ever, that their
day would come. It dawned with the Australian attack at
Villers-Bretonneux on April 24th, when the fortunes of battle were
already changing; it rose higher on July 4th, when the Australians
again took Hamel and Vaire Wood, the Tanks splendidly helping; it was
at the full on and after August 8th, at the Battle of Amiens, the
first page in the last chapter of the war.

The next incident described by my correspondent occurred at the taking
of the St. Quentin section of the Hindenburg line by the 4th British
Army, two American divisions leading the way.

"The attack," he writes, "had been a very difficult one, and had only
been successful in certain sectors. As usual, the attack had been
launched at dawn, and the morning had been exceptionally misty. Later
on the mist began to roll away rather quickly, and it was found that
in one sector where the attack had made no progress, the Germans were
in a position"--owing to the ridge they occupied having been till then
shrouded in mist--"to bring very heavy machine-gun fire to bear on the
backs of the troops advancing in a sector where the attack had gone
well. Unless something were done at once to drive the Germans from the
ridge they were holding, not only would many lives be lost, but the
result of the attack which had gone well would be jeopardised. Without
waiting for orders and on their own initiative, two Tanks, which were
standing by in order to attack with fresh troops later in the day,
drove straight for the ridge.[11] _Two Tanks, without either infantry
or artillery support, went straight for an unbroken portion of the
German line._ They reached the ridge, and drove the Germans off it.
Both Tanks were hit by several shells, and caught fire. The survivors
of the crews, with a few infantry soldiers, organised the ridge for
defence, turned the German machine guns round, and when the Germans
counter-attacked, this small but determined garrison poured so hot a
fire on them from their own guns that they were driven back, and the
important post secured."

[11] The italics are mine.

There is nothing, I think, that need prevent me from pointing out,
what there is no hint of in the letter itself--that the writer of it
was in one of the Tanks, and was severely wounded.

In the last actions of the war, even the semblance of a Tank was
sometimes enough! "Supply Tanks"--writes my informant--"were then
being used, which looked like the real thing, but were on