CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 31 July 1917, Page 5

CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

NEW ZEALANDERS ’ SUCCESS,

STIFF FIGHTING IN VILLAGE

Mcssines, carried by the New Zealanders on June 7, is one of the historic battle places on the western front. The Wytschaete-Messines Ridge was the most, important point on the Belgian front, and its possession gives the British domination over the plains of Flanders, and wipes out the salient from .which the Germans have always commanded Ypres.

“The story of this great battle, and victory, for it is really that, cannot be told in a few lines, but it is good enough to know that everywhere our men have succeeded with astonishing rapidity, and that the plan of battle has been fulfilled almost to the letter and to time-table,” Mr. Philip Gibbs wrote ‘ ‘ Th e Anzac troops had reached and captured Messines in an hour and forty minutes after the moment of attack, in spite of heavy figthing in the German trenches, where many of the enemy were killed. Irish troops—Nationalists and Ulstermen —not divided in politics on the battlefield, but vieing with each other in courage and self-sacrifice, stormed their way up to’ Wytschaete, and, after desperate resistance from the enemy, captured all that is loft of the famous white chateau, which for •years our soldiers have watched through hidden glasses as a far high place, like the castle of a dream. By-mid-day our men were well down the further slopes of the ridge. . A. EIGHT TO BE PROUD. ‘ ‘ The light-wounded men are happy and proud of their victory. “We New Zealanders can afford to be a little cocky,’ said on e of these, a bronzed fellow, ‘My word, I’m glad we had the luck. ’ He was wounded in the foot, but the man just hugged the news of victory. ‘We shall be no ends stuck up,’ he said, and then laughed in a simple way and said, ‘l’m glad New Zealand did so well. It’s natural. But they tell me the Irish were splendid, and the Australians could not be held back. It’s good to have done the job, and I hope it will help on the end of the war. ’ That New Zealander spoke the thought of thousands who have been fighting in this great battle. They have a right to be proud of thmselves, for they have broken the curse of the salient and relieved it of its horror. ’ ’

Mr. W. Perry Robinson writes: — “Next to the ridge itself, the most important points gained are the villages of Wytschaete and Messines. In the centre, due east from Messines, the advance attained its greatest depth. In any event, it is so far a success of the most sweeping kind. It is to the New Zealanders that the honour of winning the village of Messines fell, and they work always cleanly and well, with very light casualties, where clumsier, troops might have suffered heavily; and after the success they consolidated and fortified their ground with thoroughness and precision which deserve the highest praise. In the capture of the ridge, both north and south. Irishmen have had their share. Northerners and Southerners, Protestant and Catholic troops, fought alongside one another. Between New Zealand and Australian, and Irish troops were the staunch English regiments, which have done, as always, magnificently. They have carried everything before them, and, so far as we know at present, there is no flaw in our success.”

EASILY UP THE SLOPE. “'Attacking at dawn on a front of more than 10 mile?, British divisions, including some of the finest fighting men of the United Kingdom and the Dominions Overseas, swept the slopes of this heavily-fortified barrier be» tween Ypres and Annentieres, and firmly established thrnselves beyond its crest,” says Mr. Percival Phillips. “They took many hundreds of prisoners, and a far greater number of Germans were killed by our guns. The victory is a triumph equally for the Irish troops, for the historic lino regiments of England and Scotland and for the staunch battalions of the Australian

and New Zealand men. It was a triumph for the fleet of Tanks: for the airmen who blackened the j sky at dawn and ruler It thereafter;' for the plodding sappers and miners, who laboured for months on one of the most destructive networks of mines ever exploded on this front —and for the gunners, whose true and deadly barrage paved the way to. victory. Our men might well have had to fight foot of the way, but they went easily up the i slope, and the stillest resistance they had to meet was not equal to tho dogged stand made by certain German units in the Arras battle. In and around- ‘ Messines there were isolated combats. • It was a wonderfully scientific barrage that dropped in front of the advancing English battalions, the lirshmon, who , had slink their differences in order to" !? the common foe, and the New*; Zealanders and Australians, who kept' their end of the advancing line. It curtained the ground we were sweeping over, and it countered the waiting German batteries beyond the ridge. ’ ’ Renter’s correspondent says: “The Anzacs fought ‘ magnifeiontly, the New Zealanders carrying the ruins of ines in a very dashing manner. ” : THROUGH HEAVY SHELLING. ; The New Zealanders seem to have l had, perhaps, as formidable a part of: j the line as any, with the village of: j Messines, itself as the chief objective”writes th e Times. : „■

. <lf The German guns against them were apparently quicker in getting to work,, - and less helpless than on some part& i

of the front of attack, and the Now; Zealanders had to go through heavy shelling. The chief resistance of the German infantry was in Messines itself, in certain strongly fortified positions near where the church had been and in the main square. Here there was some fighting but the New Zealanders not only took the village and everything they were sent to take within the time appointed, but . then dug 'a trench, and would have liked to go on and do some more. It was from this point, however, that the Australians came up in support and according to plan went through the New Zealanders and carried on the victorious advance forward to' line which we now hold This is a total advance of about 5000 yards. The Australians had some heavy shelling and fir e opposition, but nowhere did the Germans really stand up to them, having doubtless learned wisdom, when they met the Australians before at Pozieres 'and elsewhere. Officers of the Australians speak with immense enthusiasm of .--.the behaviour of their men, who were simply not to bo restrained.’’ The trench referred to above was finished by the evening of June 7. It was a first-class (swt. trench along the whole of their new front, and the New Zealanders that night slept at the bottom of it.