ICE-BOUND FRONT

Taranaki Daily News, 30 March 1917, Page 6

ICE-BOUND FRONT

BEFORE THE BIG PUSH. DEADLY EARTH CLODS FLUNG UP BY SHELLS. (By H. M. Tomlinson ie the Daily News.) British Army in the Field, Sunday, January 28. It was certain that a spell of hard, bright weather this winter would undeceive the Germans, who were cosy in the assurance that they had baffled ns on the Somme, and that their period oi anxiety was ended. It is hard to believe that anybody could ever have supposed that the Somme aii'air was over. Yet I learn to-day that the attack south of Le Transloy took the Germans there by surprise; with the result that we captured an excellent position, three machine guns, took sis officers and 'A3i other prisoners of a reserve Bavarian regiment, Konigen Olga's Guards, in the process: maintained, wired, and consolidated the new ground in spite of several counter-attacks, and did it all at a cost—l have seen our casualty figures—which is incredibly low. Our troops concerned were Irish and North British.

;., THE "MISSING" HABIT, ■ Some of Ms documents winch have come our way—because lie left them behind, being in a hurry—show that clearly enough. His men on certain sectors got to losing themselves, and then found, to their surprise and annoyance, that they were in British lines. It would be ftoo much to say that this developed into a sort of habit, but it happened often enough for the- German local command to note "the increased number of missing." Obstacles were then ordered to bo strengthened before the German front line, which served the double purpose of making it difficult for us to get in and the Boche to lose himself. I hasten to add—as some irrepressible optimists are always listening for far more than is said—that I do not think the Boche is cracking up. Far from it. He is still a bonny fighter; bub now and then he does give signs that his heart has been overwrought. Certainly what he now confronts is bleak enough to daunt the best of men. No wonder at times he ardently desires peace; as we have plenty of proof that he does. THE TABLES TURNED. ' What is it that the experienced German soldier knows, and that, the peopli in England only dimly guess? There was a time, n'ot so long ago, when if was heart-breaking then to realise, a! one easily did whenever on? was in tin line, that the strength o' "iir number! and the power of our i dtio'- work: were insufficient for our .Jlowi in an} fire trench to rely on much I ut ihei. own ability to stick it till they dropped, That L not good for men to know who have already borne the heat and burden of many attacks, and are becoming numbed through patient endurance of a deplorable winter while the foe lavishes ; over them his abundant munitionmenfc. Tommy looked anxiously for hi*, ■ backing, and it naturally seemed to him long in coining. The Boche knew all ) that. He "didn't half let us forget it, i either/' as Tommy would say. t Now, just at a time when his leaders J assured him the end would be, and he * was to go home victorious as the reward 1 for his valor, the enemy finds he can't e go, and has no idea when he may, be- - cause we have developed a perfectly prodigal way of making fearful trouble. At present, too, the battlefields are ice-bound. Instead of sinking into nmtl and bursting deeply, the shells scatter clods widely that are as dangerous as metal. The mud lias congealed into concrete. The cold is polar. The wind cuts like flinders of glass. The bombs and rifle grenades burst as though in narrow corridors of masonry. You need the assurance of having the upper hand of your opponent to endure these Arctic conditions on the front line, especially when food is not so lavish, regular and good as it might be. And the Boche lias lost that assurance.

■Perhaps the loss of that, as much as anything, gave our troops the great advantage near Le Transloy on the Kaiser's birthday. Their own assurance, too, U fine. "We've got him now," is their usual comment. They certainly had dim there. Moreover, the enemy cannot pretend that he never guessed we should want to take the position we now occupy. It gives us an uninterrupted view into the valley in which the village rests.

LE TRANSLOY ATTACK. At Le Transloy yesterday our men got out of their trenches as soon as our guns began. The enemy had not been allowed to wire his position there. The attack, on a front of over 1000 yards, was carefully planned and balanced. It was workto perfection. The enemy was thinking ive were giving him the usual morning punishment when he found he was surrounded. There was no machine gun fire. The Boche had no time to get the things up. I am told perhaps that not cne of the enemy was killed in the affair, except in two isolated trenches where he fought gallantly but hopelessly. He was taken prisoner in one practically intact parcel, being found sheltering in the dug-outs of a sunken road running south from the village towards Morval. Motor-buses were waiting for him, and he was at once run out of danger, on schedule time. He gave no trouble, no doubt seeing it would be on idle waste of time. These Bavarians were fine fellows who confess they had been fed in a manner rare to-day in the German army. They were selected men, worth more meat and potatoes than the average German. When he thought he knew how matters stood—though he did not—the Boche got his guns to work. Several times be massed for a counter rush, but each time' he was caught disastrously. We 1 hold what we gained.