The Dardanelles.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5, 4 September 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles.

, : iif)\it •!■-• ■' ■ • '''' '•' THE FICrfT R r Hi-: i n ■• ' •'*■' '■■' .• - . ~,. , j • •,. ,;i)' ■"■-•• ! ' ' Mj-1 ■• ' *-■;"" .'. ,' ' ASHMEAD UP tb ■ Wt|, «te « J' ?M '*' '■ ;' '! •_ . ( ._ • I/O i :>■*' •""'' *' '" ''' fit NftrEP t > RBB» iAfIfIOCJATIOfI.I. i,,,,. -. vLondQU,; September &.. ■ ;\- Mr'Ashmead' Bartlett, in a despatch •dated August W, states that since the greatest battle-on-Gallipoti closed on August 10 both armies have Ueen busy consolidating their positions, replenishing ammunition, • and ■ reorganising' units 'ift n the '' ! _rUgp;edl mountaihWrs'icourftrVP ':-r 'I Vl.^ted f! the' ground* whereJfclW Anfcac-C'Orps effbi'tii'for Wffif?' to, ma'ndiiig ridgß?%*»»rf * ttf ' tn Y highest! pfek,.>nrtme*y Kbja ! Ceheineh, which! 4s' tm'h'Asunder 'by l a' gigantic ravineii i The '<New ' Zealand ' l lnfattii£ Brigade!, and other 1 Tiattalidhs almostnutacbeft•' the'* ■ objective; hut were unable, to hold it through no fault 1 'of the-battalioH'. The Gurkhas' actually reached thd crest of the plateau, but at the same moment the Turks, taking advantage of the confusion, counter-attacked with great force and drove the Gurkhas back to the lower spurs. The survivors who obtained views of the promised land describe the waters of the Dardanelles lying beneath • with a Turkish transport steaming southward. They also looked down the Narrows to Kilid Bahr.

There was bitter disappointment at relinquishing the crest when it was almost in their grasp after so many months, but. there was no alternative. The Anzac men fought like lions and accomplished a feat or arms almost without parallel. The climbing of those although handicapped by the failure of another corps to make good its positions of the Anafarta Hills further north for the purpose of checking,the enemy's, shellfire, when the details of. the complicated operations are sifted, will form one of the most fascinating in the history of the war. It was a. combat of giants in a giant country. The outstanding fact was the marvellous hardihood, tenacity and reckless courage of the Australians and New Zealanders. We will not forget the part played by a division of the new English Army. Mr Bartlett continues:—Unaccustomed to the novel conditions of mountain warfare, unaccustomed to marching, fighting and climbing in heat for hours, without water, they nobly supported the colonials, and suffered heavy losses unflinchingly. The Maoris skilfully crept forward over broken ground, wirecutting and preparing the way for the advance, in order to enable the forces detailed for the main movement, which had for its ultimate object the occupation of Sari Bair and Chunuk Bair to'KojaC'hemen. It was necessary to attract the enemy's attention towards the south, and force him to keep troops in front of our lines, while the main forces debouched from Anzac. This was tlie reason for the Australian advance on August 6, a desperate attack on Lonlfe Pine plateau, four Hundred feet high, and of great strategic importance, opening up the main, line of communication between Anzac and Kilid Bahr plateau further south. The Turks hod fortified it carefully, and it was a veritable fortress of trenches, roofed with huge pine logs, rail-

wnv s'ltVepers, and immense teak planks, covered with earth, making the! trenches, impervious to shells, except ,I'h'ose' - of heavy howitzers. The assault on August 6 was precedJU".liy fifteen minutes' furious' bombardment, "which' had, iidweveiy little effect'; as 'the Turks Were .safely -dug, in. -Therefore forcing the 1 position' de-' v'plved i on , "'the'infc'iHtry'. '''!.' . -ThV AukWalians : rufehed' forward, to 'the iassa'ulifw;itli thl»fn^,w. 1 'llttb hewing 'the tremendous shrapnel rifle'tire.' The' 1 'ci-etjf'di'fficfilty' was 'to' force' a ,w'ay in? teethe/trenches?' It wasV migh't.v pliy' ! sicalt effort''t'6'remove*, t'tte obstructions!: lirbups' Effected ! aii' 'entrance ! 'at Vali- '■' i ous pWn'ts; 'anjtf' jumped $. ■' THo Tii rks, 1 were filuglii'fti'a-tViip.- S6me su'rFon'dcred,' 1 but the majority chose to die fighting.'' 'There was a desperate hand-to-haM a fi'gh't in"every trench and cjug.out.i Folir'ti'enchlines were captured in succession, additional infantry pour- ( ,ing .lines were thinned by ,Bombs' played' > 'a'n/'. , tthe Uusiraliaiis Si-ere only a|)Te ( i,Q position 1 tiiroiigh an' uiiceasuig sup-, , ;! Tlie Turks massed their forces, and co.unter-attacked,;,d,espeira,te|y, fPji; thj'ee,, \sj,si ,They, ; tpoli| out.l It''was gh}, being,,,almost u]ider*( ground, ~Both sides showed an utter disregard of life, .Wounded and dead .'choked .the ,'trenchefi almost, .to the top, land the survivors carried on the fight over heaps of corpses. Despite the most determined courage of the reinforced Turks, the Australians held their ground, and finally the Turks wearied of the struggle.

The trenches were'now merely battered, shambles. The removal of the dead wounded occupied days. The bodies of thousands of Turks and Colonials were removed from the trenches,! aWI there were hundreds more outside. The Turkish losses in their section alone are estimated at five thousand, chiefly incurred in the counter-at-

Tjbe Australians' most advanced outpost was beyond Fishermen's Hut, in an intervening gap in flat ground, connected by a wide gap that it was impossible to cross, except by daylight. Millions ofrounds of. ammunition and thousands of shells were carried to the advanced posts along the gap by daytime, bi' along the beach at night-time. This operation,tppgther with the arrival of strong Australian reinforcements- was kept a profound secret. Before- the Australians could deploy ove ! i ; the wide front of spurs and ravines.'g|ving access to Sari Bair, it was nepsLkry to take a number of outlying post.ll This involved a preliminary moVe due north, over broken ground, in 'total darkness* and then a wheel due eakt for the purpose of assaulting the main ridge. As on the previous nights, the warships $ ho wed their searchlights and bomWdec) the Turkish positions. The Turks had not ( suspected an infantry attack, and when the searchlights were playing in another position the Australians dashed forward, capturing in succession the outposts. At daybreak the whole force was slowly moving towards the main Sari Bair position in the face of great difficulties, being harassed- by snipers, check-

ed by difficulties of ground, and a scarcity of water.

At dawn on the seventh the left ot our line reached the Asmadere position. The Indians had advanced a long way tow aids Chunuk Bair and had readied a farm, whilst the New Zealanders were on Rhododendron Spur Ridge. Then it was decided to postpone . a further advance until nightfall. Turkish snipers everywhere harassed our lines throughout the day.

The advance was resumed at four o'clock in the morning of August 8. The Australians on the left advanced from Asmadere" to Abdelrahma Bair. whence it was hoped they could wheel to the right to attack Koja Chemen. Little or no progress was possible in, this attack. The Turks, in great, strength, at one time threatened to surround the force, which had withdrawn to its original position on Asmadere, where they held out all day long against determined attacks. Throughout the day and night the New Zealanders. although thoroughly exhausted, maintained their hold at Chunuk Bair. Two other regiments relieved them during the night. The Turks, strongly reinforced, desperately attacked at dawn on the 10th, from Chunuk Bair hill, hurling themselves regardless of their lives against the two regiments, who desperately resisted, but were driven by artillery ,fire and sheer weight of numbers further down the slope.

The Turks, following up this success, charged right over the crest towards the gully southwards of Rhododendron Ridge, with a view of penetrating between their own line and the Anzac position, but they reckoned without our artillery and ships' guns. The New Zealanders determinedly assaulted Rhododendron crest, and gained the south-western slope of Chunuk Bair. The Indians were advancing on their left, but exhaustion, scarcity of water, and their numerous wounded, compelled a cessation until nightfall. It was then planned that three columns, the New Zealanders. Indians, and another brigade, should finally assault Chunuk Bair at daybreak on the' 9th; preceded by a and hind bombardment. The advance of the third column was delayed by broken ground and the enemy's resistance. .Meanwhile the Gurkhas gallantly swarmed the slopes, and had a vision of the. other side. Unfortunately,they, were unable,'to retain the position, ; in the face of violent counter-attacks and shell-fire. ".''tj'j!" ' .)'■ .(Meanwhile a great /rurkish , forpe •.«ouiiter-attavke.d,, and compelled the jpthdr brigade upon the',left] to,' withdraw to the lower'slope's. ;; . -',4j . Although' the" capture '.off 'Lonesome hand nght there has yet been on the Peninsula, it was merely- a diversion and a preliminary to the main movement' northwards, Which commeM-ed' the same evening under cover of darkness. There has been no finer feat in the whole war than the manner m which the troops destined for the main movement_agamst ,§a^i e ßair,4fc ployed for the attack. A direct attack was Inot •emallUi" M$m l Md s/'aiid ■prolkhly been'a failure, because the Turks post'ed!oi) the'Wi'llVsurVbniuling 'Ailzac held' tlie iiuier position ip a vice. Therefore the only attacks were from Lonesome Pine andtsorties":fTOm..Qwmtfs'r Past,Russell's Top, and Post, north-! 'ward: of "'Anzac." in 'order to hold the enemy in the trenches.

1 : warships, and land batteries plainly observed .the Tiu;ks'. great charge. Four successive lines of infantry, in close formation, were caught in 'a trap, and the momentum down hill prevented a recoil. The Turks were swept away in hundreds by a terrific storm of high explosive shrapnel and common shells from the. ships' guns, howitzers, and field pieces. Never since the commencement of the campaign has such a target delighted the hearts of our gunners. Huge shells from the warships threw hug:; chunks of soil skywards, mingled with human bodies, which fell into deep ravines. Even this concentration of artillery might not have checked them, but ten machine-guns rattled at short range until the guns smoked with heat. Hardly a Turk reached the hills again. Their lines got mixed up, and those seeking to retire clashed with the others pressing forward. Some fled back over the crest towards the safety of the trenches, and others dashed downwards to the ravines, where shrapnel searched them out. The entire division was broken up' in a few minutes, and the Turks thus paid a terrible price for their success in regaining the crest. • Portions of the line at Rhododendron /Ridge were compelled to give ground, the Turks fighting most desperately, realising the precariousness of their position. The magnificent conduct of our officers saved the day. Generals and colonels fought with bayonets alongside privates. Nobody knew how a comrade was faring amongst the scrub, and many commanding officers were killed.

Gradually our lost ground was regained, and at nightfall on the 10th lighting had dwindled down from the sheer exhaustion of both armies, and the impossibility of further physical effort.

Thus ended the most ferociously.sustained soldiers' battle since Inkermann, that lasted a few hours, but Englishmen, Australians, New Zealnnders, .Maoris, Gurkhas, and Sikhs were engaged in this terrible combat on the bloodstained hills for four days and four nights, at a height of nine hundred feet whither supplies had to be carried along paths chat did not exist except on the map. The operations resulted in an ex-

tension of ths Ansae position, and there is no longer a stifled feeling that the troops are crowded in a restricted ;mi. The line new runs noitJiward until it links up with the Corps before Anafarta. We bold the foothills and are established beneath the crest of Chunuk Bair, and are securely dug in on the summit of Rhododendron Ridge, awaiting events complacently. [1

It is characteristic, of the ColonialBritisher that he is not downhearted, and is willing for l (mother try. The incompleteness of our success was not the fault of these troops advancing from Anzac. A little less dead weight of numbers would have enabled the Aiizacs to concolidate the short desperate grip they had at Chunuk Bair. It, is a scene of desolation between the iines. Masses of Turks lie where they fell, and many bodies have been thrown out of the trenches to make

loom for the living. On one point bodies of the Australian, Englishman, Maori, and Ghurka are lying side by side, marking the highest point that the Imperial forces have attained on the Peninsula.

PLAN OF THE OPERATIONS.

HILL 112 AS THE OBJECTIVE.

(Receivedj 1#.30 p.m.) / London, September 3. Mr Bartlett savs jfjivtly?v:.|Ou.r mediate objective on 'the left was the capture of Hill 70, wbich is lying in front of the main position and caused so much trouble at, the;laJrtdjng, Our centre and right planned an advance from a ridge in front of Chocolate Hill, and from the trenches on the plain to the southward, converging in an assault which had _ for the ..main, objective Hill 112, By a great effort the troops massed along a line from Hill 70 to Hil! .ll'2."aifd a' division of the Yeonianry held in reserve behind Lala Baba. A brigade of infantry was ordered to attack. Hil! 70 and another to attack Hill 112, and three were held in reserve. The divisions holding the trenches on the plain to the southward were ordered to rush the trenches on their front wheel northward and converge on Hill 112 from the south.

HOPE OF SURPRISE VANISHED

HARD • FRONTAL* SATTACKS J i J Ahead. ' ■■■ / '

(Received 11.15 a.m.) London, September 3

.Mr Ashmead-Bartlett continuing his uepnrt says, that the Turks made full use df the 10 days hitierfaL'aMd know-' itig definitely where: ss& "ttkilP Mhow would fall were able to release the divisions stationed round Bu'lair and to concentrate on some threatened point. The hope of our effecting a surprise vanished, and obviously only

frontal attacks and sheer hard, fighting will take the lines. 1 between', Sill 7Q.. known a s fjjpj) [Turks, invariable practice, (Jug,,in,,up, to, . jjtrhfliij• t necks and dawn . disclosed; j}fs\ t\' en ~ ches.j Tjie jmaoMj in , which. ;.they seardhea our benches and camps with shell fire indicated tl.ip.fc ,seyeral, frqs.hbatteries nad been brought tip on this fi-btit of t tlie position, t Our. line Iras lundlyf ; cluili£ed,;btit Uas ifefn] securexl by digging permanent trenches right across the lpW| ground in front of Anafarta and out into the plain southward connecting by a series of posts with the Australian left flank opposite our front. The Turks have dug two trench lines of immense strength which they carefully loopholed.

"NOT FOR WANT OF TRYING."

THE GREAT STRATEGIC SCHEME. | EFFORT QUITE JUSTIFIED.

(Received noon.) London, Sejptfimben 3

Mr Bartlett continues: Tfc nvas not, through want of trying that we ('ailed in the great strategic scheme for getting astride tire peninsula northward of Anzne by seizing the Aliafsfrta. 1 mills and forcing the Turks to abandon their positions at Achi Baba anditlie Killid Bahr salient. One corps failed in the assigned trust of dashing through with a rush when the enemy were completely surprised and had only a few battalions of picked gendarmes opposing us.

Another point was that it was essential for our troops to advance in very open order, which operation involves the troops becoming widely separated from officers and comrades, and requires.troops highly trained in skirmishing and self-reliance in every man dashing on the objective on his own accord, and not stopping for orders. When the first attempt at the seizure of the Anafarta Hills had definitely broken down on the morning of the 10th. time was required to reorganise the units, collect the wounded, and land ammunition for artillery before a further attempt was possible. Not until tluv2lst.was the army ready for a frontal attach in this quarter. • ; Tho prize as a reward lor success was great, and it fully justified the 'supreme effort.