The final assault developed unexpectedly. Shortly after midnight General Yamada sent a couple of companies of sappers to attack Redoubt No 3. The attack was completely successful and by one o'clock the fort was in Japanese hands. Yamada immediately sent back word to headquarters urging a general advance, and, before received a reply, launched two more companies against Redoubt No 2. By four o'clock that also had been taken, General Horiuchi on the left wing, seeing the way things were going, sent four companies against Redoubts 4 and 5 capturing both by six. In the meantime, Johoji's men on the right, supported by the British, had also advanced, while two amall bodies—not more than seventy in each,—had been sent from the left and centre against Iltis and Bismarck. Before half-past six both had been taken and at about half-past six Redoubt No. 1 and the forte on Moltke hoisted the white flag.
From a spectacular point of view it is difficult to imagine a more disappointing finale: from a military standpoint the fight made by the Germans was surprisingly feeble. The allies had to get over a twenty foot wall running the entire length of the redoubts, across barbed-wire entanglements twenty' yards wide, up " slope without an iota of cover upon which heavy guns could no longer play for fear of hurting their own men, across another lot of entanglements and up a second slope, against maxims, pompous and rifle fire and finally bayonets. Then, when the redoubts had been taken had to erose rather more than half a mile of open ground and climb the step sides of itis, Bismarck and Moltke. As was subsequently shown the defenders had plenty of ammunition and healthy men—according to their own estimate their total casualties since the beginning of the siege were no more than 1,000. A forlorn hope, which was all they had to fight on, has generally something of the heroic about it. In this case it had none wi
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