THE KEMMEL BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1918, Page 5

THE KEMMEL BATTLE.

OPERATIONS DESCRIBED. MAGNIFICENT FRENCH HEROISM. Times Service. Received April 28, f1.30 p.m. London, April 27. Mr. Robinson gives a vivid description of the fighting at Kenmiel Hill. An intense bombardment commenced at midnight and continued till four in the morning. The attack was delivered on a wide front near Wytschaete, held by the British, and along the front of Kemmel and west of Dranoutre, held by the French. A penetration seems to have been made at two points simultaneously—at the Franco-British junction east of Kemmel and througlijHhe French on the West The enemy pouring in on both sides surrounded Kemmel, and cut off the garrison. Fighting was certainly continued on the hillcrest for seven to eight hours till the middle of the afternoon, the garrison having sworn never to give up Kemmel alive. "1 can," states Mr. Robinson, "only roughly picture the scene as the Germans swarmed up the hill, the Frenchmen, being taken on both flanks and in the rear They fought with lessening numbers, in a gradually reduced area, and finally only the hill-top was crowned with blue as the defenders, facing all ways, made a last stand. When all is known, I believe ,the last fight of the French at Kemmel will stand as one of the most sterling epjisodes of the war." Kemmel is the fir&t of a chain of isolated hills, running eastward from Mont Deseattes and Cassel, each dominating, and giving observation over, a wide area of country. Meanwhile our line has fallen back between Kemmel and the next height, Sehcrpenberg, thence north-east to Viersiraat, thence east to the Grand Bois, near Wytschaete. From the left to here our lino is ; heldunder very hard fighting. The enemy had penetrated a thousand yards south-west of Wytschaete before ' 'the Royal Scots' front line knew the battle had begun. Further north the Caraerons held the line for nine hours by savage fighting till ordered to fall back and conform to the new The Scottish troops, including the Black Watch, inflicted extremely heavy casualties, and captured many prisoners. Mr. Robinson states that our new light tanks arc wonderfully effective. The crew of one got amongst two German battalions, and declare thjey killed a thousand. Their speed enabled them to run down and crush masses of the enemy, i BRITISH RETAIN VOORMEZEELE. FRENCH RECAPTURE POSITIONS. Received April 28, 5.25 p.m. London, April 27. The British retained Voonnezeele after bitter righting. The French recaptured -positions weßt of Kemmel. The enemy advance was held everywhere. / / '■ BATTLE FOR FLEMISH HILLS. ANOTHER DESCRIPTION. HEAVY ENEMY BLOWS. Received April 28, 5.5 p.m. London, April 27. Mr. Pereival Phillips states: The battle for the Flemish lulls continued on Friday with unabated fury. Though the gallant French infantry defended Kemmel to the 1 death, four German divisions of mounted troops enveloped this isolated mound of pounded earth and splintered timber, and gained the crest at heavy sacrifice. The enemy is now striving desperately towards Seherpenberg, the next hill in the chain of ground. Behind the newlyentrenched divisions field guns are beating like a heavy hammer upon the plain of Flanders, and long-range guns ' are searching remote villages and country roads. Although tho French bore the brunt of the attack, the British troops were heavily engaged on either side, especially or the lower Blopes of the ridge around Wytschaete, and the broken woodland towards the Ypres Canal. The Germane made a double- attack on the hill after an all-night bombardment of gas shells The French infantry received orders to remain on the hill until they died, rather than retreat. The Germans fought their way through a tangle of broken tree trunks, wire,'and battered trenches, losing heavily in our machine-gun barrage, and finally came tc hand-to-hand fighting. The fog, drifting across the marshes, helped the first German attack. The Camerons put up a fine fight for the fortified sunken road called Dammstrasse, which they held while the Black Watch were engaged in hand-to-hand fighting at Kemmel Village. The Australians and English have now cleared all pockets of Germans out of Villers Bretonneux. The Germans surrendered freely, emerging from underground shelters. Many are suffering severely from gas-poisoning; aB the German helmet is not fully proof. ENEMY HELPED BY FOG. SITUATION STILL SERIOUS. Received April 28, 5.5 p.m. London, April 27. Mr. Philip Gibbs, writing on April 27. states that a thick, wet fog, like London's particular fog at its worst, enveloped the Kemmel sector on Friday morning. Favored by the fog, and the effect of their gunfire, the attackers caused gaps in the Anglo-French line, and isolated the French on Kemmel Hill.' Our counter-attack met with wicked machine gun fire, arid we could not maintain our hold of the recaptured ground, though wc did not lose all o'f it. The situation in Flanders is still serious. The enemy may endeavor to exploit the advance on Kemmel by a great concentration in strength and more violent attacks, but the French Army is now assisting the British to bar the way aud everyone is fully confident of the result. Australians at ViHera Bretonneux have now joined up the gap" wluqh existed for a time in the British line, and the whole village is now in winhands. The loss suffered by the enemy, ( if anything, has been underestimated. The Australians describe the German tanks as being thirty-six feet king, twelve feet high and broad, with a central turret. Their caterpillar tracks pass round several pairs of wheels, and they resemble enormous turtles, but are very slow. They are armed with twoinch guns and six machine-guns, and are handled by scratoh crews, not specially trained. Two fled directly they entaaka,