FRIGHTFUL SLAUGHTER OF TURKS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2519, 14 July 1915, Page 7

FRIGHTFUL SLAUGHTER OF TURKS

FIERCE BATTLE IN GALLIPOLI ! ENEMY'S MASSES CAUGHT IN; DEATH, ZONE Jy Telegraph—Press Association—Oowrtgit ~ • (Rec. July 13, 10.20 p.m;) ' , ' ~ ; . . , „ London; July .*l3. The ''Daily Chronicle's" correspondent. at Lemnos, in a dispatch dated ■July 11, writes:r-''Tho heaviest fighting since the Allies landed'in Gallipoli began lata in. .tho darkness of Tuesday, and lasted well nito-Wednesday. The battle resulted in a. swiug forward of tho' southern lino a distance of hve furlongs,. with staggering losses to the enemy, estimated at seven thousand killed and.fifteen thousand wounded. The Australians and Now Zealanders also played a part in the victory, which marks a, definite stage in the initial work of encircling Achi Baba, now one of the strongest fortresses in. the world "For, some little time past the .Turks had abandoned their offensive and now resumed it in somewhat remarkable circumstances. 'Towards tho end of the first week in July a lucky shell from a Turkish battery blew up a small French ammunition depot, and about the same, time the liner Car thane was torpedoed in sight of the enemy's lines. These incidents,' combined with' glowing accounts of German victories elsewhere, put fresh heart into the Turks and impelled, them to. depart from their more discreet waiting policy The faot that the Allies' entireiine was resting in compffrative tranquility inspired the Turks with the idea that the Allies were short of ammunition, and thev therefore proceeded to "drive them into the sea." , The Attack Discovered.. "Our destroyers' searchlights detected heavy masses of the enemy's troons moving from beyond Achi Baba towards tho Turkish lines, wife'the object of attacking the French. Tho latter, were warned, and their artillery was quicklv reinforced, until a perfect wall of heavy and light guus was in position. The British lerritorials, Indians, and naval men were also on the alc-rt in the event' of an attack being directed at them. . • ? f „ oppa \ Sßl l° sil T e en ? ued > broken by a tremendous burst of.lurkish shells and shrapnel on the French front, accompanied from the Straits by the guns .of the Goeben which pounded our right'with 11-inch shells, many of which did not burst. Ihey were apparently of Turkish manufacture. lhis hail of shells lasted for'an hour, and then a great solid mass of Turks leapt to the attack.. . "On they came, the silence was unbroken save for their shouts, until they reached within sixty yards of us. , Then a well-plaoed machine-gun fire poured devastation, 'twenty thousand rifles spoke, big guns flared, and lighted the lurid scene at intervals. With fine bravery/the Turks camo on uuhesitatmgly into this inferno of death, in terribly cut-up conditions, andreachod tho entanglements, only to find that their artillery had not demolished our wire defences. ■ ] ■ : "Slaughter Was Terrible." , "The slaughter here was terrible, yet at three points,the enemy managed to invade the French trenches, and oven succeeded in turning some -of the French weapons oh tho defenders, but the second French lino hurled itself instantly on the foe. . : , " 'We were so closely mixed up,' said a French .soldier, 'that it was almost impossible to .use t'ho bayonet, and wejiad to clear our way simply by pushing the Turks back into tho trenches, whero we fell upon them, running our bayonets into their solid mass. At last we rushed forward, and tho Tnrl,-K badly supported, Jed.' ; . > ' Streaks of Death From Our Maxims. "Into their struggling masses, our maxims poured streaks of death mowing down heaps. Meanwhile-the Naval Brigade sustained a portion 'of the attack, arid turned .their machine guns on tho wreck of the attackers, the i ships' searchlights illuminating the ghastly scene, and providing a ghostly target for our deadly guns and rifles.. The field soon presented an appalling spectacle. Soldiers who had fought in the fiercest fights in France and Flanders were sickened at the awful sight. ; Twilight-presented .a view of bodies lying four and five feet deep, in all positions, men being mixed up with entanglements, while many, stood erect, propped up against their massed and stricken comrades. "Farther and farther,, amid the yells and groans of the battered rabble the enemy retreated, followed by relentless death. Tho sight was 50 terriblo that many of our men could not fire, so much did tho horrible vision of slaughter make the, men tremble. At last tho poor remnant of Turks reached the shelter of their trenches on tho slopes of Achi Baba. v Colonial Wedge Pushed Out. ' "Throughout the morning our 'warships harried the Turkish positions, while tho Australians ; and New Zoalandors in the Sari Bair region throw out a wedge of attack as-though to threaten the Turkish communications. This alarmed the enemy, who began to withdraw. Meanwhile the headquarters of the enemy were, attacked' by acroplanos, dropping a scoro of bombs. "Aftor a bout by the artillery, our counter-attack was .launched. We rushed across the death-strewn area, with difficulty, so thickly was it covered with bodies. Our bombardment in many places obliterated tho enemy's entrenchments. Our melinite shells wero terribly effective. Wo easily carried the first trenches, then our second line put the Turks to headlong flight. The enemy's guns were active, and throw seven thousand shells iii two hours. "The Turks hurled themselves seven 1 times on-our now lines, but were driven off with heavy losses. Tho British left swung smartly forward, and throw the demoralised enemy out of two additional linos.: Our losses wero comparatively light."

RUMOURED ANXIETY TO MAKE PEACE. (''Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) . London, July 12. ■ ■ An Athons message states that Turkey is attempting to arrange peace with the Allies, and that, two Turkish delegates are en route to Switzerland. Turkish'deserters who have arrived at Sofia stato that the-army desires peace. The feeling is'that the situation is hopeless. WHEN WILL ITALY COME IN? (''Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) London, July 12. M. Hanotaux, ex-French Foreign Minister, writing in the "Figaro," declares that Italian participation in tho Dardanelles operations has simply, been postponed. Italian troops are concentrated at Taranto and Brindisi. Turkey's attitude kiwarda. Libya, and the occupation of Rhodes and the Dodecanese Islands are supplying Italy with a motije for a rugturs with Turkejv '