BRITAIN'S EARNEST FEAT

Taihape Daily Times, 27 December 1918, Page 5

BRITAIN'S EARNEST FEAT

CROSSING THE ST. QUENTIN

GAN iL,

The solid fighting qualities of the Briton have been demonstrated again and again in the bloody battles of this war, but the deed conceded to. be the greatest feat ever performed by British division was accomplish,! in the fighting around St. Quentin, says the New York Globe. The Forty-sixth, commanded by a major-general who was a private in the South African war, according to Associated Press dispatches, first crossed the Hindcnburg Line at the St. Quentin Canal, north of Bellenglise, last Sunday. That is the bar© statement. This is the deed: —

“Unable to see twenty feet ahead of them because of the dense fog, the soldiers followed the explosion of their barrage to the canal banks, where they plunged into the water. The opposite bank was lined with German machine guns. Behind, between two hills, the Germans had their fiield guns', but fhe /British didn’t find that out till later. When they plunged into the w T atcr some of the British had lifebelts, others swam across, and some made their way hand over hand f on lifelines, all through a terrific hail of, machine gun bullets, which sprayed and enfiladed the. ranks. I

“Once they gained the other bank the British fought their way up slippery canal banks, went over the German parapets, and finished off hundreds of Huns with bayonets, rifles, and pistols. The smoke barrage and terrific bombardment from the British cannon had kept those field guns- between the hills, and behind rather quiet, but 'when Itiho other bank had been gained the Gorman guns spoke. The 77’s fired at pointblank range, with open sights, at the advancing English soldiers, who charged into the mouth of the guns. 'Luckily the shots went over the heads of the North Midlands Division. The British finally reached the guns, and bayoneted every German gunner. ■" “After they had crossed the canal one party of Englishmen was sent to one end of the Bellcnglise tunnel and another to the other end .There were immediate signs that the tunnel was full of men. One screaming shot from a captured German howitzer into the mouth of the tunnel, and the Huns literally poured out, their hands in the dir, shouting ‘Kamerad. ’ “The operations of the day netted the Forty-sixth Division 4,200 prisoners, 70 cannon, more than 1,000 machine guns, and a great quantity of other -war material.’ ’

It is by fighting such as this that the Hindenburg Line was broken. It is by fighting such >as this that the German military power will be destroyed.