WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 April 1918, Page 6

WITH THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

. - DEEDS OF GALLANTRY, ~’ r • i ' PLANS OF THE ENEMY, r EVIDENCE FROM A DIAEYa U ’ April 7. The enemy made another attempt to attach the New Zealanders last evening, but was promptly stopped, mainly by the artillery barrage. During the recent fighting there - been some splendid individual rice la of gallantry of officers and men. Perhaps the finest of these was performed by a captain in a Waikato compayn. When his commander, a young Aucklander, was wounded in the attack opposite Serre Eoad, he took command. The company was hung up by severe machine-gun fire. An advance of 45 yards was made into a depression ,where they again got into attacking formation. The machinegun fire at this time was terrific. Just before the moment of attack the captain climbed out of the depression and walked along the top calling to his men to “take no notice of those damned things,” meaning the ma-chine-gun bullets, which were thudding into the ground all about him. His puttees were cut by some of the bullets. The men,'inspired by his splendid leadership, went forward with great dash and gained their objective. He timself rushed forward to one iha-cMne-gun position and killed a German officer who was escaping. This officer and his men had been travelling for five days with only about two nights’ deep, and had marched 30 miles, 10 miles of which immediately preceded the attack. RESCUE OF THE WOUNDED. On the following day he ascertained that some of his men were wounded, whereupon he crossed , the railway line which was swept by machinegun fire and bombed by trench. mortars, and, taking one of the wounded on his shoulders, carried him by relay to a place of safety in the support line. Fifteen minutes later he came back and carried off another man. On the third cay several of his men were buried by the burst of a heavy bomb. A sergeant, who had extricated himself found his officer digging out other men with his hands. He had already dug out one private, and was working away to get out. a second man, which he succeeded in doing. He then superintended the evacuation of these wounded men, after which he returned to the front line to see that his company was all right. All the time the locality was being swept by machinegun fire, and bombs were bursting quite close. Some illuminating evidence of the failure of the German plans has just been obtained from the dairy of an officer killed by the New Zealanders.

This diary begins in a joyful strain ' about the prospects of the great drive. The objective was an advance due west towards the coast at Abbeville, the plan being to separate England and France. The chief blows were to be against the English because it was thought if England and France were separated the war would end quickly. * ‘Every thing,’ ’ continued the diary, * ‘has been planned, and it is impossible to fail. All possibilities are thought out and met, and if the attack fails in one place it is immediately to be broken off and another place tried.” The attack was to be in three places.” ENEMY ORGANISATION ’ BREAKING. As the days pass the diary begins to assume a pessimistic tone. Bombs damaged the German transport, and the attack in this sector without artillery preparation failed. Then every movement came a different order, indicating want of organisation of the enemy plans. The British shrapnel was searching the ground. New orders arrived and the unit marched southward 12J miles in spite of heavy rain. The Bapaume road was blocked with transport, and there was awful mud. The roads were bottomless. The division, had extra artillery but was held up by clever ely-hidden machine-guns. There were many casualties. Here there is the signifcant entry, f, We have to start trench warfare again since the English are very strong.” On March 30 they had made little progress, with fairly heavy losses, and the diarist hoped to join a more successful group farther south, because “here the resistance is too strong for us.” Then the division was to be relieved, and there was to be no more offensive there at present. On April 1 they learnt they were to take part in the next attack and force the passage of the Ancre. The division was i n the Hebuterne —Sugar Factory sector to attack Colincamps. There was tremendous traffic on the Bapaumc-Cara-brai road. The roads wore and often blocked by traffic. The diary continues; “At 2 a.m., we got

away. It is pitch dark and raining. There are numberless holes and old trenches. We got into a burst of fire, ne shell lauded between two platoons, several being killed and wounded. We arrived at 7 a.m. The battalion had lost itself during the night, and we not in the right place, but it is too late to change now. It is an awful mix up. We are about a mile south of Hebuterne. In front of us we have inhabited country. The weather is horrible by doy. We are in an old English trench. It is very difficult owing to five o.r six battalions being mixed up.” It was at this stagb the diarist and his men met the New Zealanders. There was a further “mix up,” and one more German diary came to an abrupt end.