VICTORS OF MESSINES.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 28 August 1917, Page 5

VICTORS OF MESSINES.

HIGH TRIBUTE TO TROOPS. ANXIOUS TIME OF WAITING. LETTER FROM GEN. RUSSELL. WELLINGTON, Aug. 25. ' A high tribute to the New Zealand troops who captured Messines is paid by Major-General) Sir Andrew Russell C'oinmander of the New Zealand Division, in the following letter to Sir James Alien, which was read in Parliament to-day: “Messines Ridge, on that part which the New Zealanders had to attack, is a fairly stoop ridge, on which the enemy was very comfortably entrenched, with excellent observation of everything that was going on in our lines below him. He was, in fact, on the rim of a saucer, while we were at the bottom. Consequently all our preparations in the way of improving our communications and constructing assembly trenches had to be done at night. Naturally work at night is never expeditious or so easy as by day, and for four or five weeks prior to the attack practically every man in the division had to spend the nights working, getting what sleep they could during the day; This in itself was a severe tax on the men’s endurance, and I was very glad to find at the end that there were a few days to spare in which to rest the men and give thsm the chance to pull themselves together for the effort. The wnpl'o scheme of attack had been a matter of very careful thought and involved a vast amount of staff work for those who were responsible for the plans. The fact is that with the enormous concentration of artillery. life on the slopes in front of us had become practically impossible. The battle, in a few words, was won through the weight of metal thrown on to the enemy positions and the mettle of the men w T ho advanced to attack them.

“Everything went like" clockwork. The weather was in our favour as a thunderstorm ideared tjhe air 'and cooled it during the night of assembly while the clouds which still hung about the sky prevented any observation on the part of the enemy. Consequently the assembly of the troops was carried out with hardly any loss, and you can realise what anxious moments, or rather hours, one passes when having assembled several thousand men within a few yards of the position. One waits for the actual moment to advance. Had the Germans been able to discover the our movements and shelled our assembly trenches, no doubt wo should have gone through with the attack but under very difficult conditions. As it was the men got over the parapet with hardly any losses, and so excellent was the counter battery work that the enemy barrage when it fell was too thin to break up the attack. The actual positions wore carried at very slight expense. Our losses began to mount up’ after we had reached our different objectives. We were withdrawn very shortly from the sector on which we attacked and were put in rather lower down the lino, where our friends from Australia made their start. We have since considerably extended our gains by small operations without very great difficulty, and arc now in the process of consolidating and improving the defence of what we have gained.

“The men were extraordinarily confident of success and this no doubt helped them a lot. The battle was half won before it was begun, and I cannot speak too highly of the spirit displayed by everyone. Every day when I see what the men have to put up with in the way of danger and hardships, it astonishes me with what cheerfulness and fortitude they put up with the very trying conditions they have mot. We have again received congratulations on all hands for the work by the divisions, and I honestly think they were well deserved. I am glad to say that the health of the men and their spirits are as good as when I last wrote to you. Reinforcements are as good as ever, and there is not a division in France but welcomes them into its ranks. I send you these few lines to assure you that so far as I can judgeall this well with the division.” - ■.» THE WORK OF THE GUNS. SIR DOUGLAS HAIG’S MESSAGE. “THANK ALL YOUR FELLOWS.” WELLINGTON, Aug. 25. The work of the artillery at MessInes is described in the following letter received by Sir James Allen from Brigadier-General Johnston: “That division did well and maintained the high reputation as far as the artillery was concerned. I need only quote from a memo sent to us the day after the battle: ‘The army commander directs me to congratulate all ranks of the artillery of the Second Anzacs on the success gained to-day. He wishes to thank them for the excellent work they have done during the past week, and adds that the success gained to-day with comparatively ‘Tittle loss is entirely due to the hard work and good shooting of the artillery. ’ In addition Sir Douglas Haig came to see us patted me on the back and said: ‘Thank all your fellows for, the splendid work they have done.’ Everything went off without a hitch. The barrage was good and the wine was all cut away, presenting no difficulties to the infantry and the trenches and strong points were well smashed in. “You will read much about the mines and tanks, but we had only one mine, and our tanks were not much, good. They could not easily cross the country on account of the shell-holes, and three of them wore knocked out by gunfire. I am afraid they hardly justify their cost, Infantry and artillery won the fight, and nothing else, had much to do with it. These battles

are a great strain on one, as once the infantry, gain their final objective and begin to consolidate, the Germans shell them severely, with the result that all our communications get cut, and our forward observation officers who go up with the infantry cannot communicate with us. You can imagine one controlling some 200 guns from a central place. As soon as the infantry captured Messines, and got beyond it, wo could not see them.

“When, counter-attacks are launched by the Germans, if the wires are, cut, as they nearly always are, by bis shelling, there is no quick means of communication by which our forward observation officers can tell us exactly where to shoot. The result is we have by barrages, which are Sometimes most incomplicated, as the new line is sel-, dom straight, and yet you must cover it all the way. One mistake and you wipe out a lot of your own men. Of course you know that the artillery fire ’ never ceases day or night for days. A battle only means that a barrage is thrown in as a extra. The country was all ploughed up by the shells, hardly a square yard being intact. Dead men wer e lying all over the place, and Ger-: mans were being extracted from dugouts. Our tanks were lying about where they had stuck or been shot out and exhausted soldiers were resting on the battle-ground. In one place I saw one of iur men and a German lying side by side, having apparently killed one another. The German prisoners mostly looked well! fed and of good physique, notwithstanding what the war correspondents say. ”