NIGHT BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1942, Page 3

NIGHT BATTLE

IN EGYPTIAN DESERT CONFUSED STRUGGLE. NEW ZEALANDERS ATTACK ENEMY TANKS. (Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.F.) WESTERN DESERT, July 23. In a sandy depression lit by German flares and the flashes of machineguns, a battle more eerie than that of Crete was fought on Monday night by the South Island infantry, against twelve German tanks. The objective of the battalion was a depression I where the Germans had dug in opposite the New Zealand lines on the southern sector. The two leading companies advanced through shell and mortar fire and charged in, yelling and firing. The position, was not held heavily by infantry, and the Germans were soon rounded up or killed. The tanks, some of them heavy Mark IV’s, opened a cross-fire with guns across the depression, and one company was split up and disorganised. Patrols sought tanks with stick bombs and accounted for two. Other tanks came out of their holes in the side of the depression, shot up flares, and sprayed the area with fire constantly. One swung its turret round and kept the gun firing all the time. Others, moving so slowly as to be almost silent, kept the area bright with their Very lights. Most of the troops managed to dig some shelter, and many were able to sleep. Others on patrol sought to destroy two big tanks with bombs, but enemy machine-guns further up prevented them. A third tank was stopped by a two-inch mortar shell, fired at its tracks.

Efforts to bring up anti-tank guns were prevented by lack of communications and through transport missing the cleared track through the minefield. One truck, bringing reserve antitank grenades and bombs, was hit by a shell while crossing a minefield, exploded, and flamed fiercely, and the Germans used the light to fire on other transport. The R.A.F., bombing the Germans a few hundred yards away, used flares, which also lit up the area. One company commander lay beside a soldier when he was fired on by a tank, and was amazed a few minutes later to find that the soldier was a German, who got up and ran, till he fell to a shot from a tank.

About 1 o’clock in the morning the area quietened down, but efforts to bring up anti-tank weapons were still unsuccessful. About 4 o’clock many tanks were heard moving to the east and west. The westward tanks were German, the eastward were British, moving up, but still a long way off. Efforts to make contact with the flank of the battalion failed, and the battalion commander decided to send the remnants of tfie two leading companies back and hold the ridge further east with the reserve company, which was practically untouched. All the wounded were collected and the battalion withdrew, and by 5.30 was holding its position. British tanks came up later, and led by the battalion commander, the company moved forward with them to the depression. Three-inch mortars of the Auckland Battalion cooperated and covered the area with fire. All but two of the German tanks were withdrawn, but these, in trying to dodge the New Zealand mortar fire, were shot up by General Grants and destroyed. Our mortars also destroyed a German petrol dump. The battalion then withdrew and reorganised. It was found that the casualties had not been numerous.