HUN “NERVES.”

Taihape Daily Times, 27 December 1918, Page 5

HUN “NERVES.”

“A HEAVY ATTACK WAS REPULSED.’ 7 v

Sombody fired a casual shot in No Man’s Land. It might have been a sniper taking a pot-shot at a sentry. It might have been a careless soldier with his safety-catch up who had caught his trigger in a twig. But primarily it was a shot. That was enough for 11 Jerry' ’ A working party ou his wire dropped , their tools incontinently and rushed for safety. A rod light soared up from his trenches

The German gunners did not wait for any confirmation of the S.O.S, Right back to Rupprecht of Bavaria the Kaiser’s army on that particular front made up their monds that the great British push was coming at last. An intense barrage fell on the middle of No Man’s Land. Rum-jars whined and sparkled through the air, and came down ”cr-r-ump!” yards away from their targets. Machine-guns rattled and ripped like a wireless apparatus gone suddenly mad. Rifle-fire flashed along the enemy’s parapet, Shrapnel burst and crashed everywhere but in the right place. Very Tights and parachute flares were soaring into the night; and, behind them, so many vari-coloured rockets that

one of our fellows turned to his mate and said, “Look, Jim, they’ve been an’ mixed the bloomin’ boxes!” We bad two patrols out that night. They had a pretty anxious time until they had located the barrage exactly; but after that they simply lounged in comfortable shell-holes with their rifles ready,, and waited for Jerry to come over. But Jerry’s only thought at the moment was to keep us back before we got to grips with troops who ad never heenUahle to stand up to US, ; ;

It was not long before we commenced to get 'in some counter-battery work, and that quite convinced him—of course we were coming over! After that It was sheer pandemonium. Ho loosed off all his gun-weight at us. He unmasked his S.O.S. batteries. We stood on' our fire-steps and watched the fun. As one of our company cooks said: “I’ve paid a shilling before this at the Crystal Palace for a much worse show!” ''- ' \ Of course he stopped at last when he saw that nothing was happening,Some days afterwards read, in the German Official that “on the sector a heavy enemy attack was repulsed with loss.” He had the “wind up” properly!—J.M.X., in the Daily Mail.