They were enormously cheered and amused by the new weapons [tanks], so dully described by the official bulletin.
The secret of these extraordinary armoured motors had been jealously kept for months.
All manner of marvellous powers were attributed to them.
They were proof against bullets, bombs, and shell splinters, and took ditches like kangaroos.
The actual sight was monstrously comical.
They are like enormous toads; but they did good work and scared the Germans dreadfully.
Their utility was proved near Courcelette.
The infantry were held up at a German redoubt in the ruins of a sugar factory.
It was full of machine-guns — one of those deadly places which previously cost so many lives.
Then over the British trenches in the half-light of dawn the new monster crawled to the rescue.
The troops cheered and even laughed, with blood streaming down their faces.
This creature, named "Creme de Menthe", waddled forward over the old German trenches towards the redoubt.
The enemy were momentarily silent.
Then spasms of machine-gun fire splashed against the "Creme de Menthe’s" sides, but fell harmlessly.
The "Creme de Menthe" advanced upon the broken wall and leaned against it; the bricks crashed down, and the motor walked into the heart of the factory ruins.
The motor poured forth a stream of bullets, trampled over the machine guns and emplacements, crushed the machine guns, and killed the teams.
The infantry followed, and occupied the redoubt.
There were similar scenes at High Wood.
Our men were for a time driven back; then there was great joy at seeing several "tanks" advancing through the wood, and on each side wounded soldiers relate extraordinary stories.
They declare that the "tanks" broke down trees, mounted barricades, and stamped out dug-outs.
The "Boches", thoroughly scared, ran about shouting like demented men.
During the attack on Martinpuich, machine guns held up the infantry on the outskirts of the village.
Two "tanks" had already passed the British front line in the darkness, and now crawled over "No Man’s Land", and nosed the Martinpuich walls, testing the strength of broken barns.
Twenty minutes later the infantry were inside the first trenches of Martinpuich, and the monster was still waddling ahead.
A hundred Germans confronted another "tank", shouting for mercy, and the "tank" led a procession of prisoners to the British lines. — ODT, 19.9.1916.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
