The Dardanelles.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 73, 25 November 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles.

\ i BACK TO THE TRENCHES. OUR BOYS RETURN TO CALLIPOLI. MALCOLM ROSS SENDS GOOD TALE. INCIDENTS IN THE FIRING LINE. SEVERAL WEEKS OF COMPARATIVE QUIETNESS. I ENEMY'S PRODIGAL EXPENDI- l TURE WITH BIG GUNS. j COLONEL RHODES ON TOUR OF INSPECTION. Peb Pbess Association. Wellington, November 25. Mr Malcolm Ross, the New Zealand war correspondent at the Dardanelles, cables:— "There has been comparative quiet along the whole front for several weeks, no fighting of importance taking place beyond the usual bombing of trenches and sniping, and exeeptling for the artillery fire the troops fare setetling down for the winter campaign, but the present indications point to the main scene of action changing to the Balkans. The enemy is recently concentrating his gunfire largely upon our perimeter, and, apparently because of the promised Germanic assistance he has been slightly more prodigal in the expediture of heavy ammunition. He has also brought some heavier guns to bear on the Anzac zone, including one battery of eight-inch hozitaers. He recently bombarded one of our positions for three-quarters of an hour with ten guns, including a eight-inch firing salvos, with common shell, a six-inch battery firing shapnel, and two smaller high velocity guns. "Considering the expenditure of ammunition, the casualties are surprisingly few. Our battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and land batteries replied whenever the targets were discovered. Considering their dominate situation, the Turks show no enterprise in attacking. Occasionally deserters wrinder into our lines and surrender, and others in the trenches hold their hands above the parapets with a view to being wounded by our snipers rather than continue in the firing line. This, however, must not be considered an indication that the army as a whole will not confine a stubborn resistance. "Of the New Zealauders, only the artillery and engineers have taken part in recent fighting, both the Infantry and Mounteds having been eight weeks in the rest camp on an island beyond the sound of the guns. Having recuperated, refitted, and absorbed reinforcements, they returned to the Peninsula, being loudly cheered at their departure by the incoming New Zealauders on the troopship, and by the sailors on the warships. The Infantry have re-entered the trenches, and the Mounteds are in reserve in bivouacs. The reinforcements are a fine-looking lot of men to enter the campaign. "Colonel Rhodes, after inspecting the hospitals and postal arrangements at'Alexandria, has been for the ing stations and casualty clearing staetions on the Peninsula. He has also made an extensive round of the firing trenches, practically along, t]ie whole of the Anzac, Helles, and Siivla front, returning to Egypt to inspect the Cairo hospital, and proceeding thence -to Malta, and perhaps to England.'' The Maheno bas returned here after conveying sick and wounded to London."

ASHMEAD BARTLETT ON CHURCHILL. BRITAIN SAVED FROM DISASTER "A FAIR AND SQUARE BEATING." United Press Association. (Received 8.15 a.m.) London, November 24. Mr Ashmead Bartlett, in The Times, during a four-column analysis of Mr Churchill's attack on Lord Fisher and his statement regarding the naval operations at the Dardanelles, says the Admiralty commenced operations at the Dardanelles without reliable information concerning the. essential facts. The Turkish defences were merely trusted to the Queen Elizabeth fifteeii-inchers. The result of the oporations to March 4 was proof that al- ' though reinforced earthworks could be I smothered by shellhre and the gunners driven to bomb-proofs, all the damage was not unimportant unless there were direct hits upon the guns. Meanwhile, the mine-sweepers made little or no progress, and it was impossible for destroyers and trawlers to approach the minefields in daylight owing |to the lire from the forts and concealed batteries on the coast. | On the nights of the 11th, 12th, and 13th, a desperate experiment was made 'to allow destroyers and trawlers to go 'above the minefield and sweep down 'with the current. They were exposed to "terrific fire, and but little results jwere accomplished. The enemy on the 13th actually allowed the destroyers land trawlers to get right into the centre of the minefields before they turned on their searchlights, and then they opened up such an awful fire that a general sauve-qui-peut ensued. I It was obvious that the clearing of the minefield was essential, as no admiral would take the Fleet through three lines of mines under the fire of a hundred guns. Mr Churchill apparently succeeded in changing the opinion 'of the experts, and prudence was 'thrown overboard, and a decision ar-

lived at to rush the Dardanelles. Lord Fisher, however, became . sceptical of the whole enterprise directly. He realised the inability of the Fleet to clear the minefield, locate other under-water defences, and its inability to knock out the mobile batteries on both sides of the Straits. i These obstacles, however, had a reverse effect on Mr Churchill, who nerved himself to greater determination to rush the affair through, and 'this led to an attack on the 18th March.'

The public were led to believe that this was a deliberate attempt to force the Narrows and reach Constantinople. This was untrue, as the Fleet was only aiming at. silencing the forts in the Narrows to enable destroyers and trawlers to sweep te minefield. It was also untrue to say that but for the disaster to the Bouvet, Ocean, and Irresistible, the Straits would have been forced. When darkness came the enemy's main minefields were untouched, and the operation only resulted in knocking out two guns at Chanak and in killing thirty-five Turks. , We attempted the most difficult operation,' with, as usual, first underestimating our opponents, and without 'adequate information of the essential 'points; then persisted in the effort, j and got a fair and square beating. By ' preventing the renewal of the attack I Lord Fisher saved Britain from disaster which would have transcended any other in our naval history. The Turkish forts are practically intact, and the minefield untouched, while we are minus five capital ships. i The Turks also fathomed our plan, ' and realised that however terrible the 'concentrated fire seems, the material 'results were relatively small. No British ship was nearer than nine thousand yards from the Narrows.