BATTLE OF ACHIBABA.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 212, 21 May 1915, Page 3

BATTLE OF ACHIBABA.

A STUPENDOUS TASK.. NEW ZEALANDERS LEAD A MAD ' CHARGE. TURKS DETERMINEDLY RESIST. A THRILLING NARATIYE. LONDON, May 19. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett says the English and French reinforcements arrived on May 6. Then commenced one of the most remarkable battles ever fought. Almost every detail could be fololwed with the naked eye. The battle was of the old-fashioned type, being chiefly conducted by the commanders from what they could see with their own eyes, apart from field telegraphs and telephones. The Eventual Objective is the possession of Achibaba, The first step was to get possession of two great arras of the Achibaba, stretching towards- Saros and the Dardanelles. A perfect view of the battle was obtained from a hill six miles distant. The Allied armies are practically fighting for the side of a rhomboid, culminating in the peak of Achibaba. The other two sides are already in our possession and are covered by the warships’ fire. Exceptionally Strong Position. The enemy’s snipers occupied the rugged, ground, and had to be hunted out man by man; The ravines and low hills offered every kind of concealment for the enemy, who constructed endless trenches which were only located with extreme difficulty, while their machine-guns were concealed with masterly skill. The British left ,including the Australians and New Zealanders, rested on Saros, and the French right on the Dardanelles, with our warships on either ank sweeping every yard of the enemy's positions, not a sign of whici was visible. There was nothing mora remarkable than the way the Turks were dug in. Deadly stillness prevailed, broken by the occasional bursting of shrapnel Australasians in . Reserve. The Australians and New Zealanders were in reserve, behind the Indian Brigade, The immediate British objective was to push the left wing forward and at the same time endeavour to occupy Krithia and the ridge on which it stands. The French objective was to advance up the spurs and get astride the Maidos road, and at the same time advance into the valley of the Kerivea River,

The First Day's Fighting was almost entirely confined to the right wing. It was necessary to get a good footing on the right, as otherwise the British advance could be enfiladed. At eleven o’clock the French seventyfives round Seddul Bahr began a fierce and sustained bombardment for half-an-hour. At the same time our battleships turned their big guns on the upper slopes of Achibaba and the trenches on the Kereves valley. At 11.30 the : :

Sengalese Left Their Trenches, and swept forward in open order up the mountain, making steady progress, and

the artillery covering them with the beautifully bursting shrapnel fifty yards ahead of the firing line. . When the infantry topped the slope they met a strenuous resistance, and Their Advance was Checked. The ships' guns, and the seventy-fives pounded shell and shrapnel vainly, the Turkish fire remaining unchecked. The Bengalese repeatedly . swept forward, only to break before the storm. The fighting ebbed and flowed all day. British Guns Do Little Damage, Our guns could not inflict much damage on the enemy’s trenches, which were eight feet deep and extremely narrow. Although the French did not succeed in getting astride the Maidos road, they made good progress and obtained a footing in the Kereves valley. On the 7th our ships furiously bombarded the broken country and the slopes leading to Krithia. The shrubs and ravines were yellow with bursting lyddite and it seemed

Impossible for Anything to Live in the zone. After 15 minutes our left made a general advance. The 87th and 88th Brigades pressed towards the •Krithia road, but they no sooner left their trenches than the Turks opened a tremendous fire from their concealed positions. The advance continued, and several trenches werg captured. The enemy's field guns concentrated on our reserves. One of our regiments got too far forward and was compelled to retire under a machine-gun hail. The fire died down early in the afternoon, and the French opened a furious bombardment and then advanced and gained cosiderable ground. The Turks brought many guns against the French, and shrapnelled the ground behind to prevent the reserves coming up. The French lines wavered, broke, and swept down the slope under

An Unbearable Fire. Their reserves gallantly counter-attack-ed and re-occupied the abandoned trenches, which they held tenaciously during the night, under a heavy fire. Meanwhile the British concentrated their artillery on Krithia, and the infantry pressed forward under a furious machine-gun fire and occupied a number of the ravines. Our extreme left made a sweeping movement towards Hill 400, behind Krithia, and were met by tremendous shrapnel fire. The shells burst right over our men and Whole Companies Disappeared in clouds of earth, but they never wavered, and advanced, losing heavily. As the enemy’s aim was high, most of the wounds were slight. Darkness stopped the fight within eight hundred yards of Krithnia. The

Turks Fought with Extreme Bravery and determination, whilst the handling of their artillery was masterly. The battle was resumed on the Bth with greater violence. The fleet shelled the ground behind Krithnia and the British infantry on the left and cehtre advanced under a withering outburst. Both brigades doggedly faced it, and though sometimes driven back, they eventually got in position to make the final assault possible. The

New Zealanders Moved Forward, with the Australians on the left, over the whole battlefield, while the lines were straightened and the positions of units ascertained to enable the ships to

gauge the range. At 5.15 every ship and every shore battery opened a stupendous fire, and the hills were covered with immense clouds of yellow. It was a magnificent spectacle, but the noise was frightful, thousands of burstingprojectiles bursting everywhere. It looked as if the Whole Country was Aflire, The infantry leaped from their trenches and dashed towards Krithnia. The French similarly dashed towards the Maidos road. , They were met by a murderous Turkish fire. The New Zealanders hurried forward in a solid phalanx, joined by many of the 88th Brigade in A Mad Charge, They bayoneted all in the Turkish trench and then passed over the broken ground, shooting and stabbing, many falling before the terrible fusilade, but not a soul turned back. On the right the Australians with the New Zealanders advanced over coverless ground, facing a tornado of bullets and being enfiladed by a machine-gun from tbe right, which our artillery was unable to repress. Australians Melt Away.

The manner in which the Australians went forward will never-be forgotten by those witnessing the advance. Steadily as on parade, sometimes doubling, sometimes walking, they meled away under the dreadful fuslade, but the reserves filled the gaps. A point was reached beyond which it was impossible to advance. They lay down and attempted to reply to the enemy’s concealed fire. They entrenched themselves where they lay. It was obvious that Krithia Could Not Be Taken by direct assault. The French carried out desperate bayonet charges. Darkness ended the conflict. The end was not achieved, though some ground was gained.