The Dardanelles.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 75, 28 July 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles.

STRUGGLES FOR THE TRENCHES n>HTGI> PItKSS ASSOCIATION. London, .July '27. Mr Aslnnesul Bartlett continues his description ol' the fighting on ihe i'2\n and lath : The majority ol' our casualties occur after tile trenches are won. Toe enemy, knowing the plan of his own trenches, attacks with bombs through saps. In lighting at close quarters parties get over-far -forward and are frequently lost for hours. A (oViHmou occurrence was for our mo.li to j; pn possession of an ad\ m- eed 'crouch whilst the Turks were still holding the sections behind. The cost of this type of warfare can he worked out with mathematical exactness. So many men must, be sacrificed, and there must be so many shells and grenades every hundred yards. It is bludgeon work, brutal and unattractive. Victories at Aohi Baba cannot be won in a day. Even more than before Ypres and Souchez sections of the enemy's line must be pounded to a pulp, then stormed, and finally held against counter-attacks.

The territorials, coming out of the fiery ordeal, greatly enhanced their reputation by settling • down to the novel conditions. They proved themselves to be first-class fighters of great intelligence and dash. During the first attack, the twelfth brigade on the right assaulted and captured the third line of trenches, but failed to establish a connection with the French on the right. Throughout the day. our heavy guns were busy with a terrific bombardment till 4 o'clock in the afternoon against the left, where the Turkish line touched the Achi Baba nullah. The Turkish positions looked appallingly strong, like a giant ploughed field, successive lines of trenches replacing the furrows. in addition, the Turks on the right held a regular rectangular redoubt perched on the edge of a ravine, down which they placed concealed machine-guns. At four in the afternoon every gun was turned on the Turkish trenches ami the redoubt. High explosives threw up great masses of earth, sand bags, and wooden beams to an immense height. Meanwhile, not a Britisher nor a Frenchman was visible. At live the artillery lengthened the fuses and concentrated their fire on dead ground, where the enemy was massing reserves. At the same moment the Britishers leapt out of the trenches and surged forward In the great redoubt. The network of trenches was a scene that resembled a picture from Dante's "Inferno," and our guns shelling the works at the rear made the background of earth smoke. The ground resembled a gigantic steaming cauldron. The gallant brigade poured into the thick vapours without hesitating or looking backward. Individuals were .-,0011 swallowed in the mist, and it was only possible to- discern black dots rushing

about with bayonets flashing in the shrouded, sun. There was a continuous roar of musketry, the Turks resisting brilliantly, When the smoke lifted, our men were everywhere in possession of the trendies. For a few minutes it looked as if the ,'redoubt would give, trouble, but the Scots never gave the Turks a chance. They swarmed up the escarpment on all sides, jumping in at the top and settling the argument with the bayonet. Parties of Turks held out For an hour and a half, but continuous and furious, fighting by our artillery made such a curtain of shrapnel that counter-at-tacks were impossible. At sunset the bridgade bad captured all the works they attacked on the left, but were compelled to evacuate two of the captured trenches on the right. It was a great day for these soldiers, who, despite the extreme heat and their difficult task, fought like veterans. The Turk has a partiality for night-fighting, when bis inferiority in artillery is not apparent. Through the night of the 12th rifle lire -was unceasing, and at dawn the noise was crescendo. The Turks' brought up reinforcements and attacked our weary men through communication trenches with bombs and bayonets. The Scots fought gallantly, but could not maintain all the ground won and were driven out of two trenches, but they clung stubbornly to the redoubt.

At daybreak the. staff examined the situation closely and decided to give the enemy no vest to follow up anotlier attack. The two exhausted brigades wore withdrawn, the naval division entering the frw.it trenches. The iield artillery, at fear in the afternoon, opened up «..i the battered shambles of trenches, which were now knocked almost beyond recognition. The high wind and hurstiug shrapnel threw up immense clouds of dust, obscuring the horizon. Our right .moved forward at 4.30. amidst terrible rifle-lire, regaining the two trenches, but were held up at the third and fourth. They moved to the right, advancing a long distance and skirting the enemy works, but were unable to enter. Fighting on the right continued for three hours, but it was hidden from view, and it was impossible to know what was happening.

Our attack on our left was com-

pletely successful, and was conducted with the utmost skill and dash. The infantry simply swept over overy-

thing, bnyonettmg all Turks who did not succeed in escaping down the sap. They finished their assigned task in a few minutes, but there was no stopping them. They swept forward in small parties as if they would never stop, despite shells and bullets, and ii looked as if they intended to assault a fresh position. Fortunately this premature advance was checked in I line. The Turks on our left were thoroughly demoralised ay this final charge, and tied far rearwards to the foot of Achi Baba, our shells pursu ing them. At sunset we held the whole of the enemy's left, which was firmly consolidated during the night. Despite l every effort on our right w» Failed to take the last two lines, and we consolidated the first two. Wt> were opposed by three of the best Tur-

kish regiments of whom our infantry captured five hundred.

BRITISH SUBMARINE'S WORK. United Vrtm .AssonunoK. •Received 0.40 a.m.) London. July 27. Reuter, at Sofia, states that a British" submarine destroyed a large vessel laden with charcoal off Malta Pell, on the Asiatic shore of the Sea of i Marmora. ' They also destroyed part of the railway line at Dilikleszi by gunfire. SCOTTISH TERRITORIALS, GREAT GHARCE AT ACHI BABA. I INTENSE HEAT ON PENINSULA. 'Received 10 :\.m.) London. July 127". Router at the Diml-'"files. d->s,--i!)-ing the fighting recently cabled, says tli<> intense heat was accentuated by sandstorms raised by :> g«l fl "" the Levant, which swept across the Peninsula. The Turks are ustmr hiffh explosives, but their growing inferiority suggests they have great difficulty in maintaining supplies. The Central News states that th« Scottish Territorials, triumphantly cheering, charged the labyrinth of Turkish trenches, a"d carried threo lines, and are ready! to storm Achi Baba itself. When asked why they went on. one lad replied: "I thought T might as veil finish the whole business at once."

GENERAL CODLEY'S LETTER

I THE CASUALTY LISTS. INQUIRY FOR REINFORCE* ME NTS. Per Press Associate .v. Wellington, July 28. General Godley, writing to the Minister of Defence, stated: "One cannot stir here without a chance of being hit by shrapnel or a sniper's bullet. They talk of casualties in France, but T fancy they are not anything to what they have been here. My division alone landed 8343 strong, and I have had (250 casualties. The Australian division in proportion is, T believe, higher." General Godley concludes: "I hope the reinforcements coining may enable us soon to make a start for Constantinople."