WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

GETTING OUT THE.WOUNDED. j BEARERS' HEROIC WORK. COOL BRAVERY OP THE NEW ZEALANDERS. Received Oct. 19, 7.23 p.m. London, Oct. 18. Mr. Gilmour, the war correspondent, states that another fine day on Tuesday was confined to mutual artillery strafing. The Australians and New Zealanders were only asked to hold the trenches securely. This was no trouble at all. German raiders fought in some sectors end put in a heavy lain of shells occasionally, hut the casualties since Friday were very few. The consolidation enabled the men to remain in comparative safety in the front lines and dig dry sleeping places. When the raid commenced on Tuesday night our front line was cosy compared with the cold and uncertain terrors reigning in, the German positions. The New Zealander3 st'eXe that the Germans are suffering from extreme nervousness. The New Zealanders are proud of the way they got their wounded out of the battle. The mud made the work so difficult that six bearers were allotted to each stretcher. A former guide at Mount Cook was among the bearers, whoso courage and endurance saved many lives. Considerable losses were incurred by the New Zeaianders during the early stages when under fierce machine-gun five. The work of removing the wounded was one of great difficulty, requiring elaborate organisation. The wounded were still being carried out two days after the battle. The Germans, finding their Red Cross respected, gave the New Zealand bearers a safe passage. Also at one time three hundred stretcher cases were lying outside the New Zealand aid post in full view of the enemy. Not a shot was fired. Yet the New Zeaanders instantly shot any German not tending the wounded who exposed himself, and the Germans endeavored to catch the New Zealanders in the I same manner.

At other points on the Anzac line the Germans shot down stretcher parties. Our boys inflicted instant punishment. A popular Otago officer was killed after throwing a bomb at one of the biggfst pill-boxes. But for the wire the -New Zealandcrs would have given the places short shrift. Other New Zealanders co-operated with the Imperial troops on the left Officers say they never saw such cool bravery as when the New Zealanders were advancing. They had to be sternly commanded to lie down when gustß of bullets came their way. When a shel' killed the senior officer a signalling 6ergeant from Lyttelton struggled for an hour and a half through mud under constant fire until lid found a lieutenant to take over the command. The New Zealand force to-day is most cheerful, knowing the latest sacrifices were not made in vain, being, in fact, attended with the most important results.

A FORBIDDING STRONGHOLD. HOW THE NEW ZEALANDERS STORMED IT. i I ONE OP THE WAR'S GREATEST ; INCIDENTS. HEROIC BUT FRUITLESS EFFORTS. United Service. Received Oct. 19, 8.10 p.m. London, Oct. 18. Bellevue Spur is an ugly-shaped hill rising to a height of two hundred feet above the flooded Rabapeek creek, its sides extending one thousand yards back into Passchendaele township. At the point of the V, which is about two hundred yards wide, a deep concrete structure stands overlooking our lines, narrow elits being manned by •machine-gunners pnd snipers governing every approach. There are two irregular lines of wire, each ten Teet deep, extending across the front of the redoubt and down the hill to the vallpy, where a small redoubt bars the flank. Bellevue looks a forbidding stronghold, and this was the scene of one of the greatest incidents of the war. Against this spur thousands of fine spirited New Zealanders flung themselves down on Friday, in high hopes of crowning their unbroken series of victories with the greatest victory of all. The enemy barrage played heavily upon them for twenty minutes before the start, but the lads rose eagerly from the line of shell holes and began a steady advance, a wave of our barrage plunging ahead. The men sank sometimes waist deep in mud. The barrage went faster than the advance was possible. The enemy ma-chine-gun fire swelled the shriek. Many of our meti fell, but the others pressed on. They reached Rabapeek and plunged into this deep morass. The enemy's main barrage of shrapnel and high explosive descended hereabouts, whilst the machine-guns, which now thickly studded the trenches between the redoubts, seemed to close the passage over the stone road which traverses the morass. Many, nevertheless, pressed irresistibly over the dead across the road; others plunging through the water, though wounded. Some were drowned. Then the ascent of the slope began, and the first wave, now thin, reached the wire. The neroic effort ensuing will in future be told wherever Australasians gather. The gallant New Zealand lads tried every means of piercing the wire. Wave after wave advanced to their death. Many were riddled with bullets. Others dropped to the ground and began crawling beneath the wire. Many were shot and remained. Some reached the other side and charged, but fell. 'One reached the redoubt and began to crawl beneath the slits round the side. Perhaps he might have altered the fortunes of the engagement with bombs, but he wa3 killed by one of our rifle grenades, which we were firing from the shell holes. The great effort ended. The waves had determinedly expended themselves. The survivors remained in the shell holes, the Jaegers sniping so accurately that any head put above llio ground was shot, and awaited another effort, which the commanders decided vr. s undesirable The line was organised xi night time, but later was somewhat withdrawn in order to permit of shelling the enemy positions

_ The day was crowded with heroic incidents. An orderly room sergeant, after the death of the colonel and the wounding of the adjutant, went through a hail of bullets to the senior captain, but found him wounded. He went, to the other senior officers, but they, too, were all disabled. He then went to a lieutenant and informed him that he was in command of the battalion. The journey occupied ninety minutes. A Lewis gunner was wounded, whilit the rest of the crew were killed, but he continued to work the gun upon an enemy ma-chine-gun, twice advancing to the position alone, and finding another gun when his own was blown out. AN ATTACK REPULSED. ENEMY AIRCRAFT BUSY. Received Oct. 19, 10 p.m. Paris, Oct. 18. A French communique states: North of the Aisne our troops repulsed nn attack against Vauclero plateau. Artillery actions occupied Maison de Champagne, north of Souain, and the right of the Meuse in the Bois de Chaume region. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Hostile artillery shelled vigorously various localities eastward of Ypres and the positions south.-east of Poeleapelle. The activity of our artillery continues, as does the successful counter-battery work. Concentrated fire Was directed with good effect on a. number of targets. A few prisoners have been brought in. .There has been no furthor infantry action, There was great aerial activity yesterday. Ninety-eight bombs were dropped on enemy's billets and hutments. The enemy's machines were very aggressive in the forenoon, making several flights over our lines. Eleven enemy machines [were downed, and three of ours are missing. 1 THE ALLIES' WEDGE. FOR SPLITTING GERMAN LINE. PRECISION OF BARRAGE. Washington, Oct. 18. A communique issued by Mr. Baker, Secretary for War, points out that the Allies are driving a> wedge in Flanders which will eventually split the German line, permitting a flanking movement and eliminating costly frontal attacks. The typhoon of fire is causing the Germans real concern. They have been compelled to amend their tactical dispositions in an effort to meet the shock. The zone of operations around Ypres is so extended that it can no longer be considered a salient, but is a progressingly extending wedge. French co-operation is most important. "It has afforded the Allies the necessary elbow room. The low rate of casualties in the assaulting columns attests the precision of the Allies' barrage." THE TIDE HAS TURNED. Paris, Oct. 18. United States Congressmen, Messr; Medill and McCormick, after spending si.\' weeks on the battle front declare: "The tide has turned, and there will be no more atrocities. There will be terrible battles, but, despite Russian events, the Austrians and Germans have been consistently repelled, and are no longer able to attack." A SUCCESSFUL RAID. London, Oct. 18. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The Londoners made a successful raid last night in the neighborhood of Gavrelle. Our casualties were light. Hostile artillery i* active southward of the Ypres-Comines canal and in the neighborhood of Zonnebeke and Broodseinde.