NEW ZEALANDERS IN A BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1918, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN A BATTLE.

THE EIGHT FOR BAPAUME. STUBBORN RESISTANCE OF THE ESEMt (Special Diapateh from the New Zealand Official War Correspondent.) August 25. Troop 3 from all parts of New Zealand have now been in the great battle raging along the British front, and all have acquitted themselves well. In the attack on Grovillers yesterday the Otago and Waikato men were on the left. The Auckland troops went right through the village, while yet ot'lier Auckland and Wellington troops were on the right. The enemy fought at the start with rifles and machine-guns. One company moving along the hedge at first met with no resistance, hut at the end of the hedge six machine-guns from a wood on the right opened on them. Several of the enemy, sheltering on dugouts, were captured. For a time a Hot fire was poured on the advancing New Zealanders, and they had to take to what shelter they could hastily find. Opportunely a tank came up, and the German machine-gunners, who knew too well the habits of these thick-skinned monsters, took to their heels ( the Aueklanders and others shooting at them as they ran. WONDERFUL SPIRIT OF THE MEN. Then our men managed to get across the ridge. They were, (however, still held up by machine-guns ahead. Several men went forward to endeavor to locate these guns, but without success, and further casualties were suffered by a German trench-mortar barrage. The Germans also aimed at the tanks with their anti-tank guns and shells, and from these inflicted further casualties among the infantry; but our men held gallantly on. One man's head was blown clean off. Some of the tanks were damaged, but our men still held the line they had gained. An Aucklander, who was in the fight, told me the spirit of the men Was really wonderful. Yesterday afternoon we were holding a linfe from Loupart Wood past Grevillers, both of which we 'had taken, to the east j and north outskirts of Biefvillera, which was also in our hands. To the east was Bapaume, about two thousand yards away, and north' of it the little village of Favreuil. From both of these places we were concentrated at 1 o'clock this afternoon under cover of the artillery and (heavy machine-gun fire, which drove back our posts ahout five hundred yards. For the rest of the day our line remained unchanged, atfd the night was fairly quiet. ABREAST OF BAPAUME. "The Wellington troops last night in patrol encounters south of Loupart Wood captured six machine-guns and twenty-three prisoners. It was decided to renew the attack this morning with an artillery barrage. During the night the attacking troops formed up on their assembly lines, and at 5 o'clock a heavy barrage from our artillery burst upon our troops, who advanced and captured ground held hy the enemy in front of Avesnes Bapaume, a village on the outskirts of Bapaume, and the ridge on the left as far as the commemorative monument on the Bapaume-Arras road. This brought our troops witiiin a thousand yards and well abreast of Bapaume. When they had reached the monument they were held up by heavy machinegun fire from a narrow curving strip of wood just south of the monument, and from the west outskirts of Favreuil Village, and were unable to proceed further. The enemy was now fighting determinedly, and it was evident that he mgant to hang on as long as possible in the hope, perhaps, of staving off the capture of Bapaume itself. Meantime an English division on our left had takeu Sapignies, further north, on the Arraa-©a-paume road, and we were in touch with theao troops. WOUNDED QUITE CHEEREOL. Our left battalion suffered rather heavy casualties, tout on the remainder of the front our casualties were small and mainly from machine-gun fire. On our right flank North Island troops conformed to the advance of the English Division on our right. They were merely marking time and had no fighting to speak of. I saw some of the wounded who had been in the fight—Otago and Canrterbury men They were quite cheerful. One had a broken leg, another, with a, nasty wound on the cheek, was yet jftle to get solace from his pipe. A third, asked what his wound was like, replied, "Oh, just a bit of a shell in the back and a bullet wound. Tres bien the Whizbang. I might get a blighty out of it. Anyhow, I've chased enough Huns to last me a couple of months," ;!. ENEMY [TOCGHT VERY BARD. Several South orders who were in the thick of the fight admitted that the enemv fought well this morning. "They fought every yard of the way," said one. "There was no 'hands up' about it this morning. Certainly nearlv all the prisoners I saw were a healthy-looking lot. There were a great number of wounded Germans. One saw them 'hems' carried in hy our and their own stretcher-bearers snd infantry, whije German stretcherhearers were also carrying in our wounded. We must have got 'between three and four hundred" prisoners. The majority of them seemed to be only too glad to be done with the war. To-day there was hot sunshine, and the traffic poured along the country roads in clouds of dust, sometimes as thick as a London tog. Tonight there is a thunder-stonn. ENEMY BLOWS UP AMMUNITION i DUMPS. Away in the direction of Longueval the enemy were blowing up ammunition dumps. Great columns of smoke rose from behind the crest of the ridge a thousand feet, in the air. Six dumps went up one after another. From an airman who came down with a bullet through his petrol tank we gathered that the enemy transports going hack along the roads was in a state of congestion and disorganisation. It was being constantly harassed by our lcmg-Tange guns and aircraft. His methods of stayin® our advance also gives proof of disorganisation, a.s units are being pushed in here and there irrespective of their regimsnES. To-morrow the New Zealanders should be able to walk into Bapaume, and a strategic success will have been accomplished. How" far 'beyond the attack will go it is impossible to say, but there may still b« same surprises in store for the enemy. VHIAQB GF FAVREUIL CAPTURED. ■ 'August 20.

the darkness the transport with the English troops had a hard time, but triumphed over the difficulties. The New Zealanders attacked again last evening with English troops, and the village of Favreuil fell to the New Zealamlers pushing on the right. This brings our men wellbeyond the Bapaunic-Arras road, tierman machine-gunners are still in £apaume, but the town cannot last much longer. Last night we captured a naval staff surgeon, who was visiting the regimental staff surgeon, also the latter and » battalion medical officer. The tatter is [ quite a good fellow, and is now working cheerfully with our medical service. OPERATIONS COMPLETELY SUC- I ! -■ -- CESSEUL- j I August 2G, G p.m. | . The Weather has cleared and the j i battle is proceeding under satisfactory ] ■ conditions for us. The Xnw Zealand ; operations last night were completely j • successful. English troops, advancing on s our left, took the northern part of Fav- ! reuil, the South Islanders going through i the southern part. The latter also took ; Monument Wood, and then pushed on to I '■ the ißapaume-Beugnatre road. Progress ' towards Bapaume was difficult, owing to ■ the heavy machine-gun fire. The (Bavarian troops opposite us fought tenaciously, j ; The North Island Brigade on the right' were holding a line and did not have any 1 serious fighting. ! This morning, the Rifles, who had come up, pushed out patrols to keep touch with the enemy Our troops also cleared up the Bapaume railway siding. For the main operation there was a heavy bombardment from our artillery. GOOD HAUL OF PRISONERS AN© MATERIAL. Since the battle began we have capI tured between four and five thousand > prisoners. In the territory from which the enemy has been driven much ammunition and material has been left behind, but not many guns. We have, however, captured some guns- One of our batteries turned some o.flin. guns round, and for a considerable part of the day have been firing the enemy's own ammunition on his position and the retreating troops. Yesterday the enemy shelled heavily Grevillers and other positions we had taken. He also fired gas shells, but owing to our dispositions all this shelling had but little effect To-day his stores on the Bapaume-Albert-Peroiine line are burning. Numerous fires can be seen behind his lines.. Dead men and horses lie along the roads at Miraumont and Tries, and his dug-out 3, to which he set Jire at Miraumont, are still smoulderingIdentifications show that his units are jumbled up and tliat thjre is much disorganisation. Late in the afternoon we watched a flight of eighteen 'planes going over to add to this in the region of Bapaume. A naval division has been in action against us. A battalion medical ofPcer whom we captured has been taken into one of our medical messes, and is doing good work attending to the wounded German prisoners. The Bavarian division that fought so well is one that was relieved at Ypres in July. As I write our guns are bombarding for a farther advance by the rifles. BAPAUME A HARD NUT TO CRACK. August 27. Fierce fighting continues in tfie vicinity of Bapaume, which is proving one of the toughest nuts to crack on all this front. In a commanding position, and admirably suited for defence, with its dugouts and cellars, it enables the enemy to make a stubbon defence Both the rained town and its environs are crammed with ma-chine-guns, that spit furiously at our advancing troops. From the first there has been no attempt to take the town by frontal attack. The enemy is employing some of his best troops in its defence and has advanced positions strongly defended by infantry and machine-guns. AN ENEMY COUNTER-ATTACK At six o'clock last evening one battalion of the Rifle Brigade continued to attack from a position south of Favreuil towards the Bapaume-Cambrai Road. Our men advanced gallantry behind an artillery barrage, but before they had gone far they came up against a perfect hail of machine-gun, bullets. No troops could stand up against such a furious fire, and they had to fall back to their former positions. Nevertheless, the battalion took heavy toll of the enemy during his counter-attack which was delivered by the Sixteenth Bavarian Regiment, who are sturdy fighters- The enemy knows only too well the value of the position he holds in and about Bapaume, and apparently he means to hofd'it to the last extremity. AN ATTACK BY OTHER TROOPS. To-day there has been strong machinegun resistance from beyond Bapaume, hut the New Zealanders have not for the present continued their attack. At 11 a.m., however, we watched from Grevillers an attack towards Lignythilloy, south of Bapaume, by other troops. Our guns, well forward, were pouring in a terrific fire, and one continuous line of smoke arose from the bursting shells. While this attack wa3 proceeding the enemy angrily replied with his guns, and limbers dashed past us under shell-fire at a hand gallop along the road to Grevillers. This afternoon there was a destructive bombardment by the heavies on the trenches and position held by the enemy in front of the New Zealanders.

valtjabm: work ijy the wsmjd engineers. Water in_a.ll this country is scarce, but a good supply lias been found, and tlic New Zealand Field Engineers arc doing magnificent work erecting troughs and pumping plant, and making roads to relieve the congestion. This work they voluntarily undertook, not only for our own troops, but for others as well. Thousands of animals are watered daily, and motor tanks carry supplies forward and to the rear. Our ammunition and supply columns continue at best, while our medical services have attended to and cleared our own and other wounded with remarkable celerity IA CAPTURED GERMAN ARMY ORDER Our tunnellers are working in a manner that should make their friends, the West Coast miners, proud of them. Men from the entrenching group are also do-ing-work with pick and shovel behind the lines. In forward areas, where but a very few days ago were enemy guns, camps have sprung up in a most marvellous manner, and there are streams of traffic along the roads that have been hurriedly mended, after being battered by the shell-fire from both our own and the enemy guns. Every day thousands of tons of ammunition are fired from the guna of <""*r corps front. We have captured order issued to the army warding the serious food shortage in Gtfcmany. The troops are urged to make eray effort to save food, and horses, when killed, are to !be promptly Med and disembowelled, and tho-carcasses-taken.