PALESTINE.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1918, Page 3

PALESTINE.

(PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRICFT.I TURKS ADMIT REVERSE. LONDON, Sept. 22.

A Turkish communique dealing with tho British attack, speaks of most violent night long fighting on the 18th September, with forces continually reinforced. on a wide front, oast of Je-rusa-lem-Nablus rosd. Tho Turks claim tho attack was on tho line Jalua Wacli Abzu-Zcrkn., but admit that after two hours violent bombardment supported by Navy guns and desperate hand-to-hand fighting, the British penetrated Turkish positions between the coast at Lydda and the Tulkernm railway. The reports add that the Turks have withdrawn to Talkernm.

ROPING IN THE TURK. LONDON jScpt. 22. . An eveiling Palestine coinm unique states: By nine on the evening of the 21st our left wing, infantry, pivoting on their loft, about Birasur had reached a line front Ceitdejan to Samaria and Birasur, thus shepherding tho enemy on and westward of the Jerusalem Nablus road, into the arms of the cavalry. Operating southwards from Jenin and Bersan, other enemy columns attempted to escape into the Jordan Valley, in the direction of Jisrcddamie which the enemy still hold. These columns suffered severely, being constantly bombed and ■machine-gunned from low altitudes. We hold Nazareth and the rail and road passages over the Jordan and Jismejamine.

ENVER PASHA OUT OF POWER. LONDON, Sept. 22. Turkish advices state that Enver Pasha (formerly Turkish Foreign Envoy) is not in the new Sultan’s favour and consequently he is seeking an appointment in the German Army. CAPTURES TOTAL 25,000. 10,000 TURKS SURROUNDED. TURKISH ARMY CEASED TO EXIST Received, this dav at H So a.m. NEW YORK, Sup. The. Turkish Army in Palestine has ceased to exist. The British have captured 25,000 Turks and two hundred and sixty guns. LATER. 40,000 Turks have been surfounded, and it is believed they lmvo not any chance of escape.

CEASED TO EXIST. TURKISH ARMY WIPED OPT. MOST COMPLETE VICTORY OF WAR. (Received This Day, at 9.25 a.m.) LONDON, September 23. Mr Massey, writing from Palestine Headquarters on Sunday, states there is still a great doa] of clearing up to do but the first battle is practically over.

General Allenby lias secured one of the most complete victories in the war. A few unimportant sections may have got away in driblets, but the Turkish Armies have ceased to exist as the armies have been killed or captured and have lost almost their entire war material r.f every description. If a new army is to bo created for Palestine and Syria, the Turks must provide not only men, but the mechanism of the war. Nearly all of their guns on this front, their transport, rolling stock, engines, and stores have fallen into our hands. The infantry atone have taken 270 guns. The cavalry have been too busy securing prisoners, to count and send re ports of their gun captures.

I have been over a large portion of the battlefield, hundreds of square miles in extent and have seen the debris of tho routed army, and realise it must be some time before a full statement of the enemy losses is possible. This much is certain, General Allonby’s strategy, hacked by the victorious action of his enthusiastic, dett 4 mined troops, has obtained a victory for the Allies from which the Turks cannot hope to recover.

GOOD NEWS CONTINUES. FURTHER SUCCESSES. /Received Tl-ie tv, v ot 11-25. a.m LONDON September 23. Mr Massey says to-day’s news is as good as the preceding days. In Jordan Valley we made important- ground. A few of the enemy had come down from Nablus to get. across Jisr cd Donnell ferry. The New Zealanders at eight o’clock got across the track to stop this exit, and rounded up eighthundred prisoners, including a staff commander of the Turkish Fifty Ihiid Division. Apparently it brings bad luck to command this division for in the first battle of Gaza tho Australians caught a commander in his carriage. At o' 1(1 o'clock to-day the New Zealanders crossed the Jordan and secured Danrioh bridgehead cast of Jericho. The infantry' who held up the enemy from the west-, had little to do to-day beyond taking the surrender of isolated parties lmt tliev increased their captures of guns. Irish ’Welsh and Indian

infantry operating about Nablus road got well north and east of Nablus adding to tho discomfiture of the retreating enemy, tho Irish covering twenty-one miles, fighting over mountains, in thirty-six hours. Tho cavalry have approached Kofr Knnna and Seffarieh, north of Nazareth yesterday. To-day the Yeomanry and Indian cavalry beat off an attack on Tebriali-Acre road north of Naza-

-eth from the direction of Haifa. INTERESTING PARTICULARS. Tills >V... i 11 25. a. 11, 1 LONDON, Sept. 23. Mr Massey added The British and Australian airmen, carrying on as usual., chose a new field to-day and attacked motor and other transport trying to escape along ‘ Shcble-Seisam road. They dropped four tons o. bombs inflicting severe damage to men and material. In my wanderings I have seen the extraordinary success achieved by the airmen in these operations. On Tulker-imm-Nablus road, the pilots flow at a very low altitude and dropped bombs where it was impossible to miss. Tile

road, for miles is choked with smashed lorries, wheels of transport, dead men and horses. , Having broken tip the transport columns and making it ditti-i-i'lt for men to move, the airmen returned ami machine-gunned the troops endeavouring to hide. V hat they accomplished in this neighbourhood was repeated on the Damieh road and elsewhere. The airmen’s total casualties inflicted on the enemy must reach high figures. All the prisoners speak with dread of the sound of the aircraft One feature of this battle has been the magnificent dash of the India.ii troop" The veteran soldiers of India

were expected to do well and have lived up to their high reputation. The young battalions who replaced the white j troops sent for service on the western | front were an unknown quantity, but the young Indian battalions came through the ordeal magnificently. They fought like seasoned warriors and cheerfully answered any call of their divisional commanders, who toll mo they wore delighted with tho Indians valour under all conditions. Forty-seven hours of continuous fighting and marching tested them to the utmost and they behaved superbly, their only fault being a too great an eagerness to push on. In Thursday’s tremendous attack against the coastal defence, the officers had to restrain the men from rushing into our artillery barrage. These took the place i of some Londoners sent to France, and ] were trcmendusly keen to preservo the , record of the Division. The Indians I with the Londoners who were first in i Jerusalem, and first over tho Jordan, i i wanted to be the first through the coast al defences. They succeeded and went on and secured the crossing of Wadi ( Fallik for tho cavalry. , They advanced northeastwards of Tulkeram, covering | the astonishing distance f twenty-two '• miles in 13{ hours, including trench. | fighting and actions in the open. This wonderful performance is an example j of what the young Indian battalions are. capable of. All are practically of the I same quality and for skill in hill fight- { ing they are hard to find a parallel., j This incident was a struggle for Biotin! | Hills five thousand yards from Nablus, on Friday. When they were captured i it was decided to take the station which, was commanded on the south by a high, j steep bill. The Sixth Battalion crept } up the irregular slopes in tho moonlight- j and caught the garrison entirely unpre- j pared. They rushed the surprised German machine-gunners and they was. not one single casualty among the Sikhs. The Indians marching over the hilly country had to leave all their artillery, except their mountain guns behind.

A COMPLETE SUCCESS. (Received This Day at 1.5. p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 23

Palestine communique.—Having seized the passages of the Jordan and Jis-ncd-D.amieh oii Sunday the enemy’s last avenue of escape westward of the river was closed and .the Seventh and Eighth Turkish Armies virtually ceased to exist and tlieir entire transport was captured. By eightyesterday twenty-five thousand prisoners and two hundred and sixty guns were captured. Many prisoners and much material has not yet been enumerated .