IN MESOPOTAMIA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2739, 6 April 1916, Page 5

IN MESOPOTAMIA

EARLIER OPERATIONS • DESCRIBIiD:-' GENERAL NIXON'S STORY By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Iteo. April 6, 0.65 a.m.) ■" , . ' ' April ECGeneral Nixon's dispatoh covering the operations in Mesopotamia during . the period of his command narrates that General Corringe for seven weeks of April and May last was' engaged in clearing' Persian Arabistan," enabling tie oil fields to resume operations."' Meanwhile General Townsliend was collecting many long narrow boats, called "bellums," covered with iron plates, and the troops were trained to punting work. Guns were mounted on rafts and barges. ' ' \'Our preparations were completed by the end of May. When the Turks entrenohed north of Qurnah, on- the. islands standing out of the inundations, our flotilla of 'heliums 1 ., advanced to the attack (May 31), the infantry carrying the position with the bayonet, after pc-ling the 'bellums' over a, , mile through thick reeds, and landing waist deep in water."

i Describing General Townsliend'6 first advance, General Nixon says: "The Turkish position, was seven miles northeast of Kut-el-Amara. A formidable boom blocked the Tigris,-and entrench-' ments linked up the gape BStwSeflutjif. river and the marshes. The defences were well designed. Behind were miles of communication trenches, providing covered outlets to the Tigris, where landing stages facilitated .the transfer of the Turks to and from the ships. "General Townsliend's victory on Sep-, tember 28 was due to a feint attack south of the river, followed by the con-.' struction of a bridge, whereby' the' troops were conveyed to the northern side under cover of night.: This was concluded with a most gallant bayonet attack, and the enemy was only saved from complete destruction by night."