The Dardanelles

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 27, 7 January 1916, Page 5

The Dardanelles

HOODWSNKING THE TURKS DIFFiCULTIIIS OF ORGANISATION. i THE RE&OURLET-UL ANZACS. i MODELS OF MILITARY ACADEMIES. Unitrd Press Association. (Received 8.20 a.m.) London, January 6. General Hamilton continued : .August 6 was now approaching, and in order to divert the enemy from the main strategic conception, a certain amount of ingenuity was essential to my scheme for hoodwinking the Turks. First the strategetical diversions were extended to draw away the enemy reserves not yet landed on the Peninsula; secondly, a tactical diversion meant the hold-up of reserves already on the Peninsula. The strategetieal diversions included a surprise landing north of the Gulf of Xeros, demonstrations with the French ships opposite Mitylene, a concentration at Mitylene, and an inspection of Mitylene by Pear-Admiral de Robeck and myself. The tactical diversions included maintaining the attack on Helles, and an attack on the Lone Pine trenches. As a result, the Turks, despite their excellent spy system, were completely off their guard at dawn on the 7th. It was found impossible to concentrate on the Peninsula even one-third of the fresh troops required for the attack. The forces destined for the offensive were on the day before the Battle of Anzac at Imbros, Mudros, and Mitylene, the last. three detachments being 'fourteen, sixty, and 120 miles

from the arena of the attack. I believe the clearness and completeness of tho General Staffs orders for this concentration and landing wfi? hereafter be studied as models of military academies. An enormous quantity of water was secretly stowed in a reservoir at Anzac holding 30,000 gallons, and petroleum tins holding 80,000 gallons were collected. Accidents interfered with both plants, but the Anzaes were ever resourceful in face of misadventures and they did not meet the disaster with fbided hands. I took up my at Imbros,'' where T was 1,1 ; top'-five minutes from Helles, forty 'froin Anf zdc, and 'fifty from Suvfa.-' 3"

STOUT TURKISH OPPOSITION; ''The 'attack on Helles on the 6th showed that! the -Turks, who were regarded! as possessing the morale of a half-beaten enemy, were again offering as ;s>out % assistance as they did to the original landing; ; This was due to the news of the Austro-Ger-man advance- in Russia,;-:and the arrival of reinforcements at Helles. Although the attacks were only a part tial success, they drew certain Turkish reinforcements from the southern area passing- toHhe.; operation* at An-j zac. PRAISE FOR THE TROOPS. General Hamilton says the entire details of the operations were formu-. lat&d by General-Birdwood T:: and : „were the subject of my final approval. The local preparations reflect the" greatest: credit not 6nly on General Bird wood and staff,'but on the troops, who toiled like slaves to accumulatee food; drink, and munitions. The accommodation fof the extra troops to be landed necessitated immense work in repairing concealed bivouacs, and making interior communications. The Australians and New Zealandcrs worked entirely at night. For their uncomplaining effort these much-tir-ed troops are as much entitled to credit as for their heroism in the battles which followed. AN ANXIOUS TIME. The reinforcine; troops were ship-, ped into Anzac very stfently, and they were tucked away from the enemy aeroplanes and observations in prepared hiding places. The scheme was carried out without a hitch. I much doubt whether a more pregnant enterprise than the landing of so large a force under the very eyes of the enemy and keeping them concealed for three days is recorded in the artnals of war. General Birdwood's troops had thirty-seven thousand rifles and 72 guns, and were supported by two cruisers, four monitors, and 'two destroyers. The enemy's loft and centre were subjected to ''slow bombardment for three days, and the assault on the Lone Pine entrenchment was ordered for the afternoon of August 6, and with the object of drawing the Turkish reserves from the Grand Amack. Major-General Walker, of the First Division worked out a scheme with forethought.

thl ka<;l against death. The assault was entrusted to General Smythe, of the First Brigade, and was carried out by the Second, Tlr'rd, and Fourth Australian Battalions. I'lii- first rush across the open was ;: regular race against death ; tho'.i arrived a terrible moment when it seemed physically impossible for them to penetrate the trenches; overheul cover and stoul pinebeams rosistte! s'li individual ef-

forts; yet the loopholes routined to .pit firo at the groups of men. When they bad bodily uplifted the beams, individual soldiers leaped *own into' the semi-darkness of the galleries imongst the Turks. Within seven minutes the Third and Fourth Battalions werv well within the enemy's vitals, and the reserve of the Second Battalion advanced over their parados and made good the whole trenches.

WAVE UPON WAVE OF TURKS.

The Turks organised a violent counter-attack, and wave upon wave of the enemy swept forward, a bayonet battle continuing until August 12. The Turks were in great force and very full of fight, yet a weak Australian Brigade numbering 2000, supported by two battalions, carried Lone Pine under the eyes of the whole enemy. The division maintained a grip, like a vice for six days in face of successive counterattacks and other frontal attacks. WORK OF THE ANZACS. Anzac was less fortunate, but kept the Turkish reserves..,at Battleship Hill from becoming available" to meet the real push, which was the night attack on the summits of Sari Bair ridge. Our object was to effect a lodgement along the crest of the main ridge with ■ two columns of troops. We plainiefltfor two of the assaulting columns to work up three ravhes, the two to storm the high ridge. These were preceded by two covering columns, of" which the hrst was the capture of the enemy's positions commanding the foot hills; the , other was to strike out northwards until from Damajelik Bair they could guard the left flank of the column assaulting Sari Bair from enemy Anafarta Valley. The whole of this big attack was under General Godley. The Anzacs n were assisted by the warship Colne, which had'been educating the Turks as to how they lost the redoubt near Tabletop. pfrftti night". Jit. nine p'fof J*f Colne threw- I Searchlight -and; bombarded the redoubt for ,ten minutes; then there was ten minutes' interval and '' ai - 'second' illumination, the bombardment concluding precisely at 9 30" "The idea' was for ' the enemy light as a hint to clear out until tW shelling had ended. On the mgh of the 6th, the searchlight was switctted*Ac# «j*£M»,.*« n A* instantly bur men poured out of the scrub and jungle N, into the empty redoubt, and the whole, series of entrenchments was carried by 'eleven.,- ■,<■■:

THE ATTACK ON CHARLAK ?£. r :DE'RE. , FA! TH | (Received 9.30 a.m.) : ' London, January 5. General Hamilton, referring to tho attack on Charlak Dere remarks: This was less cleanly carried out than the Lone Vm& movement, indeed, it made an ugly start. A little column of Btormers were held up by barbed w fre of unexampled height, depth, and solidity, which completely closed the ravine. Here a splndid body of men of the Otago Mounted Rifles lost some of their bravest and best, hut when one thinks of the desperate passage forced, the most conspicuous -teatare:is the cool courage shown by Captain Shera, aiu] , a party of Nevy Zealand Engineers, supported by the Maoris, who v.-ere the descendants oi: the warriors of Gate Pah.

OPERATIONS AT TABLE TOP. Simultaneously an attack on Table Top was launched under cover otto Colne's heavy bombardment Ifte banks are so steep at Tabk lop that it gives the,impression of a rmislirooxn on the summit growing over the Istem but as faith moves mountains, so valour carried them. The Turks fought bravely. The angle of the Table Top's ascent was recognised in the regulations as impracticable for inhl ntry, but neither Turks nor the angles of descent wore destined to stop General Russell and Ins -New /,ealanders. WORK OF SUPERMEN. That night there were moments in the battle when the men had become Lupermon, and this was one of those moments. The scarped heights were (scaled and the plateau carried at midnight with this brilliant teat ana the task of the right covering force ended. The attacks were made bj Cnei and bomb only, the mugame being empty by order. No words can Li,, iiistice to the achievement 0 tnerll Russell and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, Otago Rifles the Maoris, and the New Zealand Field i troops. A MIDNIGHT ADVANCE. Meanwhile, the right assaulting

column under Genera] Johnston with the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, the Indian Mounted Battery, and Company of the New Zealand Enk'.neers, entered the southerly ravines at midnight, and commenced a hotlycontested fight on the trenches on the lower part of Rhododendron Spur, whilst at Chalak Dere a column pressed up the valley. The grand attack was now in full swing, but ihe country gave new sensations of cliffclimbing, even to the officers and men. who graduated oyer goat tracks at Anzac. The darkness of the night and the density of the scrub made slow their progress on hands and knees up the spurs, causing sheer physical fatigue and exhaustion of spirit due to repeated hairbreadth escapes. All these combined to take the edge off the energies of the troops. but the Fourth Australian Brigade with the left assaulting column under General Cox struggled on. lighting hard as they went, making for Hill 305.

REVELATIONS OF THE DAWN. The crest line was uncaptured at dawn, although, considering ail things, General Cox's column, made a marvellous advance, the enemy being flung from ridge to ridge. An excellent line for a renewal of the attack was secured, and the auspices were propitious, except for the exhaustion of the troops. General Johnston's column, led by the Otago Battalion, had to pick its way amongst the pitfalls, and forced a passage through the scrub at Chalak Dere, and there was a fierce opposition. Here it was hopeless country, being named Hindrance. It was the sixth morning before the bulk of the column joined the Canterbury Battalion lower down the slopes of Rhododendron Spur, and eventually entrenched on the top of the spur within a quarter of a mile from Cliunuk Bair, which would have been a victory. ASSAULT ON HILL SOSSoon after, the , Fourth Australian Brigade, assisted by the Fourteenth Sikhs, were ordered to assault Hill 305. The enemy's reserves were now moving up from Battleship Hill, and the attack of the right assaulting column at *Chunuk Bair was checked, and the only possibility was to hold I fast the Asmak Dere watershed whilst a fresh assault was .launched.

HOPES THAT FAILED.

FEATS WITHOUT PARALLEL. (Received 9.55 a.m.) London, January G. I General Hamilton adds .:—r ; ( j Our aims at.-Chunuk-Bajrt wepe not] fully attained that afternoon, the' hoped for help from Suvla not being forthcoming but I fully endorse General Birdwood's words and hold ; that the troops performed a feat without parallel. Great kudos is due to Major-Generals Godley and Shaw and to Generals Russell, Johnston, Cox and Travers, but most of all to the rank and file. During the afternoon of the> j 7th'. reconnaisances were carried out 1 at Sari Bair, and the troops prepared to make fresh advances in three columns. Early ini the morning, at- the i.first, faint glimmer of dawn, the observer saw figures ■ moving on the skyline at Chunuk Bair. Were they our men or Turks? Telescopes wore anxiously adjusted, and as the light grew stronger the men were seen climbing up from our side of the ridge. They were our own fellows and the topmast summit was ours. Johnston's column on the right, headed by the Wellington Battalion and supported by the Auckland Mounted Rifles, the Maoris and the Seventh led most gallantly by

LiEUT.-COLONEL W. C. MALONE raced each other up the steep. Nothing could check them, and on they went until the last determined rush by which they fixed themselves firmly on the crest of a knoll. Colonel Malono was mortally wounded as he was marking out the line to be held. The Seventh Gloucester suffered terrible losses. The fire was so hot, and their trenches being only six inches •deep .every officer, Sergeant-major, quartermaster and sergeant was killed or wounded and yet this battalion of the new Army fought from midday till sunset without any officers. The Fourth Australian Brigade advance from Asinak Dere on the left was meanwhile held up by cunningly-plac-ed machine-guns, and when heavy columns of Turkish reinforcements approached, the Australians were virtually surrounded and were withdrawn to their original position after losing over a thousand men. Here they stood, though half dead with thirst and fatigue, and bloodily repulsCu attack after attack. So matters stood at noon on the eighth. The expected support from Suvla still hung fire, but the capture of Chunuk Bair presaged victory, and the TROOPS WERE FULL OF FIGHT. So it was decided to essay another grand attack with Johnson's, Cox's, and Baldwin's columns. The Chunuk Bair ridge, Hill No. 2, was heavily shelled at dawn on the ninth until the whole ridge was a mass of flames and smoke, whence huge clouds of dust lifted in strange patterns skywards. General Baldwin was commanding the Thirty-eighth Brigade of the NewArmy, and these men were massed behind the trenches of the New Zealand Brigade. General Baldwin lost his way through no fault of his own, and when the Ghurkas attacked Sari BaaGeneral Baldwin's column was a long way off. Instead of Baldwin's support as expected, the Turks countercharged the Ghurkas and Lancashire*, who saw the promised land but were forced to fail ,back over the crest.

A TURKISH GOMMUNIQUt. HEAVY ARTILLERY FIGHTING. (Received 1.25 p.m.) Constantinople, January 6. A Turkish communique states:— There was heavy artillery fighting on the 4th inst.. a hostile cruiser and armoured ship participating. One of our shots silenced the cruiser. The Anatolian batteries bombarded Seddul !3aTir.