STRUGGLE IN THE MUD.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1917, Page 6

STRUGGLE IN THE MUD.

CARRYING ON SOMEHOW. (From Captain C. E. Bean, Australian 'Press Representative with the Commonwealth Forces. Copyright by Crown.) London, October 8. Wild storms, bitter weather, and penetrating and driving rain, have reduced tho Ypres battlefield to a wilderness ot mud. The carrying on of the ordinary business of war through this involves an immense hardship, but it goes forward somehow. The endurance displayed by the men in these conditions certainly would not have been believed possible before this war. The Germans have better country, but they have not the weight of the British artillery. There has just ceased the sound of a bombardment which has continued for over an hour. The diary of one of the Germans who was opposite the Australians in 'Polygon shows what the Germans think of that fire. "That is a place to come to after our glorious time in Russia,' he says. "Is tt not monstrous? Division after division was thrown into this part of the line, to come out decimated a few days afterwards. All that the newspapers tell us is that the line has been valiantly held, and that the enemy obtained trifling local successes. It is no longer possible to believe them. I have not seen anything even approximately resembHng Polygon Wood. We were wrongly guided and got into quite a different sector from that intended. However, we secured, a dug-out on the very front line, -but the line was so continuously under fire that it was impossible to stick out your head by day. Enemy snipers would fire immediately. The activity here is indescribable. An entire detachment of our battalion got lost, and walked into the arms of the enemy. Through a telescope I could see them marched away in fours. After what 1 have seen of the activity of the artillery here_. I consider that we cannot hope to win a decisive victory as long as the enemy is able to bring against us such an overwhelming weight of artillery of all calibres." The weather to-day is bright, with a heavy wind.