CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 July 1917, Page 6

CAPTURE OF MESSINES.

■ NEW ZEALANDERS' SUCCESS. STIFF Ficnrixr; IX VILLAGE. Messines, carried by (ho Xew Zealandon .June 7, is one of tho historic hattlr places on the western fronts. The \ \ isehaete-Me-sines Ridge was t]ie most important point 011 the .iiolyian front, anil it possi's.-ion gives the Uritisli domination over the plain of Flanders, and wipes out the salient from which the t 3'," a " s ' lavc always commanded Ypres. Iho story of this great battle, and great victory, for it is really that, cannot he told in a few lines. l>ut it is good enough to know that everywhere our men have succeeded with astonishing rapidity, anil that the plan of battle lias been fulfilled almost to the letter and to the time-tahle," Mr. Philip Gibbs wrote. "The Anzac troops had readied and captured Messines in an hour and forty minutes after the moment of attack, in spite of heavy fighting in tlio German trenches, where many of the enemy were killed. Irish troops—Nationalists and Ulstermen —not divided in politics on the battlefield, but vicing with each other in courage and self-sacrifice, stormed their way up to Wytschaete, and, after desperate, resistance from the enemy, captured all that is left of the famous white chateau, which for years our soldiers have watched through hidden glasses as a far high place, like the castle of a dream. By mid-day our men were well down the further slopes of the ridge. A RIGHT TO BE PROUD.

"The lightly-wounded men are happy and proud of their victory. 'We New Zealanders can afford to bo a little cocky.' said one of these, a bronzed fellow. 'Mv word, T'm glad we had the luck.' TTe was wounded in the foot, hut the man just hugged the news of victory. 'We shiill be no ends stuck up.' he said, and then laughed in a simple way and said. 'l'm glad New Zealand did so 'Well. It's natural. But thev tell me tho Trish were splendid. and the Australians could not be held back. It's cood to have done the iob. and T hope it will help on the end of the war.' That New Zealander spoko tljo thought, of thousands who have been fighting in this gicnt battle. They have a right to be proud of themselves, for thev have broken the our=e of the salient and relieved it of its horror." • Mr. W. Porrv Robinson writes: "Next to the ridge Hself. the most important points rained are the villages of Wvtscbaefe and Messines. Tn the centre due east from Me=sines. the advance attained it* greatest depth. Tn anv event, it is so far a success of the most sweeping kind. Tt is to the New Zenlanders tint the honor of winning the village of Messines fell, and thev did their work alwavs cleanlv and well, with very light casualties, where clumsier troops m)!*bt have suffered heavilv: and after the success thev consolidated and fortified their ground with n thoroughness and precision which deserves, the lushest praise. 'Tn the capture of the ridge. both north and smith. Irishmen have had their share. Northerners and Southerners. Pro : eslant and Catholic troops, fought alongside one another. P.etween New Zealand. Australian, and Trish troops were the staunch English regiments, ■which have done, as always, magnifieentlv. Thev have carried everything before them. and. so far as we know at prcn-nt, there is no flaw, in our success."

EASILY UP THE SLOPE. "Attacking at dawn on a front, of more than 10 miles, Briti.-h division*, including some of the finest fighting men of the United Kingdom and the Dominions Overseas, swept the slopes of tlii = hrMilv-fortificd barrier between Ypres and Arnieniierr=. and firmly establish fd themselves bevond Its crest." savs Mr. I'erciva! Phillips "Thev took manv hundreds of and a far greater number of Germans were killed bv our gun=. The victorv is a triumph eouailv for the Trish troops. fer the his'ori'' line regiments of England and Scotland, and for the staunch battalion* of tho Australian rind New Zealand men. It. was a triumph for the fleet ef Tanks: for th" innumerable airmen who blackened the sky at dawn and ruled it thereatter: for the plodding sapper; and minefs, who labored for months on one of the most destructive networks ol mines ever exploded on this front —and for the gunners whoso true ami deadlv barrage nnved the wav to victory. Our men might well have had to fight every foot of the way. but thev went easily nil the slope, and the stifTesO resistance thev had to meet was not equal to the dogVd stand made bv certain German units in the Arras battle. In and around Messines there were isolated combats If was a wonderfully scient'lie barrage that dropped in front of the advancing English battalions, the Irishmen, who had sunk their differences in order to meet the common foe, and the New Zoalanders and Australians, who kept their end of the advancing line. It curtained the ground we were sweeping over, and it counter".' the waiting German batteries beyond the ridge." Renter's correspondent savs: ''The Anzacs fought magnificently, the New Zoalandors carrying tho ruins of Messines in a very dashing manner."

TllßOUfin HEAVY STTF.LLTNG. The New Zeahmders seem fo have had. p'-rhnps. as furieidablo a part of the line as anv. with the village of l Mes-dn:s itself as the chief objective," writes the Times. ''The German guns against them were apparently quicker in getting to work, and less helpless than on some parts of tho front of attack, and the New Zeahmd'T.* had to go through heavy shelling. The chief resistance of the German infantry was in Messines itself, in ctr'ain strongly fortified positions near where the church lfad been and in the main square. Here there wa- some stiff fighting, but the New Zealanders, not only tool; tho village and everything they wore set to take within the time appointed, but then dug a trench, and would have liked to go on and do some more. It was from this point, however, that tho Australians came up in support, and according to plan wont through the New Zoalauders and carried on the victorious advance forward to tho lire which we now hold. This is a total advance of about 5000 yards. The Australians had some heavy shelling and scattered machine-gun fire opposition, jmt nowhere did the Germans really sland up to them, having doubtless

learned wisdom when they met the Australians before at Pozieres and elsewhere. Officers of the Australians speak v'ith immense enthusiasm of the behaviour of their me", who were simply not to be restrained." The trench Teferred to nbove was finished bv the evening of June 7. It rwas a first-class Oft trench along the whole of their new ,fronl. and the New | Zeftlandera that night slept at the hot-