A REAR ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1915, Page 5

A REAR ATTACK.

SAMPLE OF GERMAN CUNNING. A CLEVER CAPTURE, London, June 22. A good story of German cunning is told by a soldier behind the British lines near Festubcrt of a German motor gun-car and its crew, which had for several days been a source of both worry and wonder to our men, and especially to the Red Cross folk. It appears that a Sunday or two ago the British advanco hospital on the Festubert front was very heavily shelled, had, to change its position on the instant. Next evening, however, at about tho same .hour, the hospital was again shelled and again had to alter its position. Nexl night the place was once more the mark of German shells.' Thp hospital, not taking any chances, moved completely -out of the danger zone, and for several days after all was quiet. Four days after, however, more shells came whizzing and exploding round about the hospital, and a report was laid before the authorities. ;

The report was to the effect that the hospital had been shelled, and that the gun or gun 3 responsible for the bombardment were situated behind our own lines. The authorities acknowledged the report, and the matter ended there until next day, when numbers of missiles began to fall into our first two lines of trenches from behind our lines. This continued for several nights, and still tlie authorities found no solution to tho matter. So regular and so dangerous did this shelling become that our men decided to solve the mystery. An engineer officer procured a piece of sh:;)l fired by the "mystery guns," and finding it to be one evidently emitted by an areoplane gun, he and ?. small party of men set out to look for traces of hostile aircraft behind their lines. THE PUZZLE SOLVED. After a wait of several hours the gnti again fired at our trenches, and the officer saw that it came from land and not from the sky. He was also able to get a rough idea of where the gun was placed, and off the party went. On arriving at the spot—four miles behind t!i,o British reserve trenches—the captain found nothing but a long stretch of bare shell swept country, but hoping tho iiring would begin again next day he decided to wait and see.

Next day at the usual hour the hum of a motor was heard, gradually coming nearer, until it was right in front of the hiding-place of the captain's , little party. The mystery was partly solved, for before them stood a German armored motor-car fitted with an aeroplane gun. The little party rushed out and made ioi tlie car, but the Germans made off at top speed. Tho engineors were unable to follow, but next day a search was opened, and early in the evening the mystery was solved.

The party eamo across the tracks of the car, and following them up tlmy were brought to the mouth of a. carefully concealed cave. Tlie Germans inside had prepared a hot reception for the British, but they were eventually overcome, and the gun, with eight German soldiers and two officers taken captive. Explanations were soon forthcoming. According to the officers taken 111 the cava they had been living there in perfect comfort for noarly three weeks. \Vh<m questioned about the matter one of the Germans gave the explanation:— "Wlien some few weeks ago we were pushed back, we had to leave a lot ol" stuff behind us, and included were the two cars you will find in the cave, both armored and carrying a first-class aeroplane gun each. We left them carefully .hidden here, and were gfling to try to return later. We, however, thought that perhaps we might form a small party to stay behind with the ears, and put them to any use we could. The cave was well stocked with food —mostly tinnedwater and bottled wine and beer and petrol, oil and ammunition enough for many months. We saw many Allied troops pass, and it was only a few days ago we dared to venture out with one of the cars. AH was carefully prepared, and we drove a little way out each evening and fired twenty or thirty rounds at the Allied positions just in front of us ami returned." The German's words were true, for in the cave were piles of stores, oil, petrol and ammunition. Nothing had been forfotten for the comfort of the men, and beds and chairs, etc., were also installed in the cave, and English uniforms were found buried in it,