THE DARDANELLES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 159, 10 March 1915, Page 4

THE DARDANELLES.

Our erstwhile friend, the Sultan, for the preservation of whose territory British blood has been spilt in the long past, must, by this time, feel sorry for having transferred his affections to Germany. The roar of British guns has frightened him and he has fled with his capital, taking with him all his gold, including that in German banks, which the Germans were loth indeed to lose. It was a surprise to the world, and nothing has put heart into our Empire more than the so far successful effort to force the Dardanelles. Our ships quickly demolished the two immense forts at tire entrance, one on the European side, the other on the Asiatic side. They were then able to reach a wide stretch o?f water inside and sweep it clear of the mines it was no doubt liberally strewn with. They advanced eight miles, and then the resist anee at Kipherz Point had to be disposed of, and now we learn they are bombarding the mosi highly and thickly fortified portion of from five to ten miles that commences from where the channel narrows down so that a shout can almost be heard from one side to the other, at Chanak. The entrance to this narrow has very forbidding looking forts on either side, Kilid Bahr, in Europe, and Kaleh Sultanieli on the Asiatic side. Towards the other end are the forts of Nagara, the most important, Bokali and Man tos, with others in between them. When these are passed it will not need much more than minesweeping to reach Gallipoli, which stands near the entrance to the Sea of Marmora. Once safely through with the forts on the Narrow there will be a rapid advance of forty miles from where they entered. The town or Gallipoli itself will not give much trouble, but a check is promised at Prince Islands not very far away, in the Sea of Marmora, but if our fleet can get past the forts on the narrow position its taskwill be cut down very considerably. The Turks themselves have recognised the' inevitable : and their Government has taken its departure for safer quarters. A tangible admission of what is about to happen has been given in the actions of Von Sanders, the German Commander, who is clearing everything German out of the danger zone as rapidly as possible. The forcing of the Dardanelles has, of course, an economic as well as a military aspect; it will set huge supplies of wheat free for consumption, reducing hardships in belligerent countries by cheapening the loaf. It will also cut the military forces of Turkey in half and render communication for all purposes, between them almost impossible.