BRITISH LOSSES AT MESSINES.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 23 June 1917, Page 6

BRITISH LOSSES AT MESSINES.

LONDON, June 14. Reuter's correspondent at British headquarters, writing this afternoon, dissects the German communiques on the Messines fighting, which he says, contain an extraordinary number of mis-statements and belittle the brilliant British results. Referring to the assertion that the British losses exceeded those of the Germans, the correspondent mentions that 10,000 British had failed to respond to the roll-call up to Friday veering, Basing his computation on past experience, the correspondent says that 60 per cent, -would be walking wounded, and a large proportion of the remainder would be able to rejoin later. The fact remains that owing to the overwhelmingly effect of the artillery upon the enemy gunfire and the comparatively weak infantry resistance Messines Ridge was captured at an extraordinarily light cost. On the contrary, the extent of the enemy losses is proved by the fact that there were only three survivors of half a battalion from one of our explosions. "We know that four utterly exhausted Bavarian divisions had to be relieved on Thursday," the correspondent proceeded. "We know that whole terraces of dugouts, are smothered under perfect little avalanches of churned earth, and these are probably full of Germans sheltering from the shells, which destroyed them in a still more horrible manner. Many dead machinegunners, chained of strapped to their machines, wore discovered among the debris, bearing out the previously discredited statement. Anzacs, Irishmen, Highlanders, and the backbone of the Army, "the good old English line regiments," did magnificently at Messines, but the palm of victory goes to the Royal Artillery. So perfectly to time-table was the whole attack carried out that there was not an interval of ten seconds between the time the infantry was scheduled to follow the barrage into the enemy trenches and the sending up of rockets denot-

ing that the objective had been attained. '' Writing on Saturday night the coJF respondent said: The Vimy and Messines victories have changed the whole aspect of the situation north of Arras. It is reasonably safe to say that these two "impregnable" positions are ours for all time. The most amazing feature of the fight at Messines was the rapidity with which the decision was gained. The fighting was little more than a minor feature. The men themselves admit that the fight was won by the gunners and the miners before they went forward. Whole companies reached their objectives without suffering a casualty. The enemy losses were appalling, and were quite out of proportion to the average ratio based on the number of prisoners. Probably we will never learn of the number of German guns lost. A large number are known to be buried. The work of the airmen baffles adjectives of admiration. A pilot, seeing a German staff car, dived within four feet of it, his Lewis gun buzzing all the time. The vehicle, in its efforts to escape, swerved sharply, and its five occupants Avere flung out. Subsequently four officers, riddled with bullets were found dead alongside the overturned car. The situation last night was relatively quiet, save for incessant gun-fire, in which we greatly preponderate, and attempted a general counter-attack last night, but the smartest with which our artillery supported the infantry in repelling the attack was beyond praise. The lesson has been re-emphasised at Messines that no defences can Avithstand a sufficient weight of artillery. We now have that weight, and a bit to spare. In a later message the correspondent roports great aggressive activity, on ! our front. "It is safe to say," he says, I "that the Germans were never so bar- ■ ried. There were four raids along the front of the first army last night, and j they were most successful. The Canadians south-west of Lens established a new raiding record, bringing back 150 prisoners.