FOE'S WASTE OF LIFE.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 May 1918, Page 6

FOE'S WASTE OF LIFE.

THE NEW ATTACK METHOD. (Official Correspondent with A .1.F.) LONDON, April 24! The method of the German attack which has been practised continuously by them m the back areas in the winter has so far consisted of a short, suddcu bombardment of the whole area immediately behind our lines, reaching from the centre to seven or eight miles behind our front. The object is to dislocate the rear areas and wipe out the supports. The front line itself is comparatively undisturbed at first. Trench mortars, of which the enemy has produced a great number, presently start butting gaps through the wire before the front line and gradually lengthen on to the front, trenches. Just before an attack, a barrage from the field guns, which has been previously shifting over the whole area, concentrates on the front line. Then, having spent these three or', four hours in a bombardment, with a view to drenching our guns in gas, and breaking up the garrison in our support trenches, the German infantry attacks with many close waves of infantry, immediately followed by of infantry, immediately followed by a certain number of field guns.

From that moment the whole initiative passes to the commanders of any company, battalion, or division which manages to make headway. There is no artillery barrage creeping across the country. The guns 'merely lengthen their range and shoot at whatever places ser»m important in the back area. Orders to the infantry oppear to be simply to go ahead, and make use of whatever success they can obtain by creeping behind the flanks, and establshing isolated machine-guns as far as possible in the rear of the British. From this time onward, the German infantry and machine-guns try to creep down the valleys and work up in the rear to any strong position on the hills. Their staffs appear to have been "instructed not to attack difficult points unless forced to do so, but endeavour to probe through easier places, wherever they can, and by doing so outflank strong points. Whenever our line is forced to retire, the Germans move across country against rearguard skirmishers ahead of the main body, the advancing infantry in waves behind them being ready to deploy when the next opposition is encountered. In this process, howevre, points where the line is held up, especially on the> flank's advance, have to be attacked, ind, if possibe stormed. Here the Germans throw in men regardless of cost often without driving in more than two or three hundred yards, as at Dernancourt. When the line finally becomes fixed the only method of f* rther progress is a full-dress battle again, either at the hinge of the previous advance or elsewhere.

German prisoners all say that this battle is the last in the war. They say they expect to win, but whether they win, or lose they say that the war will end after this. The German commanders are using quite mercilessly divisions which have already Been thrown in, in order to conserve their fresh divisions for later stages of the battle. The German spirits will continue ' high till the mounting-up losses and diminishing success gradually force home to them that the whole offensive is one ghastly, hopeless waste of life.

Eegarding the losses, it can only be said that, wherever we had an opportunity of testing them, it proved, what one always believed —that, even in the heaviest days of the tremendous defensive fighting, our losses have always so far proved smaller than were at first expected, and far smaller than they would be in an equally stiff attack. There is no question, that the attack is, as I believe it always has been in this war, much more expensive than the defence.

As to the health of the troops it is wonderful how the men preserved their high spirits during the recent snow and rain. Australians, fighting next to the French at Hangard, at one time came on to the German prisoners asleep behind a bank, lying in straw. Elsewhere were seen Germans taking hay from stacks, and 'mattresses on donkeys from houses. Two marched into our lines by mistake, driving a donkey piled with bedding. The weather at the front is still cold, but brighter. The total Australian casualties among the whole five divisions during the recent offensive, are less than the Fifth Division's casualties at Fleurbaix in July, 1917.