POLDERHOEK CHATEAN

Taihape Daily Times, 22 March 1918, Page 3

POLDERHOEK CHATEAN

POLDERHOEK CHATEAU, AN ATTACK THAT FAILED, STIFF FIGHTING AGAINST STRONG POSITIONS. (Prom Malcolm Boss War Correspondent with, the N.Z. Forces in the Field) Before the war Polderhoek Chateau was one of those pleasant B'elgian country houses situated in the midst of beautiful woods and cultivated fields. But some time since the chateau and its contents went the way of all such things in the German war zone. The trees were whittled bare of branch and leaf, and the fields were no longer good to look upon. In all this region the Germans had made what, in the language of the soldiers, are known as “strong points,” Gravel and cement and iron had been brought up, and out of these materials, some of which we suspect came from England, strong dugouts and “pill-boxes,” that could withstand heavy shelling, had been fashioned. In these the German machine-gunners, bombers, and riflemen sheltered ready to repel any onslaught that might be projected. It fell to the lot of the New Zealanders to attempt the capture of the position The attack was on a narrow front of about only five hundred yards, and, consequently, only a limited number of troops were employed. They were men from Canterbury and Otago—the latter on the right, the Canterburys on the left fronting the chateau. Some were seasoned troops with experience in this kind of welfare, but there was also a sprinkling of the later reinforcements, whose tfianing and experience of strenuous battle was, naturally, more limited. THE ATTACK AT NOON. The attack had been timed for the unusual hour of noon, and as there had been no immediate preliminary bombardment it was thought that the enemy would be taken by surprise. And so he was. There had, on preceding days, been some bombardment, but, as must frequently happens in such circumstances, though it had wrought a certain amount of destruction, it had had not succeedcfl in smashing the big shelter at the chateau and some of the stronger “pill-boxes” that commanded the ground over which we had to attack.

Our men had assembled beforehand with only one or two casualties, and at noon the drum-fire of the barrage broke loose, with a smoke barrage from bursting shells by way of screen on the flanks. The sight was a picturesque one, the smoke shells bursting in the air and trailing down in long fleecy whitish grey columns, expanding as they reached the ground into one thick cloud. Shielded to some extent by these smoke screens from observation, and under cover of the protecting barrage from the artillery and the machine-guns, our men went forward. Except for the short fire of one battery the barrage was excellent. As one officer described it afterwards, it went like a set piece. The short fire of this battery, however, undoubtedly caused some casualties in our attacking waves, but that is one of the recognised fortunes, or rather misfortunes of modern war.

For the first hundred yards all went well. Oliiccrs and men strode forward with elan, across the open ground towards the Chateau and the tree trunks of what had been Polderhoek Wood. Meantime the enemy had sent his S.O.S. soaring heavenward, and in six minutes his stopping barrage had come down, while his machine-guns were spitting venomously from the Chateau and the adjacent “pill-boxes,” The German gunners on Chelevelt Eidge added their streams of machine bullets to those already sweeping the position, and officers and men began to fall. One officer with an n.c.o. from a company that was suffering severely from machine-gun fire directed from' a “pill-box” in front, went gallantly forward, rushed, the position and captured the machine-gun and eight of the crew. His bravery enabled the advance at this spot to continue and throughout all the fighting this officer continued to send valuable information back to headquarters. Twice he was bruised by fragments of bursting shells yet he came back through heavy ma-chine-gun fire to report to his com > - manding officer, then rejoined his company and afterwards superintended the work of consolidation. THE ADVANCE HELD UP.

Meantime the Otagos had been suffering rather severely. The Chateau and one particularly well-placed pillbox” were instrumental in stopping their advance. But their officers gallantly strove against ‘the odds, setting a brave example to their men, till two of them were killed and no fewer than six wounded. Some of them got within thirty or forty yards of the

Chateau, and were attempting to envelop it on the right and left, but the back entrance was commanded by cunningly-placed “pill-boxes farther back, from which cross machine-gun fire could be brought to bear on it. There was a withering fire from these strong points, and also form some concealed machine-guns protected by steel plates in positions slightly in advance. The German scheme of defence is so arranged that soon after a strong point or “pill-box” is captured by our men the enemy is ready to shell it and also to pour machinegun fire from positions still farther back on to the entrances, which are at the back and so face his guns. There are no front entrances, so that the enemy has protection whilst he is being atacked, but is enabled, when the position is captured, to fire into it. So long as he “pill-box” is held by his men they keep sending up flares in indication of their tenancy. When the flares no longer go up he knows that we have either knocked it out or captured it, and directs his fire accordingly- ! !.'

Three Otago officers were killed or wounded in an endeavour to take tlie Chateau, and several of their men fell gallantly by their side. One strong point that had been pracically untouched by our shell fire sheltered about eighty of the enemy with four machine-guns, and this proved an insuperable obstacle in the advance. While the attack was hied up, more especially on the left, the Canterbury’s according to plan, formed a defensive flank on the right facing the Ghelevelt position. But all attempts were in vain, and by 1.40 p.m., despite the most gallant individual efforts on the part of certain officers and men, it seemed as if little further ground could be won. Reinforcements failed to make the necessary impression, and the Chateau remained in German hands. The New Zealanders then settled down to consolidate the little ground they had won.

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