IN THE AIR.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 November 1917, Page 5

IN THE AIR.

BRITISH AERIAL ACTIVITY. ■ m EXTENSIVE BOMBING OPERATIONS. THE ENEMY MACHINE GUNNED. AN ABORTIVE ENEMY RAID. Received 11.5. LONDON, October 31. An official message states that an enemy aeroplane crossed the Kentish coast this morning but did not penetrate inland, being engaged by antiaircraft guns. It dropped bombs in the fields, then made off, the remainder of the bombs falling into the sea. British aeroplanes fired several thousand machine gun rounds at the enemy in trenches and on roads. Bombs were dropped on billets at Roulers. Our machines re-attacked railway stations and lines around Saarbrucken and bombs were. seen to burst with good effect. All machines returned, went further afield and attacked munition and gasworks at Pieroiiasens, twenty miles, beyond Saarbrucken, with excellent results. All machines returned.

AUSTRALIANS ’ HEAVY TASK. FACING THE MACHINE GUNS. (From Captain C. E. W. Bean.) ! Australian Headquarters,, Oct. 12. The following details of Tuesdaymorning ? s attack are now clear. When . the barrage came down after a night, .in the earlier part of which it was , raining in torrents, the line moved out and found, the ground very shell-torn and heavy, but not impassable. The first Germans were in a trench just over the slope of the Ridge, but our barrage must have descended jthere murderously for the place was filled with German dead lying amongst their machine-guns. Some of the British further north, after many hours’ continuous tramping, the latter part through mud knee-deep, had not reached the starting point for half-an-hour after the barrage stopped. The Australians found a German post leading off a cutting, where the Roulcrs railway crosses the hill, sniping them from the rear, One support company turned round and attacked it from the cutting, despite machine-guns sweeps ing down the line. The Germans were in in a dump or heap of iron and other material. Between forty and fifty were captured there, with five machine-guns. The right of the attack had also swerved to avoid the machineguns in a patch down in the broken timber, miscalled Daisy Wood. The • centre, however, nevertheless, pushed on down the valley, and up part of the further spur, but was too weak to make it safe and hold on and therefore withdrew slightly and established posts. The Germans sniped these posts from the rear of both flanks. The British came up most gallantly. They were desperately worn out by a prodigious night march, but, before they arrived, the Australians advance post beside the railway was attacked by Germans, and partly cut off, but managed to withdraw. Meanwhile a handful of men under an officer was ordered to clear the wood in the rear of the Australians. They worked through it, and captured fifteen Germans and one machine-gun. , The line by this time was well established five or six hundred yards in advance of the old lines. The remaining advanced post was withdrawn to this line at dusk. A few minutes later German counter attacks, contrary to my previous information, appeared just at a point from which this point had withdrawn. Our descending barrage shattered it.