THE GAZA BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1917, Page 6

THE GAZA BATTLE.

ARMORED CARS' DASH. FIXE WORK BY Till: NEW ZEALAND TROOPS. (By W. T. Massey). With the Desert Column. For two days the troops of the Egyption Expeditionary Force |have been engaging the Turk in the neighborhood of Gaza. Where all the troops did well, it is difficult to mention particular instances. Anzacs, Yeomanry, and infantry all did magnificently. Of many deeds which will stir every Briton's blood I will describe two. One concerns the New Zealanders. A brigade, ordered to assist the infantry attack at half-past four iwith the Yeomanry, took an important ridge and proceeded across the flats, strongly opposed by the enemy, who were in pits behind dense cactus hedges. These were deadly obstacles, but they were quickly carried. The New Zealanders went on, got into position, and rushed an enemy battery, capturing 200 men and some howitzers, ] which the enemy made frequent and desperate attempts to regain. Finally the enemy gunners and some infantry entered a country house a hundred yards off and endeavored to prevent the removal of the guns. New Zealanders refused t< leave them. They loaded them and turned them against the house until it was demolished and the occupants killed. Then the Turkish infantry tried to rush the guns, hut were driven off with the bayonet. BRAVE NEW ZEALANDERS. Darkness now set in, and the New Zealanders were ordered to retire, but they would not come away without the guns. They brought them back to our lines this morning. The New Zealanders' casualties during the day were two killed and twenty-nine wounded. They

took 235 prisoners and probably killed and wounded as many more.

One instance of dashing bravery relates to tHe work of the armored ears. Tho armored cars went out yesterdayafternoon to assist keeping off 5000 reinforcements from i..e Huj area. They co-operated so well that the whole of the enemy were held up at ft critical period. When it became darJc the cars retired, with an officer walking in front to find a practicable path over much broken countrv. They proceeded at walking pace for four t hours, when the crows were al-

lowed to sleep until four this morning. Then they made ready to proceed.

An officer who went ahead in an unarmored car to roconndttre saw at once that he was confronted by a large body of enemy outposts only a hundred yards ahead, who immediately opened fire. He abandoned the staff car, ran to the armored cars, and ordered the attack. EIGHT CARS AGAINST 5000 'INFANTRY.

It proved to be an amazing fight of eight cars against 5000 infantry. The car.'i pushed forward, having to find paths over ground full of deep holes. The enemy tried with all his might to stop the armored cars, but the latter! fought, sometimes in line, sometimes in column, and mowed down the Turfco at ranges of between twenty-five and 300 yards. They came through the whole 0000 Turks in two hours with one kil v j<V and four wounded, inflicting, at a conservative estimate, 350 casualties. After they readied our lines the bullet marks on ihc turrets showed that the Turkish musketrv is not always bad. It is marvellous that the crews suffered so little.