France
13-5-17
Dear Everybody.
It is a glorious Sunday evening, the hour is 7.15. P.M. the guns are sending forward at intervals, their inevitable messages to Fritz while our aeroplanes fly unchallenged overhead. It is a remarkable situation, a month ago we were seriously asking ourselves if we really had the mastery of the air, incidents were then occurring that led us to think that things in the aerial part of this affair were not what they ought to be. Since coming back from the training area the veil has been lifted & today & this evening is clear proof as to
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our superiority. Poor old Fritz hardly dare look our way it is seldom he ever bothers us now. The country round here is simply gorgeous now, & we are beginning to think that old France is perhaps worth fighting for after all. I have seen different countries clothe themselves in the gorgeousness of Spring, but I have never yet seen anything to equal this. Perhaps we notice it more on account of the absolute desolation that appeared to reign supreme for 7 months of the year. We have had up to the present a month of the most glorious spring & even summer weather, &
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to all outward appearances it looks as if it is going to continue. Needless to say operations are progressing at an extraordinary rate, & it will I think be safe for me to say that before this reaches you, you will know of what task is allotted the N.Z.s & how they deal with it. We have had a very thorough training in our job & the result is that all are very confident that success will be ours. A couple of days ago I sent off a cable to the effect that I was very fit etc & that I had been promoted to rank of Temp Major. I thought perhaps it might interest you all, & also that I have not been able to
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write as often as I would like to have done. Work is our motto just now, & it is going full pressure day & night. Regarding promotion I trust you understand what the Temp rank means. I may at any time be put back to my permanent rank of Capt. for the following reasons. At present there is no vacancy for a permanent appointment because we have a Major on the strength of the Batt. who is still on the strength of the Division but is wounded in England. Immediately he is put on N.Z. Roll, that is, he is destined to returned to N.Z. he is struck off the strength of the Div. & a vacancy for a permanent
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rank then occurs, & to all intents & purposes I will be the one to get it. As a matter of fact the man who is at present in England is pretty certain to return to N.Z. so that things should be pretty right. On the other hand, should I go out of France sick or wounded whilst holding only the Temp rank, I would revert to permanent rank, that of Capt automatically. At first sight it seems rather rotten perhaps but on the other hand it is the only possible way to carry on to prevent an accumulation of Senior officers on the strength of the Div.
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I was very surprised when I heard about it, no one had ever given me any idea that it was coming through. The Col. had been away on two occasions, the last for a period of 10 days, during which time Maj Hargest was in Command of Batt. & I was acting as 2nd in Command. I got word just a couple of days before the Col. returned. He congratulated me very warmly & seemed quite pleased, but I can assure you not more so than I was. It adds greatly to ones responsibility of course, but one gets used to that sort of thing out here & being young & having pretty broad shoulders I think I can pull through all right.
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I had a letter from Charl tonight date 7-4-17. Written just after their Gaza affair. No doubt they had some hard fighting, but through it all he seems to be particularly fit & very cheery. When writing the Mtds had evidentialy been withdrawn & were resting for some days. I have followed somewhat closely the operations out there, & from what I can make out they have a gordish fight in front of them before Gaza will be absolutely & whole heartedly theirs. At time of writing we are following with intense interest the attitude of Russia
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Prospects from that quarter are not just what they might be. Instead of holding out a helping hand by putting in some punches on their front they are hindering us to a certain extent by the air of uncertainty hanging around their intentions. It seems incredible that they should even think of letting us down now, but of course one never can tell. Should they do the worst he would be a bold man indeed who would say, he could see the end. You will be as well posted in the war news as we are here, & able to tell how well
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the days are going for the Allies. It is beyond all shadow of a doubt that in many places they have bumped against the Hindenburgh Line, but what is most reassuring of all is that in such a short space of time they have been able to pierce it in so many places. The Hun is putting up a desperate resistance, consequently the gains in acres etc of late have not been so great. However when the papers state that the gain in actual territory does not matter in the least they are only emphasising a fact that can not be too lightly dealt with. There is no need to mince
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matters now & the sooner we all realize that this war has definitely settled down to what practically means the extermination of either one side or the other the sooner will we get done with the thing. Now then, it is an absolute fact that the Hun is defending his present line at a cost in human life far greater than he can afford. Therefor it matters not one little bit if we do not advance more than a mile in a month, so long as we can inflict on him the maximum of casualties at a the minimum of cost to ourselves. That this is being done no one who has followed the recent fighting can
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help but admit. Someone may say, if such is the case why should we advance at all? the answer is obvious, when properly pounded out of one position it is essential to keep at grips with him & therefore occupy each tactical feature as it is vacated by him, so as to dominate each position in turn as he takes them up. I read in the times yesterday a speech made by Bonar Law, & he there quoated figures to the following effect. We have gained four times as much ground in this last offensive with at least from 70 to 80% less loss
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of life than in the Somme offensive, & in less than half the time. On the other hand greater losses have been inflicted on the enemy. How this has been brought about I am not permitted to mention here. At anyrate so long as we can keep on punching in the same manner the sooner will the thing be over. The tin of shortbread arrived in splendid nick & very much appreciated. The tin of coffee also came to hand some time ago. The lates mail to hand is dated 11th March & there in all seemed to be
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in the best of good form. The last mail contained letters from the children at Cornation, but I am sorry to say that it is practically impossible for me to answer them separately. I trust they will understand all right & still “keep on keep’in on”. Now the hour wears on & we have work in front of us tomorrow so I must be off. Au Rêvoir for the present. Rest assured that I go into this affair as fit as any man ever went into battle. Love to all.
Affect Brother
E.S. McI
