Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-07
BAZIN SEES DASH
OF AUSTRALIANS
Graphically Describes Won"
derful Victory Over Boche
at Zonnebeke
FIELD COCKPIT OF WAR
Vision Looms of Final Triumph
of English-Speaking Troops
When Sammees Enter
FIELD COCKPIT OF WAR
Rv HENRI BAZIN


sta9 corysspordent Of the Evohino Ledger toith
80" the ImericGI ArinV in France
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE
FIELD. october E.
/ have come from orr American traln-
ing camps upon my British prerosatVe III
time TO see a wonderful victory over the
Boche offensive methods in the Australian
topping Of Zonnebeke. The battle had been
on for two days when from an observatory
point I saw the Anzecs, visible against
gray skyline along the Broddsene ROAD
AS they stormed down under a withering
back fire the Germans ran before them'
many falling from the fire OF their own
batteries Farther back ana clearly III
sight through my glass were retreaung
Boche field guns going through lever
country upon the right of which were great
marshes These Australians are the equals
of Canadians, or the Sammees, when the
latter get into action. Take It from me. the
ending of this war will be through the
valor and bravery Of Englsh-speaking
troops, and this Is as certain as that for
three years the poilus Of France have held
true and waiting with quite plt OF reaI
fighting on the side
As looked this afternoon, the Austria
lians faced the Boche at perhaps zoo yards
over the ridge, and upon both sides be-
ginning Of something like normal trench
system was under way.
saw the opening of the battle at TINS
morning and in order that what l wit
messed may be made clear. let 1t be re-
membered that the enemy had been forced
at Menin road on September 70 ana aI
Polygon Wood on September 20 when ne
had TO substitute men for trenches. In these
two fights, the Boche found his system or
concrete abri and defense broken down so
completely that proportionately he lost more
life than ever before. His local ATTACKS
and counter-attacks then collapsed as would
a blown-up paper bag at slap OF the manu-
The barbarian of vaunted pre-war fame
has learned something from defeat, and ne
went into today's fight with his back liter
ally against the wall The ridge was
vital thing to his winter defense. He had
buttressed his position on 1t with all the
weight Of support available. Prisoners
taken proved that new divisions and picked
divisions had been hurled into line, some
of which were from the RUSSIAN front His
guns were very great in quantity. All OF
his front elsewhere had been flne-tooth-
combed out OF airmen, who filled the very
air over the ridge. They were flying low
firing upon the Anzec infantry and bombing
batteries.
COCKPIT OF WAR
The field was hideous with the chemistry
of modern war There was not spot for
miles safe from shell or gas or bomb or
fire and the nearer to the line, the greater
number of breaking shells. 1t was a cock
pit OF war indeed. Every mechanical and
chemical expertism of the Boche was In
use. All his power was focused upon the
one spot before my eyes. He had surely
been brought to bay, and that after neglect
Ing nothing He had been compelled, not
withstanding to withdraw his guns to safer
spots, whore he retrained them upon the
Dninfg thaga haI hnpO
anchored All his fire was cloaked by
smoke screens.
And through this hell Of hells went Aus
tralia-through it, understand-through It
all the way, clean to the very crown Of the
ridge and while they did II, the Flemish
villages of Gravenstafel, Polderbeek and
Nordenhock plus all the tortured ground
between the north of Poel-Capelle and the
north of Hollebeke, rocked and swayed in
a writhing tumult Of battle such as neither
Homer nor Napoleon nor Alexander ever
dreamed Of
There were Australian losses, OF course.
But skillful leadership materially reduced
them, and as the phase goes, they were
light. But war is war, and this has
been a center of death, Notwithstanding
The Boche loss was infinitely great lie gave
full six to seven men for one.
There was wind and gust and rain from
the northwest all day. It blew full gale
at times, And the rain stung the face
ike ndil even from my observation post.
But through the half light of a wet cold
sky prisoners began to pour down the
Gravenstafel road in the early afternoon.
a whole column of them marching back
amidst scattered shell.
HERDS OF WOUNDED BOCHE
As they came up in scale before my eyes
ar later passed our party of observers,
I'd little squads of Boche toiling up
d. bearing both their own and Aus
wounded. 1 never saw so many
'ounded. A great majority were
Walking kind. They passed and
and passed, sound men and una
yer the ridge for which Australian
gnt and struggled amid a seething,
A.ng, singing convulsion OF shell. Ana,
said before they won.
10 describe the battle would have needed
a thousand eyes, and have but two. Glued
10 the glass, they saw a single bit typical
OF the whole. A huge crater with a re-
doubt behind IT, constructed in the most
advanced Boche method of defense, was
literally packed with German machine guns.
Nine-tenths OF them are now in British
hands. A farm to the north of this crater
was equally fortified, but the Australian
went up to It he went over the top, in
an irresistible rush on the very edge OF
his own barrage, overcoming all checks
thew uvara flies hpfora hin,