BOMBARDMENT OF THE DARDANELLES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2446, 27 April 1915, Page 5

BOMBARDMENT OF THE DARDANELLES

ACTION IN PROGRESS

VALUE OF THE LAND TROOPS

mi • •> - i ... , London, April 25. ■ lie Allied ships brought down two Turkish aeroplanes which were flyine over Tenedos. b The bombardment of the Straits continues.

BEITISH BATTLESHIP TRIUMPH IN ACTION.

_ , ' , London, April 25. Reuters correspondent.on board the battleship Triumph states that when she entered the Dardanelles her 7.5 guns opened fire on the trenches at the western end of Gallipoli at a range of seven thousand yards. After half an hour the Triumph'changed her position and" a howitzer battery on the Asiatic shore dropped sixteen. shells in a quarter of an hour of which three struck the Triumph, but did only trifling damage. Two men were wounded. The Triumph silenced the howitzers in a few minutes and resumed the bombardment of the trenchcs,

AN ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION

ENEMY'S DEFENCES WELL ORGANISED. (Rec. April 26, 10 p.m.)

. London, April 26. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, representing the London Press in the Dardanelles theatre, says that the trial on March 18 convinced the Navy that the Narrows can be forced, but itis essential that a powerful army should be ready to occupy Gallipoli Peninsula, otherwise tlio Navy will again be obliged to clear the mine-fields to force a way out. Naval men are surprised at the small damage which has been done 'to the forts. Though the firing had completely silenced them, the landing parties found_ many of the Turkish guns intact. The' warships' fire drove the gunin the forts in the Narrows from their guns into bomb-proof shelters, but it is improbable that many of the guns wore knocked out. The science of the German gunners is greatly helping the Turks, otherwise the Fleet would already be before Constantinople.

The chief obstacles to be faced in the future'are the mines, which.arc carried by a four-knot current, torpedo tubes which are placed on both shores, concealed batteries of heavy howitzers, and batteries of field-guns which are able to move among the hills and attack the warships from, "unexpected spots, inflicting serious damage on trawlers and destroyers engaged in mino-clearinc. A battleship has to score a direct hit on h gun before' the gun can be put out of action if protected by a well-constructed earth emplacement-.' , Tli« t>X|W.lit.jaHftt<,¥ fnlw I'millii'srl Mtl Imwitiiel'ii W m'Ul)r Cialliiioli, foi'twuteJiy, CQraißftds Uw tower Asiatiu shore! *

THE WAR IN THE EASTERN THEATRE AUSTRIAN ATTACKS REPULSED WITH ENORMOUS LOSSES (Rec.-April 28,' 10 p.m.) Petrograd, April 26. The Austro-Germans are bringing U P much teavfer artillery, to the Car* pathian front. ' ' HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. The High Commissioner reports:— ' ~t , London! April 25, 5 a,m. in the Carpathians on Thursday and Friday night a series of Austrian attacks against the heights occupied by the Russians, in the region of Polen, were repulsed with enormous losses. ' "The Austrians were equally unsuccessful in their attempts in the region of Volviate, north-wetst of the TJszok Pass. "The Russians progressed on Friday in the district of Nedevec,' southeast of the Rostok Pass/and at Sianki, two miles from the head of the TJzsok Pass. After obstinate fighting the Russians seized a series of importaa l heights m those regions?' . AUSTRIANS CLAIM A VICTORY. (Reel 'April 26,10.15 p.m.) ■ . London, April 28. • A report from Budapest states that the Russians on Tuesday and Wed- ' nesdav made repeated attacks on the TJszok front. They advanced in line, Bix or eight deep, and their assaults were of the most desperate character, OA one height the Austrians repulsed them ten times. The Russians lost several thousands in dead and wounded.