The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY,MAY 13,1915. THE DARDANELLES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 208, 13 May 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY,MAY 13,1915. THE DARDANELLES.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Poet Una Waimaii&o New*.)

The arrival of fresh, lists of dead and wounded day by day from the Dardanelles is disclosing clearly the -nature and magnitude .of the work New Zealanders and Australians have ft© participate in before fheir goal, Constantinople, is reached. j£t is a matter of course that Turkey would put forth her most determined effort to save her capital city, and, that being threatened, would place every availably man of her first army in the field to prevent it being assailed. While there is fno occasion to underestimate the severity of the task now before our forces, there seems no obstacle that cannot be overcome within a reasonable time. It is admitted that the most dangerous and dilfeult aspect of the Invasion has been overcome—indeed, we are told that the brought out the most brilliant feat of arms of the present war, if not in the world's hMm being go, mt'

withstanding the fact that Turkey has, facing the advance of our men, an army of something like three hundred thousand picked men officered by German military experts, the difficulties ahead, intense as they undoubtedly are, will not be comparable in severity with what has already been accomplished. The past nine months of war have enabled us to amend our opinions from time to time and we now have a clearer perspective and better appreciation of the nature of the struggle we are

engaged in, but, attenuated beyond the belief of most people, It presents no cause for discouragement. With the assistance of the Allied navy in the Dardanelles, in the Aegean Sea, and in the Gulf of Saros, our comparatively small army will drive back the Turks and open up an easier way to Berlin than is available at the present time. It is probable that the Allied army is at least doubled in number by that of Turkey, and, although assisted by the finest warships in the world, every inch of thg road from the present position, along the Sea of Marmora to Constantinople, will be contested with the utmost desperation, and the sacrifice of life will need to be great on both sides. We have occasion to he proud of the part New Zealanders have played hitherto, and by the past we are satisfied with the part they are going to play in ‘the arduous task before them. Their 'foe is not one to belittle, for, in addition to its superior strength, it is composed of many veterans and of the best Turkey is able to put in the field, and who, it must be remembered, are fighting in defence of the very heart of their Empire, all indicating the terrific arduousness of the work yet lying before them. The quality of the Turkish soldier, which has never been questioned, is enhanced by being under the direction of trained German officers, with highly trained German military engineers to assist him, but so long as their fastnesses can be made a target' for Allied warships they must fall, for no armaments Turkey may have mounted can withstand the battering from guns such as are mounted on the Queen Elizabeth. Presumably, the most dangerous and difficult feature of the invasion has been overcome, and there now seems no cause for anticipating failure to achieve all that was intended. We have taken the offensive against a superior army well placed and prepared for the defence of their territory and it is always in fighting of j this nature that the greatest losses are \ expected. The country is hilly, easy of I defence, and equally difficult to success- ’ fully attack, but all. cables coming to hand have notified the onward successi ful march of our men, the capture of , forts and strategic points, and the driving back of the enemy with enormous losses. The outlook so far is en- , couraging.