New Zealand Herald, 23 December 1944 BATTLEFIELD SCENE FURY OF THE ASSAULT FIELDS AND ROADS PITTED (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) ADVANCED HQRS., Dec. 20 The battlefield south-west of Faenza, over which the New Zealanders outfought and smashed the crack German 90th Panzer Grenadier Division, tells a graphic story of the fury of the attack. Fields and roads are pitted and torn, trees are broken and splintered and not a house in the area is undamaged, many being reduced to rubble. In many the Germans had torn holes in the ground floors and dug shelters, stacking earth inside the rooms for extra protection. Slit trenches around the houses emphasised the Germans determination to hold the positions. It was only the speed and fury of our infantry attack, following the terrific barrage, which smashed their resistance. Indicative of the fury of the attack was the effort of six 3in mortars with one battalion which fired 1100 bombs in 73 minutes. It was a company of this battalion which was held up for several hours at one place, on the side of a steep slope. The place was finally taken when Sergeant L. Seaman, of Raetihi, collected a few men and rushed it. Sergeant Seaman was wounded when a German called kamerad and then fired from a doorway. He bolted, but the New Zealanders pursued and shot him dead. The tiny village of Celle is a miniature Cassino, with a church and a few buildings. All around is indescribable confusion. Yesterday the Germans intermittently fired on the area while the New Zealanders went methodically about the task of repairing roads and consolidating their positions.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:07:13 +0000
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