A DESPATCH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2902, 14 October 1916, Page 9

A DESPATCH

MESOPOTAMIA OPERATIONS DEPRESSING RECORD Australian-New Zealand- Cable Association. London, October 12. The dispatch ,of the -Commander-in-Chief in' Mesopotamia- - - (Sir -PercyLake), covering the operations between January-19 and -April 13,. is a depressing rccord. of. the most gallant'efforts of an inadequate force to. cope, with almost ijiMirniountable difficulties'.

Sir Percy Lake says: The'"supply of river' steamers, never equalled our re-qim-enients, and, consequently, it was never possible to . concentrate on the Tigris front' the whole' forces available, or. sufficient transport to enable them to operate freely at any distance from the river. ■

General Aylmer's unsuccessful attempt to force tlie Umm-eU-Hannah defile was carried out with splendid courage and dogged determination. The troops bivouacked in driving rain,,and three times advanced over flat country, deep with mud and absolutely devoid of cover, against well-constructed trenches manned by a brave and stub : born enemy. When General Gorringe succeeded to the command, in March, the Tigris was in heavy Hood, which caused extensive inundations.' The remainder of the month was a strenuous struggle to prevent the whole, country being flooded. Every available man was engaged digging "embankments. Largo Turkish j-er inforcenients, on April 20, eiiaoied strong counter-attacks to be made, which drove back our. troops, many of whom were unable to roply owing to their rifles being choked with mud."The Kut-01-Amara garrison had now' only six days' supplies, and General Gorringe's troops* were nearly .worn .out. The same troops advanced time and again to the assault on eighteen consecutive davs, upon a scale of inadequate rations, which the shortage of river transport necessitated. The failure of General Aylmer to reach Kut-el-Amara finally obliged General ' Townsend's surrender.