HINDENBURG'S MISTAKE.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 2 June 1917, Page 6

HINDENBURG'S MISTAKE.

THE BREACH IN HIS LINE.

THOUGHT HE COULD REPAIR IT.

LONDON, May 21. Mr Pirrie Robinson (Times correspondent at British Headquarters) wnrites:—

"The last two days have been singularly quiet, though the situation remains strained. Bullecourt and Eoeux have both seen as long and bloody fighting as that at Guillemont, Poziercs, or anywhere on th e Somme or at Arras. An officer who was taken prisoner asserted that if we captured either we could never hold them owing fo the great masses of reserves that Hindenburg was prepared to throw in. He has done so, and the places remain with us, though German officers state that one counterattack at Eoeux was prefaced by the heaviest German artillery firing yet used on the West front.

"The whole of the fighting at Eoeux and Bullecourt is full of strange, incredible instances. During the counter attack at Eoeux the Germans penetrated well behind the first lino. A Bri tish soldier emerging from his dugout

wns a>--fuiiHi('d lo liud ilie country behind biro, full of Germans. He collected all the available sentries, order; lies, runners and headquarters clerks, and attacked the Germans, who took refuge in a trench. The motley commando fell upon them, killed 20, and made prisoners of the remainder.

WHY THEY WERE INDIFFERENT

"During the night, fighting north of the .Scarpe, the Britishers enfiladed a trench full of Germans. The machineguns were turned on to the Germans, who seemed indifferent, and they did not seek shelter. When daylight came it' revealed that all the Germans were corpses.

"During the same operation a large number of Germans were compelled to bolt from a wood into the open along a brick wall, where waiting British ma-chine-gunners spraved them down pitilessly.

"The Kentish troops during a charge outdistanced the remainder of the Hue, end reached a copse 1000 yards ahead of anybody else. Th(l ( . m , my machinegunned them till nightfall, when the meTi of Kent determined to cur. away. A German officer, attended by his ordalles, ordered them to Surrender but the Kentish men shut him down and dashed away, steerlochasing o \er the German trenches in wild glee. R-iHe balls and bombs were aimed at the English, itnlf of them got back to the line, and stragglers kept iiir:;jn;j; ■rial! night.