New Zealander as he ran him through with his bayonet. It aid not take long to clean up this trench. In less time than it takes to write all this the New Zealanders were masters of the situation. These men remainecin possesion of the Switch Trench. Meantime the leading troops of the Rifle Brigade were coming on behind. They passed over the Switch Trench, and lay down under protection of the barrage some three hundred yards beyond. At 6.40 the barrage began to creep slowly forward, the men following it. They followed rather too eagerly. They complained that it was toe slow for them. But the fact of the matter was that their blood was up. and they could not brook delay, in a way it was a good fault —much better than hanging back. But infahtry must realise that it is their duty (o go slowly forward with the barrage and not run into it. If there is a barrage accurately timed all along the line its speed forward cannot be altered to suit the impulsiveness or the slowness of the men of different divisions. The matter is all carefullv thought out beforehand, and the speed of the “lift” arranged to the best ad vantage. Lying down under the shelter or the barrage in front of the Switch Trench the Rifle Brigade, or, as their comrades call them. “The Dinks.” were ready to move towards the second objective. By 7.50 a.in., the barrage was again lifted to a position in front of the third' objective, allowing the infantry to follow up at the rate of about fifty yards a minute. This second objective was Fat Trench, already referred to. Our men took it without trouble, some of the enemy occupying It surrendering, others running away, and the remaining ones being shot, bayoneted, or bombed. ‘ THE ADVANCE CONTINUED. All this time other companies of

the Rifle Brigade were coming on steadily behind, and the leading waves having successfully assaulted the second objective, those detailed for the next objective succeeded in taking both the Piers trench and the Piers support trench, and, passing over them, placed themselves close under the barrage some two or three hundred yards ahead. At least an hour before noon the brigade had taken most of the Piers support trench. About this time one of the cruisers ■ charged into the Piers village in frorn? of the cheering British troops.. The New Zealanders swept on past the coiner of Piers village, some of them going through the left of it, and scon were reported to be holding on the line of t-he third objective, ahead and on the left of Piers. It was a magnificent performance. On this part of the front the New Zealanders went furthest that day, but it is onlyjfair to say that the troops on the right anc the left of the New Zealanders had a harder row to hoe. NEW ZEALANDERS HARD PRESSED. These advanced waves of the New Zealanders had had considerable losses, and were now being hard-pressed. They had to stand a heavy fire from high explosives and shrapnel. They had lost several of their officers, and a captain of the machine-gun section was badly wounded in the logs, head, and hand. It. was four hours before ho could receive any attention," but he was very brave, and when the general's a.d.c. subsequently found him in a casualty clearing station lie sent a message back by him that he was very sorry he had not been able to sec it out. It became difficult for. these advanced waves of the brigade to hang on, but parties of the Wellington, West Coast and Hawke’s Bay men came up just in the nick of time, and eased the situation by holding a short line just behind the Rifle Brigade’s advanced position, running from the end of their line back to the end of the fort trench at the sunken road. During the night onr troops were subjected to a. good deal of shelling. The position was for a time rather an anxious one, but the men gallantly held their ground, and, though there were gaps on th e left,, and the troops on the night had to go back some distance, the New Zealanders held grimly on to save the situation. That night they really held Piers village. STILL PUSHING ON. Providence was fighting with us in the matter of weather, which remained fine, and when the morning of the Kith

dawned fresh troops had come up and. were in waiting behind the sunken-, road for a further assault. At i).20 a.in., after a preliminary bombardment, they went forward, passed the captured objective, and swung round to the grove alley on the left, which position they took in spite of sniping and shelling. The evening of the Ititii saw the Wellingtons holding a line along the Grove alley well on the left front of the vilage, with outposts in advance of their line. Tire Canterbury's held a line from their extreme left, going across toward and in advance of Piers village, and bending round further forward on the right. The Aucklanders were in the two trenches a little further back opposite the left of the village, and the Otagos behind them in a trench with ’patrols out on the loft. The Wellingtons and Canterburys were in reserve behind. Thus in two days they had fought their way through the German lines for e distance of nearly three thou sand yards. It was a notable performance. Sir Douglas Haig} Commander in Chief, telegraphed his congratulations to all ranks for their successful attacks on the loth and Kith. He added that the New Zealanders had shown a fine fighting spirit, and admirable energy and dash. Several corps commanders also wired their congratulations.

TRIBUTE TO NEW ZEALANDERS.

A BOND OF BROTHERHOOD. Received 10.30. LONDON, Nov 12. A correspondent wufi Headquarters reports that one effect of the war on the Empire will be a men’s Bond of Brotherhood. It has been seen that oversea troops since the Somme battle began have held an honourable place, fighting continually and sharing operations involving the 'whore front and invariably justifying confidence. New Zealanders fought finely throughout. Any list of the foremosr fighting regiments would he incomplete which did not include them. So magnificent was their share in the capture of Flers, and in the fighting to the north-west, when they were a tower of strength to British trops.