BATTLE OF THE SOMME.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1916, Page 6

BATTLE OF THE SOMME.

4 new zealanders in it. ADVANCE INTO EKEMY TERRITORY. I (From Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the N.Z. ForeesJ. Divisional Headquarters, September 17. Thursday broke fine with passing clouds and a keen wind a'fbr the rain. As the day wore on the visibility increased, and our guns continued the bombardment with vigor, sending a veritable rain of shell \ into the enemy's territory. That night the men had a very cold tiiuo in the .renchef. Even with blankets on a camp bod, on, woke fri.juently with th.- cold. "B'ut the New Zealanders were hardy fellows, and keen for the afrtack. Thev bore the discomfort cheerfully. Day'b-oke with a red dawn, and a three-quarter moon " clear sky. On the horizon, over the battle front, there hung a pall of dark smoke and cloud. Out of this our aeroplanes came flying, like black 1 ts against the sky, 'looking for the enemy planes and bringing back messages to Brigade and Corps Headquarter.'. Our guns seemed to be flashing everywhere over a wide area. They clustered on reverse slopes, and were hidden in valleys.

THE FIRST BARRAGE. Soon after f; o'clock the first barrage was put or X -Man's Land, some two hundred jards in front of one part of the line. This was a front line trench almost on the cr:.» of the ridge between High Wood sr.d Dclville Wood, opposite Bazer.tin-lc-Grand. It was a tremendous barrage and it extended all n long the line cu either fide of our position. The ridge for miles wag one continuous line of flashing fire and clouds and pillars of smoke, and the noise of the gun:, rejolvcd itself into a pulsating sound a: of thousands of drums beaten with evcr-ini'reasing energy. Away on the left beyond the New Zealand position there was a pvrotech nic display—apparently German. A shell burst agai:>f.t the dar); h?ck-ground, with a beautiful falling shower of brilliant red sparks. A moment later a pillar of grey smol-.c shot rkyward. Whether it was g gar barrage or merely a smoke cloud meant simply io obreure observation we could not understand. As a spectacle it was a success.

THE "EYES' 1 OF THE ARMY. By this time our aeroplanes, flying bravely low over the enemy lines, were being peppered by anti-aircraft guns, the black puffs of the fierman high explosive showing inky black against the pale morning sky. But while we watched none were hit. Then the sun, gilding the eastern clouds, came with a rush out of the pall of cloud. By 7 o'clock the crest of the rounded ridge was blotted out in the pall of ashen grey. Above this the swift-fly-ing pluaej bs'jjn io catch the silver glint of the rio.'n sun. Below was the flashing gold of flame that came from the batteries' throat.". Every hundred yards o< so of hollow and -judge-side seemed to shield a flashing "tin.

On the crest of the ridge on which I stood a circling piano dropped a rocket, indicated by it-, steely glare. This dona, it sailed away for further nows of the time of war that had begun to flow over the German lines. While the battle din did not die down to any noticeable degree, the smoky pall incruurd. High Wood and Delvilh Wood were no longer seen. The dismembered tree trunks ol Bazentin-le-Pr.tit di&ippeand slowly from sight. Then the ever-increasing cloud descended up on the Bois-de-Mamet;,, wreathing finger;; about its higher slopes and down the shallow gullies into the wain valley, till at last even its gaur.t tree" faded from view.

STREAMS OF SHELLS. Overhead all thh time t'.io streams of shell came, rending tin air with a noise as of tearing canvas or coming with a slow, whirring whistle, according la their character and purpose. jor days find nights past the ammunition column-, had been feeding the batteries with untiring energy, and ever an they piled up the lucaps of shell the tired gunner', working in twelve-hovr chifts, were as quickly pulling them down. Fe-,v t'lerman shells came our way. Their gunners were too biwy in r. vain struggle with the onrushiii" tide of "tin? contempt!' 'e little army." The fir;t n?v.r. to co»"C down from our line;. war. good. It improved as the day wore on. Tt w.13 ri,t long before gienps of prisoners and streams of lightly-wounded began 'to troop along the dusty ror.ds. Later, on the .stretehen and in the field ambulances, came 51 .ore serious crises. The tide of battle was rolling on t.o som: purpose. We were bending the German lino again. Tin, proportion of officer. 1 to men captured was the usua 1 proportion of one to forty. Then men in many-instances carried with them loaves of their black bread. They were well supplied with cigars and cigarettes, and for a time the New Zeelinders had no lack' of good enioki.ig. The officer. apparently lived well, and even had wine in tiieir dng-onto. They -.■■.rried excellent revolver:., rhieh fired a bullet blunted at the end—a bullet that apparently would not make a woivc wound tlir.t the rounded-nosed 'bullet of our ordinary service revolver.

TIIE >TE(V ZEALAND ATTACK. Tlso iTow Zee.hrd?rf. had Id attack on a lino between High Wood aiul llclvil'.e Wood in the direction of Flers villiags. English divisions were to nttack on the right and left at the same time. The first serious obstacle was the Switch Trench, which e?.me down from High Wood on the left, and ran l'irrJit. neror.; their front well forward of Mvillc Wood. A thousand yards aliead of the Switch Trench was another German trench with tv.M jlmrp salients in it that would permit of enemy enfilading fire where our men had to cross it. Three hundred aud .">OO yards ahead of the second abjective were two more trenches, one comin? down from the left and jcining the end of Flat Trench, which, by the way. was continued across-- the front of Flers village to th» right, and the other, known as Flers support trench. Away on our right was Flers village, with it distant corner jf it jutting ~ut into our line of advance, which cornei our men had to capture, the British troops on lour right takii.g the rest of the village, which was a straggling street with houses oil each side of it, and a '1 street running across it at the farther end. Ti. wjis the Ipff-linml corner of the T that the Ne\v Zealanders had to take. Beyond the two trenches last-mentioned ad joining on to the left top of the T

was a sunken road five or six feet deep with dug-outs. It Iropped down into a little valley on the left. One of the strong points of the short fort trench protecting the left top of tne village rested on this sunken road. The general line of advance was down a gentlysloping spur that petred out about 1200 yards beyond the village.

The Germans, by this time thoroughly scared and greatly demoralised, came running towards them with theii hands up endeavoring to make their cry of "Kamerad" heard above the roar of the guns and the bursting, shells. Others legged it down the opposite slope for all they were worth. Those who remained in the trench in many instances fought gamely, but they did not last long and few prisoners were taken. A German threw a bomb at the feet of one of our men, but it did not explode. At once he put up his hands and yelled "Kamerad." "I'll give yon 'Kamerad,'" shouted the New Zealander aa he ran him through with his bayonet. It did not take long to clean up this trench. In le.T, time than it takes to write all this the New Zealanders were masters of the situation. These men remained in possession of the Switch Trench.

Meantime the leading troops of the Rifle Brigade were coming on behind. They passed over tilt Switch Trench, and lay down under protection of the barrage some three hundred vnrds beyond. At (1.40 the barrage heoan to creep slowly fonvard, the men following it. They followed it rather too eagerly. They complained that it was too slow for them. But the fact of the mater was that tluiir blood wag tip, and they could not brook delay. In a way it was a good fault—much better than hanging back. But infantry must realise nowadays that it is their duty to go slbwly forward with the barrage and not run into it. If there is a barrage accurately timed all along the line its speed forward car. :ot be altered to suit the impulsiveness or the slowness of the men of different divisions. The mattei is all carefully thought out beforehand, and the speed of the "lift" arranged to the best advantage,

OUR TROOPS GO FORWARD. At fi.2o a.m. n deadly barrage from many, guns burst with a roar along the front' line. The barrage crept on so that 0111 attacking men could follow it leisurely, protected f''om the cnemys fire. Field guns and howitzers were liFed on approximately the same targets. Tn addition to these guns the heaviei howitzers proceeded to shell objective after objective, taking in the first Flers trench and the Flers support trench on the way. There was no cheering as they went over the parapet, but most of them were light-hearted and tiiey chaffed one another as they rose to the attack. In places the barrage was a little bit short, and caused casualties in their ranks, but under all the circumstances that is inevitable in this kind of warfare. Immediately in front of them was J weakly-hold German trench. This they toot in their stride, and the few Germans in it go* short shrift. They went slowly forward behind the barrage on towards the Sv itch trench, walking with heads erect as if they were 011 parade Their splendid courage might well btf envied by almost any troops. These were the Aucklanders and the Otagos. The "tanks'' were to have cone on in advance of them, but were late coming lip, so the New Zealander?. had not the expected support' that they had hoped for from these new engines of war. Meantime the German gunners had open ed with a deadly hail of shrapnel and high explosive, and the ranks began to grow thinner. The Otagos 011 Lhe left got it hottest, as the enemy was paying particular attention to the, Iligh Wood sector of the line on which they abutted. They wrc loth to los? High Wood, one of their few remaining points of observation along this front. Our men came into what they said wa", a regular hell of fire. But they went on without any halt—on towards tlx fammis .Switch Trench. They had already captured a msehiiie gun. From the Switch Trench they were met with machine-gun fire, and later with bomb?.

Lying down under the shelter of the barrage in front of the Switch Trencli the Rifle Brigade, or ,as their comrades call thein, " The Dinks," were ready to move towards the second objective. By 7.50 a.m. the carrage. wai again lifted to a position in front of the third objective, allowing the infantry to follow up at the rate of about fifty yards a minute. This second objective was Flat Trench, already referred to. Our men took it without trouble, some of the enemy occupying it surrendering, others running away, anil the remaining ones being shot, bayoneted, or bombed

THE ADVANCE CONTINUED. All this time other companies of the Rifle Brigo.de were coming on steadily behind, and the leading waves having successfully assaulted the second objective, those detailed for t-lie next objective succeeded in talcing both tins Flers trench and the Flers support trench, and, passing over them, placed themselves close under the barrage some tv.-o or three hundred yards ahead. At least an hour before noon the brigade had taken mcst of the Flora support trench. About this time one of the cruisers charged into the Flow villa*? in front of the cheering British troops The New Zealanders swept on past t'j corner of Flers village, some of them going through the" left of it, and soon wore reported to be holding on the line of the third objective, ahead nr.d on the left ol Flers. it, was a niaamfieent performance. On this part of the front tluNew Zealanders went furthc-st. that day, but it is only fair to s.iy thai. the troops on the right and tho left of the New Zealanders had a hardei row to hoe

NEW ZIIALANBERS HARD PRESSED. Those advanced v:ave= of the Xev Zeal linden iad had f nnd were now being hard pressed. They hart to stand n htv.vv fire from high oxplosives and shrapnel. They lud lost several of their office:'.-:, and a captain with tiie machine-gun .vetion \va- badly wounded in the leg:, head. and hand. It was four hour.? before lie could receivs attention, but h-.i \n.r. very brav", and when the General's A.fi.C. subsequently '."o'.iiul him in si casualty clear ing station lis c. message back by him that lie was very sorry he had not boon able to see it out. It became difficult for Iheie advanced naves of the brigade to hang on, but parties of th? Wellington- West a:id Hawke's Bay men came up just in flic nick of time a;;d eas?d the situation by holding a short line behind the P.ifle Brigade's advanced position, running fr:im the c.ul of their line back to the e:.d of 'orS trench at the sunken road. During the night our troop; were subjected to a good deal of Mulling. The position was for a time rather an ar.:J ous one, but the men gallant;;- held their ground, and, though iherc \v"-re gaps or. the loft, and the troops on the right had to go back sc.me distance, the Hen Zealanders held grimly on to save the situation. That night they really h:!d Tiers village. •

STILL PUSHING OM. The evening of th* lfith saw the Wellingtons holding a line along Grove alley well on the left front of the village, with outposts in advance of their line! The Canterbury's held a line irom their extreme left going across towaroj and in advance of Flora village, and bending round further forward on the right The Aueklandcrsi were in the two trenches n little further back opposite ihe left of the village, and the Otagos behind them in a trench with patiojs out on the left. The Wellingtons and Canterburya were in reserve behind. Thus in two days lliSy had fought their way through the German lines for a distance of near ly 3000 lines. It was a notable performance. Sir Douglas Haig, the Comman-der-in-Chief. telegraphed his congratulations to all ranks for their successful attacks on the lflth and 10th. He added that the New Zealanders had shown a fine fighting spirit, and admirable energv and dash. .Several corps commanders also wired thiir congratulations.