DRIVING THE TURK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 46, 17 November 1917, Page 7

DRIVING THE TURK

HIS RAILWAY COMMUNICATION WITH JERUSALEM CUT LAST HOPE OF HOLDING THE BRITISH GONE London, November 15. Renter's correspondent at Headquarters in Palestine reported on Wednesday: —"We have captured the junction station whero tlio Uecrsheba railway joins the Jnlfa-Jerusnlem line, cutting off the enemy's railway communication with Jerusalem. His last hope of holding us, on the Wadi Sural' is gone. There may still be a certain amount of local fighting, but organised .resistance on a large scale is unlikely. 1 "Within a fortnight of the inception of the offensive, an array consisting of nine divisions has been driven out of strongly-fortified and apparently impreg-' nablo positions, and chivvied across country with enormous losses, and its rnoralo broken. _ , "A feature of yesterday's lighting was a brilliant charge of the Yeomanry against the enemy's entrenched position above Mughair. They charged straight across the upland, and received heavy fire from rifles, machine-guns, and field pieces, but cut Tight through fee Turks, sabring right and left. When une enemy found themselves cut off they tfirew down 'their arms. After the Scottish infantry's bout at Burkah, four hundred dead Turks ware counted at one position alone. IT • • • "Thd-aviators are doing excellent work in bombing the railways. Five German machines, three, spare engines, and other material were destroyed when we bombed the aerodrome at Anak el Menshiye. _ It is believed that they were new machines which had recently arrived. "The population behind the lines is joyously resuming its usual occupations, including , the sowing of crops, nnd the people are doing a roaring trade among our men in oranges and other commodities."— Reuter, PURSUIT CONTINUES RELENTLESSLY TURKS FIGHTING DESPERATE REARGUARD ACTION. London, November 15. Mr. W.»T, Massey, on Tuesday, wrote: —"General Allenby to-day moved north- | ward and secured control of a big area of the world's most ancient battlefield. A large Turkish force is fighting a desperate rearguard action north of the Wadi Sukereir from near Iho dunes on the coast to Beit Jibrin, and' round Burfceth, which tl-.n captured. The colonial and British cavalry to-day secured a light grgsp on some northern outposts in the Land of the Philistines. They, with the infantry, occupied Yebnah, the Jamnia of Joshua's time. "The pursuit of the Turks continues relentlessly, and ire we almost within sight of 1 Ramleh, the. former Turkish headquarters. Beyond Ramleh is Lydda, the spot reputed to contain the remains of Saint George. We are only seven miles from Ramleh. "A Turkish communique dated November 10, states'Tdie enemy did not attack.' The fact is that the Turks themselves six times fruitlessly attacked the Scottish troops n?rth of the Wadi Hesi. Their failure caused them to abandon Ascalon and other places, and we took ]000 prisoners and over twenty guns."— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ' GENERAL ALLENBY'S REPORT. ! London, November 15. An official report from Palestine states: —"General Allenby reports that the infantry and mounted troops continue to advance. Wo now hold the railway lines near Neanes and Mansuroh, including the junction of the Becrsheba-Damas-cus railway with the line to Jerusalem. We inflicted heavy losses on the enemy on Tuesday, buried 400 men at Katroh alone, an>l took 1500 prisoners."—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

TROOPS TWENTY-ONE MILES. PROM JERUSALEM. (Rec. November p, 0.5 a.m.) London, November 16. General Allenby is 1 now twenty-one miles west of Jerusalem.— The "Times." eNEMY POWERsIqRM A MOBILE ARMY Rome, November 15. The "Popolo Romano"i 6tates that the Germans, Austrians, Bulgarians, and Turks have formed a mobile army, which can move to any front in a few weeks, rt will be employed in Palestine and Mesopotamia in the comin? -winter, when the invasion of-Italy is ended. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. . THE FUTURE OF PALESTINE AN AUTONOMOUS JEWISH STATE. ■ Montreal, November 15. Mr. do Sola, head of the Canadian Zionists, announces that Mr. Balfour,' 1 when in Ottawa, agreed on behalf of Britain to create Palestine an autono 1 - mous'Jewish State, under the protection of the Allies.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Aesri. LEAGUE OF BRITISH JEWS FORMED TO FACILITATE SETTLEMENT IN PALESTINE. (Rec. November IG, 7.50 p.m.) London, November 15. A meeting of the leading Jews decided to form a league of British Jews, with'the object; of upholding the status of British subjects professing Judaism, also to facilitate the settlement of Jews in Palestine.—Renter.