GOOD WORK OF A "TANK."

Taranaki Daily News, 26 January 1917, Page 7

GOOD WORK OF A "TANK."

THE ENEMY ROUTED.

AN ADVENTUROUS DAY. A non-commissioned officer of the Warwickshire frcgiment who has been serving with a "tank" on the Sommo tells h graphic story of his adventures. "Our ship," he said, "was dubbed His Majesty's Tank Birmingham, because it was chiefly manned by Birmingham chaps belonging to a battalion of the Warwick.?. The first day. we were out it was a bit queer, and I didn't think I was going to like it, but we soon got used to it, and then rather enjoyed the fun of it. The Germans didn't, I can tell you.

"Wc sailed up to their first-line triueh, and started to drop a few complimentary messages from our guns. Then a lot of the Huns stuck their heads up over the parapet to see what was the matter. They, ducked mighty ouick, and we had an easy time for half-an-hour or so. Then' an officer dashed up, followed by a party of Hunt He came straight towards us. Evidently he fancied it was an ordinary armored car that could be tackled with, comparative ease, for his men had a, couple of machine-guns, with which they played on ua.

"Of course, it wasn't any good. We opened fire and swept the whole lot of the enemy away. The officer was the fust to go under. The rest of the men took to their heels and left their ma-chine-gun behind them. After that they wouldn't stand up against us. They bolted whenever wc appeared, and wc had a rare old game with them right along the whole line ot irenches.

1 "THE TIMR OF OUR LIVES." "Our battalion of the Warwicks was at first as much surprised as the Germans at what the tanks could do, hut °oon thiy took it as a joke. The battaiion was ordered to advance against some trenches from which previous efforts to drive the foe had failed. Wo Menu in support. The battalion was under heavy fire al! the time, and must have suffered n lot. but they would have suffered more had it not been for the way the old Birmingham kcut down the enemy's fhv As we got near wl simply pumped leap into the enemy right and left, and swept the blessed trench from end to end with as liberal a dose of fire as any trench ever got ; n this war.

The enemy were off like frigMcned rats, and dashed along their burrows in terror. We got along after them with the Warwickshire lads in our wake, and we had the time of our lives. At one place a company of Hanoverians tried to stand against us. They held up the infantry for a time with their machinc-gi-ns, but they nearly had fits when they saw us sail up.

E.XEMY DRIVEX FROM LAIRS, "We didn't waste much time. We simply rained h-11 on them. They were scared out of their wits by our appearance. Some of ihem were too frightened to run for it, and simply flopped vhere they were. We laid hold of them end got off again. We gave them i> rough time. "Than tho Warwick lads had a cut in. and started routing the enemy out of their lairs. One batch came rushing up and scurried along the parapet. Wc gr; on to them, and fairly made them skip. We shot thtin down as fas* as we could, and then we rounded up the survivors, who were handed over to our Warwickshire lads. The further we vent the greater was the panic among the enemy, especially when they found that they couldn't burst up 'the old Birmingham by chucking bombs at it

FRIGHTENED GERMANS. "Some of them were in a terrible ra'gc with us for daring to use suc'i :. weapon against tliem, but wo didn't mind that. Tli«y hurried up reinforcements, and tried to drive back the 'Warwick's at two different points while the? were getting to work we dodged around and took them on the flank. They got the fright of their lives. They made oft like greased lightning, und we dashed after them. We drove them right into the arni3 of the W'nnvicks tney wanted to attack, though the eon. ttitions were somewhat different t.; what the enemy hoped to find them. The 'tanks' are fine things for encouraging the enemy to waste their ammunition. They always want to pot at us, and th.->y never gain anything by it. They mioht as well butt their heads agamsi stone walls. Still, if they like it we don't mind, for its all to tlie <rood from | our p&int of view.*