GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1928, Page 4

GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN

OBSERVATIONS BY VENIZELOS. ,

Some interesting observations on tho operations in the Dardanelles were made by Al. Venizelos, shortly after his resumption of the position of Prime Minister of Greece, in an interview with a representative of the London “Daily Telegraph.” “In my considered opinion—and 1 am even more firmly convinced than ever after the passage of years—the whole course of the war and subsequent history of Europe would have Leon changed had you been able to pass the Straits,” he said. “The cause of the failure was, in my opinion, tho preliminary attack made by your fleet before there was any army ready to support it. When the first bombardment took place there wore only about 7990 Turks in all scattered' on both the European and Asiatic sides of tho Straits. These could easily have been disposed of by a small landing force. But from that hour the Turks wore warned, and hastened every available man to the peninsula. It was a

blunder which brought untold disasters in its train. I repeat that had you taken Constantinople the war would have ended two years earlier—l say as early as Aln.v, I91(i. At that time the German offensive at Verdun had finally collapsed, the German armies were disorganised, and the German people hopelessly discouraged. They would have accepted peace oil almost any terms had the campaign turned to your advantage in the East. If you had taxon Constantinople, Turkey would have been forced out of the war, Bulgaria would never have declared against the Allies, and it would have been possible with sound diplomacy to unite tho whole of the Balkan States against the Central Powers. How many evils might unhappy Europe have been saved ! ”