WAR NOTES

Taihape Daily Times, 15 November 1917, Page 4

WAR NOTES

THE AUSTRALIANS. BATTLE OF BROOEDSEINDE. London, November^. Brigadier - General Cannan, of Queensland, who is on furlough in London, stated in an interview that he had never seen a cleaner operation during his thre years of service than the Australian attack on Broodseinde.

The attack lasted for sixty hours from the morning of October 4 till the afternoon of October 6. The starting point was Onnebeke Creek,, on a dark, rainy night. Broodseinde was shelled heavily, and a brigade of 3000 strong made the attack, following the barrage Consequent upon the new formation the enemy barrage only punished the rear slightly.

The atackers crossed over the morass on duck-boards. The South Australians rushed the first objective, which w r as Hill 40. The Queenslanders rushed the second objective— Thames Cottage and Alma redoubt. Westralians took the next objective, which was unnamed; and the Queens-? landers took the final objective making a daring crossing of the Tynecot. The most obstinate resistance was encountered here. The embankments of the Ypres-Roulers railway were strongly fortified, but the Australians cleaned up the position. They suffered 600 casualties, including 61 killed. The prisoners taken numbered between 600 and 700 while the enemy killed amounced to 600. The Australians fired 30,000 rounds of German ammunition from the captured machine-guns at the retreating foe. The attackers’ morale was such that they could have followed the enemy to Roulers, or even Ghent, if they had been allowed. They dug in and fired the left flank trenches and repulsed counter-attacks, their guns, breaking up the enemy formations. The Australians, with fixed bayonets, charged in the heaviest counterattacks, and the Germans bolted from thier front line and threw themselvesflat in the mud to escape the steel. As soon as any of the Australianssickened under the prolonged ordeal and the most trying conditions they were relieved from staff headquarters even cooks and bandsmen assisting. When the Australians left the frdai line, the relieving Brigadier said: ‘T have not see better trenches than you’ve dug.” The Australians are now and longing to make another attack.