THE FIGHT FOR CHUNUK BAIR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1463, 23 October 1915, Page 3

THE FIGHT FOR CHUNUK BAIR.

NEW ZEALANDERS STORM THE HEIGHTS.

FIERCE FIGHTING ON THE

RIDGE

ONSLAUGHTS BY BRAVE TURKS.

(From Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces.)

No. 3 Outpost, August 8. By 5.45 a.m. on Saturday, the 7th August, the Otago, Wellington, and Auckland Regiments had joined upon Rhododendron Ridge, and were about to attack their objective, Chunuk Bair, the curving outline of which we could see clear out against the eastern sky, some distance back, and several hundred feet, above.

A slight diversion was caused by the appearance of two aeroplanes, one a Tanbe and one an English machine. For a time we were thrilled with the expectation of a duel in the air overhead, but the speedy German machine made off in a great hurry, with a thin bluish line of vapour streaming from his exhaust. The English pilot followed him tor a while, and then turned and went on with his observations. Off shore the balloon was up above its mother ship, and a vessel was shelling in the direction of Anafarta, searching, no doubt, for a four-gun battery that had come into action against the lauding. Our wounded were belug brought in to a dressing station not tar from the beach. Turkish wounded were also being carried in and attended to, and by this lime there were 200 prisoners within our lines. The Turkish prisoners were given food and water. Three hospital ships stood out in the offing. About 9 a.m. there was a lull in the firing, and sometimes a full second would pass without a rille shot being fired. The ships’ guns were silent. Half an hour later, however, the bombardment was resumed with an ear-straining noise. By this time the New Zealand, Infantry brigade had advanced well up the slope of the hill, but, as they bad to run the gauntlet of fire from the Turkish trenches, and also from a mountain gun, they were held up for the time being. They were being enfiladed from Battleship Hill on their right. Meantime, the Turks had appeared on the crest of the hill, aud we could see them quite plainly against the skyline. One big man came bravely out Into the open aud waved his men on. Some of them came over the crest of the ridge aud down the slope for about 100 yards towards our troops; but they were met with bursts of shrapnel from our howitzers, and we saw several drop. The officer bravely urged them on again and again, but finally they gave it up, and retreated over the ridge top. The ships were signalled, and they soon were searching the ridge with shrapnel and high explosive. We saw some Turks drop, but once they had retreated over the sky line and on to the reverse slopes they were comparatively safe. In a saucer shaped hollow on the shoulder of Chunuk Bair we could see our reserves clustered. They remained there all that day, the next night, aud most, of them also during the following night, aud seemed fairly safe from the enemy's fire. A second bombardment by the navy hit all along the ridge, but the Turks had got into safety, so it was decided to discontinue the gunfire till nightfall, such of our own guns as could reach the position registering upon it in the meantime. For the present the New Zealanders had failed to reach their objective. That evening a long line of Kitchener’s Army, as it is called, headed by the “East Lancs.’’, poured out of the communication trench, filled their bottles at the water depot, and proceeded under cover of the night to take up their position in the bring line on the left. They seemed a likely looking lot, well disciplined, and well trained. They had had a few days in the trenches at Helles, but this was something different even from Helles, and very different from England. They were to be tested under very strange conditions, and in very unfamiliar surroundings. In the “Rest" valley in which they had spent the night quietly waiting they had had quite a number of casualties. They were, however, in very good spirits, aud made enquiries it there was any “foilin'' to be found about here. We assured them that there was—just a little.

THE FIGHTING ON SUNDAY.

Another dawn —that of Sunday, the Bth August, saw the ships again shelling, and after the preliminary bombardment we saw the New Zealanders advancing through the stunted scrub towards the crest of Chunuk Bair. They went at first cautiously, and then made a dash and gained the ridge. It was an inspiriting moment. Could the few men who had reached the ridge hold it against the Turks, who bad the advantages of trenches on the right and the left ? Our men were shot at from several points of vantage, and we saw several drop. But always there were others to take the places ot those who bad been put out of action. A number of the Turks advanced boldly and bravely in the open. Three of them rushing up to a man on the extreme right of our line, bayoneted him, and he fell to the ground. They passed on. Two of them were shot down. The third vanished over the crest of the

ridge. There was fighting at close quarters for a time, but our men, tor the time being, had won the day, and soon two flags fluttered out at either end of our short line, a few yards short of the actual summit, to indicate the position and guide the guns in regard to future shelling. It was most interesting to watch the operations. Our men began to dig themselves in vigorously, and gradually against the skyline we could see that their bodies were getting lower and lower down. There was a great crackle of rifle fire, and the machine guns began to pour out their streams of bullets. A Turkish gun burst ' some shrapnel over the position we had gained, and a smaller gun endeavoured to reach our reserves. On the left our guns were shelling vigorously, and other shells fell on the deep enfilading Turkish trenches on the right. Opposition from the latter quarter was soon silenced, or at all events greatly minimised, but on the right the Turks dashed up boldly on to and sometimes over the ciest of the ridge. As a rule, however, they did not come far down our slope, and those who did soon turned tail and ran back, for one ot our Maxims was soon playing on them. We could see them clearcut against, a dark cloud, the northern end of which the rising sun was just tinging with gold, quite close to the victorious New Zealanders, and a few yards from the actual summit of the ridge, we picked up a Turkish trench filled with men. As they rose to fire volleys we could see the sun gleaming on their bayonets. They fired hurriedly without aim, and ducked down again. At 6.30 a.m. the sun rose over the northern end of the ridge and made observation difficult. All this time the firing never ceased, but our men had now made themselves some

protection, and were not to be shifted without a struggle. Some exposed themselves fearlessly as they gained the ridge, and every now and then one would fall. The bursts of great explosions from one of the cruiser’s shells made vast clouds of smoke and shattered earth along the ridge, and in one of these we could clearly see a Turk hurled in the air. Most of the Turks had, however, retreated over the ridge and so our guns lengthened their range. The shrapnel seemed to burst in good positions, and no doubt it accounted for quite a number of the enemy. In any case it had a demoralising effect, tor the Turk, brave as he is, does not like shrapnel any more than he loves the cold steel of the bayonet. Down below in the scrub, considerably to the left ot the position our brave fellows had gained, we could see the Ghurkas waiting tor their opportunity, but night was to fall before they could obtain it. The Navy was now making magnificent shooting on the ridge. The red flame of the bursting shell amidst the black cloud of smoke and earth it raised was startlingly vivid. By this time our men had dug themselves in pretty well, and at twenty minutes past six the rifle fire slackened. The ship’s guns also ceased firing for the time being. By 7.30 a.m. our men had gained a few yards, and we saw one of our flags waving on the actual summit of the ridge, quite close to the Turkish trench. The fight continued throughout the day, with occasional fierce bombardments from the Navy, and bursts of rifle and machine gun fire. The Turks appeared to be reinforced, but they gained no ground. Night fell with the New Zealanders still holding the highest point ot the whole battlefield on the Gallipoli Peninsula, but holding it precariously. (Continued in Tuesday’s issue.)