The sun., 1918-09-02
Australians Who Scaled North
ern Face Took Two Prison
ers for Each Man.
RIVER CROSSED BY NIGHT
Attack Was Begun Soon After
Dawn and Hill Had Fallen
by 7:40 O'Clock.
~ PERRY ROBINSON.
Special Gable Despatch TO THB Sun from the
London Times Service.

Copyright. 1918; oil rights reseyrcd.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE,
Aug. 81 tdelayed) There has been no
smarter operation in. this battle than the
capture Of Mont St. Quentin. 1t is
naturally as strong a position as can be
found on the western front. with a DOM
mating outlook over all the surrounding
country. There Is q dense wood on its
southeastern slopes and its frost and
left flank are protected by the wide
marshy junction OF ihe Tortllle and
Somme rivers. while ", right flank Is
covered by the winding valley of the for
mer stream.
II is incredible that the enemy could
have intended that We should capture
the position. In fact II was garrisoned
by not less than 1900 men. which In
itself Is evidence Of the Germans deter
mination to hold it. apart from its
immense strategical value as the key to
the whole Peronne area.
The attack was made by a compare
lively small force OF Australians and
the operation was completed In little
more than two hours. The number Of
prisoners taken was greater than the
total attacking force. One party Of less
than 800 men which attacked on the
northern face Of the hill actually took
$50 prisoners; the total casualties of the
whole force eng aged were less than 100
somme Brfdged Under Fire.
Al mid dav m Thursday We nracti-
cally was in possession Of all the south
ern river bank. although the Germans
nsn,n.m,, anno.,,a c,ar,, rn,,, ,ha To-
ponn 0t ~. .,,sn,ns o 49, nv, n,eh, -,
=" .ne venus anu 'er VI
paced bridges over the canal at more
chine gunfipe and rife sniping. and early
on Friday morning patrols pushed across
the canal and tried to fnd a passage
through the swamps and lasoons in the
valley beyond
In this they failed in the whole two
miles or SO of the river valley facing
Peronne no practicable path for troops
across the mora sses could be found
b. this time. however. the Omiecourt
rcninsula further west had been cleared
Of Germans and the viaduct across the
river at Clery was at our disposal
So on Friday morning IL was decided
to put a force across the river by that
route for an advance aaainst Mont st.
CUentln from the WEST and north, BY
o'clock on Friday afternoon they came
into contact with the German advanced
positions northeast of Clery and sharp
fighting went on all the afternoon and
night, but half hour before midnight
the Australians had cleared all the
ground up TO a north and south line
1000 yards east OF the centre OF the
village and on the left they were in
toech with other Australians advancing
hom the direction OF Haul Allaines
Up to this time 90 prisoners and IA
machine guns had been taken.
IT., A., ,,,o eo.,
ing when part Of the force engaged in
the advance UP to that time was left to
take care of Clery, and its place was
taken by other troops. which crossed the
river by new bridges thrown over during
the night. The attack started at s
O'Clock Saturday morning. There was
no formal barrage. but the guns were
concentrated on one point of resistance
after another.
While in the centre the troops attacked
due eastward against the face OF Mont
ST Quentin. others on the right cut be-
tween the hill and Peronne. striking the
trench system which runs from the hill,
III.
left swung around north Of the crossing
of the Bouchavesnes road at Feuille-
court, descending the htll from that
direction.
The enemy was not surprised. or he
certainly ought not to have been. be-
cause documents found on a captured
German officer-which he tried hard to
destroy-inciude divisional order in
forming the troops there that such and
such Australian troops were opposite.
and~ they were storm troops the
Germans were warned they must be
prepared for an attack.
Won by Flank Attack.
At first the Germans fought with de-
termination: they had an enormous
number OF machine guns and tho Aus
tralians have not counted yet the num-
Der which they captured But appar-
emily an attack from the north was not
looked FOR: the Germlns had expected
to cope with frontal attack only.
1t was on this northern side that the
collapse came first and was mos. COM
plete. Here II was that the 800 men
captured $50. The troops in the centre
at the same time got $50 and many were
taken on the right also. All three units
engaged reached their final detectives
and the hill was ours by $40 A. NJ.
inc whole OF the river bank was
Almost nteraiiy hned with machine
guns. ana all the preceding night and
on SATURDAY morning there was con-
slant fusiiade across the river searching
the marsh ana valley. The Germans
also heavily shelled during the night
what they supposed TO be our positions
especially using gas smells, yet at the