MAROONED TANK.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 September 1917, Page 5

MAROONED TANK.

WARFARE UP-TO-DATE. LONDON, September 1. Mr. Beacli Thomas (Daily Mail) writes: A tank lies moribund in front of our latest line of advance. The story of the cruiser's escape is characteristic of the new warfare. The goliath. made a serpentine advance, unattended and attacked a strong point of the German line. His approach sent some of the enemy running. Others attacked him with bombs and rifles. Then either a wound or an accident produced paralysis, and reduced him to a condition of a motionless fort of steel. The crew held the fort till dusk, fighting rival and bigger defences in concrete. Taking out the Lewis gun, and destroying the interior of the machine the erew slipped out and started for home. It was dark, and directions were hard to keep. The crew separated and found thenieslves in an area of shell-holes populated by Germans. A young officer, scouting alone, discovered himself in the midst of one of these garrisons. Despite his surprise he had time to pull a bomb from his pocket, release the bomb in the enemy's midst, and bolt into the darkness again, losing his direction. At dawn he found that he was well within the enemy's lines so he laid in a dug-out all day, and at night-time he started out again. Luck was with him. He avoided the Germans, and ultimately got home." Mr Pirrie Robinson (the Times correspondent) statee. that the crippled tank was later towed back by another tank.