THE AUSTRALIANS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 226, 17 June 1915, Page 3

THE AUSTRALIANS.

TRENCH WARFARE. A REMARKABLE INCIDENT. (Sy Captain C, E. W. Bean, Official Press Representative with the Commonwealth Forces.) GALLIPOLI, May 29. The enemy, though reinforced since the attack on May 19, has not made a further general attack, but has been tunnelling for days against a portion of our lino where the trenches approach within ten yards of each other, and, indeed, at one point actually arc connected by a communication trench. Our engineers twice during the week countermined and blew in the enemy’s tunnel. Last night the enemy’ third tunnel was known to be only a few feet away. Eearly in the morning the enemy blew up a mine beneath our trench. Some of our men were thrown to the ground half-turned by the explosion. None apparently was killed, but the first thng noticed was strange gruff voices just outside the . trench. The Turks then threw a perfect shower of hand grenades into this short length of trench and got a small portion of the trench from which our men had drawn aside. Turks in Our Trench. Probably 50 Turks dropped into the trench without much difficulty under the confusion of dust of the explosion. Once there the Turks found themselves in a short length of trench divided from our men in the same trench, on on side by a mound of earth thrown up by the explosion, and on the other by the traverse of the trench. From that time the position of the Turkish invaders was worse than if they had never arrived in the trench. They wore unable to do anything except throw a, few bombs amongst our men hemming them in. Their fate became every minute more certain. This portion of the line happened at the time to be held by some Australians of the second contingent, who, except on the first few days of the landing, had been subject probably to the nvercst strain of any portion of the force. Shortly after sunrise the enemy attempted a charge to reinforce the men isolated in our trench. Our infantry was waiting, and charged over the trench to meet them. The Turks did not wait, and our men next attacked the Turks in the trench with hand grenades, and charged with bayonets over the parapet. Enemy Shot Down. It happened at this same moment i that the Turks were making a second attempt to reinforce their comrades, and our men. some even coolly standing at full height in the open, shot them down. Few of the Turks, if any, regained their lines. Our men rc-took the trench. Present-, ly, however, they discovered that a portion of the connecting, trench in this dark rabbit warren was occupied by some person who was barricading himself and did not allow anyone to pass. Some thought it was a Turk, others thought it might be an Australian who imagined the Turks to be still in the trench around him. A partition was

quickly built against him, and when ho was-found to be a Turk lie was im-

mediately attacked, and being bombed by ns from the sides, and by his fellow Turks from the rear, he surrendered. It then turned out that there were 17 Turks there. They walked through our men, who slapped them on the back and gave' them cigarettes.

Some of the Third Contingent also took part in the fighting. The attack was purely against one small section of trench and there was never the least fear of the enemy succeeding. Our troops were determined at whatever cost to retain their trenches intact.

Only on one previous occasion had any Turk ever entered an Australian trench. That was during the fighting on May I9tli, when seven Turks dropped into the same portion of the trench during thv confusion following the explosion of bombs. Our troops in the same trench held them from one side, while they were shot down from the other. Only one man managed to jump out of the trench. He ran down our side of the slope, and fell exhausted from wounds inside our lines. The enemy now is estimated to have lost three thousand killed and at least six thousand wounded. That day’s loss at any rate- was very heavy. The enemy’s loss last night was probably throe hundred. Every day a sprinkling of Turkish soldiers gave themselves up, racing along the beach or dropping hurriedly into the trenches. Often they attempt to kiss our officers’ hands. ‘ " Baseless Atrocity Stories. The conditions of the burial armistice the other day on the whole wore very-honourably observed. Our wounded in the enemy’s hands arc said to be well eared for. A few stories of atrocities are current, and may reach Australia. T can only say that the principal one, which I have tested, proved wholly untrue. Some dum-dum bullets have been picked up, but the stories of explosive bullets arc quite without foundation and are duo to our men misunderstanding the curious double crack of the Mauser rifle. Some of the wounds are terrible, and I would put them down to expanding bullets had I not seen wounds quite as terrible in the heads of the Turks. Going outside our trenches, New Zealanders captured- a trench on the left Last night a party of the Australian 9th Battalion also sortied, and bayoneted snipers in a trench far beyond our right, and returned without a casualty, largely due to the bombardment by a destroyer.