THE WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 February 1918, Page 6

THE WESTERN FRONT.

THE ENEMY AND HIS LOSSES.

Cases have been previously mention- . ed of the German artillery ranging incorrecly and shelling their own lines. Another agreeable instance has come to light in the captured memorandum of a regimental comander, who makes a formal report of the misbehaviour of the artillery, which for 20 minutes shelled his line. About 30 shells he says, fell on his positions, so that the men were obliged to scatter and go out into the crater area, where the English discovered and turned machine-gu»s on them. "I wish," he says, "to bring this regrettable incident to the notice of the proper authorities." The report is extremely formal, but the'Regimental Commander was evidently extremely angry when he wrote it. A letter from a man of one of the pjonel-r companies draws a terrible picture of the losses that we have inflicted. "In four days," he writes, "the Englishman has smashed seven of our divisions. Yeterday two companies of our infantry were buried." I'Tom another regiment a company commander reports his company of 140 reduced to a total strength of IS. One of the worst sufferers I have already reported as being the 233rd Reserve Infantry Regiment. In a report, an officer of that regiment says that the whole second' battalion was captured yesterday morning. The third battalion is almost annihilated and "there will not be many left of my first battalion." The regiment, he says, has lost almost all its officers. Besides the artillery, the German infantry also complain of Tneir airmen We are constantly getting reports from captured German officers and so forth that, in i the early morning hours especially, their airmen, do not put in an appearance, while "the English come and fire on us in the trenches from a height of 50 metres.' That there is truth in this we know. On one

day recently nine of our airmen came l»ack having fired among them over 10,000 rounds from machine-guns on the men in the trendies and shellholes or moving along the roads.

15 GERMAN TO 5 B'BITTSH

AIRMEN,

The air fighting lately has been very bitter, the German tactics now being generally to fly in large squadrons. Thus, recently, 10 German machines attacked one British which was having a disagreeable time when, happily, another British patrol came along

and threw itself into tTie melee. One German machine was sent crashing down, and the enemy formation was broken up and withdrew, wnile our machines came safely home. In another case five of our machines fell in with 15 Germans, and a truly

gorgeous fight followed. One of our men was attacked by three of the enemy, but shot down one in flames, Another, similarly outnumbered, also accounted for one of the enemy. A third machine had a royal time. He

was attacked by what is vaguely called a large number of enemies, one of which, came close alongside, but before it could do any harm the struts of iEs planes were shot away, the two wings, on one side crumpled together, and the maauine went whirling Sown. Almost simultaneously another German crossed in front of the BriTSsh machine, and received the next trarst from the machine-gun. It broke into flames, and crashed to earth a mass of .fire. A third enemy ranged alongside, and was sent down out of control, and

ihen the British pilot thought he had done enough, and made for home. He was chased, by yet another enemy of the 15, and suddenly our man when close to the lines, with the German only 200 yards behind, throttled down and checked to let the enemy pass him. As he passed a burst of fire from the British machine sent him toppling

down to the ground. With six machines to their credit, four of which had been brought down by one, our men came home content. Similar cases, where three of our machines, were attacked by eight

or more. Germans have been not in-

frequent, and the whole record of our ■ Flying Corps in this area has been extraordinarily fine.