THE DARDANELLES

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 230, 21 June 1915, Page 5

THE DARDANELLES

AN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TASK TURKEY'S HOURS NUMBERED A GERMAN VIEW - ■■ , . -f .. , •; • STALEMATE AT GALLIPOLI FRENCH SUCCESSES »■ GERMAN TROOPS SACRIFICED TO MAINTAIN A SYSTEM

RESOURCEFUL ITALIANS.

MAKE BRILLIANT CAPTURES. A DARING ESCAPADE. (Rec. 8.45 a.m) - ROME, Juno 20* Details of the Alpini’s attack on the northern slopes of Montenero, where the Austrians are being constantly reinforced, show that; the ground is so different that the Italian St.'uf decided to advance in the night In absolute silence, and hoped, by climbing almost perpendicular rocks, to attack tho enemy on two sides. - The Alpinis wore armed with rifles and bombs. • Some took off their boots and wrapped their feet in rags, in order to climb up the crags quietly by dawn. A column operating at Viata had a counter-scrap with another nor-west of Monte Potoce. Meanwhile, tho Alphii was within two metres of the enemy. Before being attacked they leaped into tho trenches and a fu.hus hand * r lu ml fight with bayonet and riSe butts ensued. The Italians then took the second line of trenches. A. Hungarian attack followed and was repulsed. Simultaneously two Italian columns made a night attack on the Monte Kozliulc front and got within two hundred yards. They drove the enemy out of their trenches, before they were detected.

Alpir.i without a moment’s hesitation (lashed in and forced the astonished Austrians to retreat, pursued with fire, stones and hand grenades, while tho second column struck the Austrian rear and cut oil’ tho retreat. Six hundred Austrians were taken prisoners, and three hundred were left on the field wounded. The Italian losses were slight. Qn the Delta of the Isomdo, where it is impracticable for warships to go, owing to shallowness, our naval gunners silenced the batteries at Duino by the means of floating batteries, similar to those used at Alexandria in 1532.

A GREAT STRUGGLE. - v

AGAINST FORTIFIED HEIGHTS. A BRILLIANT CAPTURE. AUSTRIANS DRIVEN OUT. •• • ROME, June 20. Official: Details of the battle for the heights on the left bank of the Isou;:o, commanding the bottom pass, which is shut in between steep wooded slopes, with a swift, deep river between, show that our troops made great and courageous efforts. They thrdw pontoons across in the night ind attacked at dawn on the 16th in face of terrible difficulties, including a deep network of stout barbed wdre, reinforced with iron barbs, and numerous hidden heavy guns. The Italians, after repeated assaults with cold steel, debouched in the evening on the border of the first position, all counter-attacks being driven back. We carried the heights on the 17th( but the enemy concentrated a violent artillery and machinc-gun fire, and repeatedly sent fresh troops. These were decimated and finally the enemy was repulsed with the bayonet.

ITALY’S “PRZEMSYL.”

TOLMINO A TOUGH PROPOSITION. KEY OP THE ISONZO VALLEY. ROME, .June 10. With a garrison averaging ‘SO 000 an<L and iSefenceri ‘.BHiltiplying’ 'possibilitiiis of resistancc, Tolmlgo, ifr. gradually I camming for' Isonzo .: Valley/- . Tts ,early capture iaview of ensuring the- safety of Friuli la indispensable. ■ ,

THE ITALIAN FLEET.

HUNTING GERMAN PETROL STORES. IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. (Reed 1,10 p.m ) PARIS. Jun.} 20, Official: The Italian Fleet is eo-oper-atiug with the British and French in the Mediterranean and in policing the Adriatic, seeking out the petrol depots from whence German submarines are obetaining supplies.

ACHIB ABA-

RAINING ALLIES’ SHELLS. THE TURKS DAZED. . THEIR TRENCHES CAPTURED, LONDON, June 20. Reuter's details show that in the fighting on the front at Achibaba on June 4, for an hour every British and French gun on the Peninsula poured shells of various calibre into the Turkish trenches while British battleships on the right, and French on the left battered the flanks. The whole lands"ape was obliterated by a curtain of smoke. The tower of Krltihin, which survived previous bombardment, toppled on to the village and sot it on fire. The infantry charge began at noon when the first few trenches wore easily taken, the enemy being dazed by the avalanche of shells, merely fired a few shots upward at the Britishers who wear stabbing down at them. A large number of dead in the trenches were the victims of shell fire. We had the enemy fairly on the run for a time, until our centre held fifth trench.

TURKISH ATROCITIES DENIED.

BY AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS. TURKS FIGHT FAIRLY. •—i CAIRO, .Time 20. A majority of the wounded deny rumoured Turkish atrocities. They state that the Turks are fighting most fairly. There was one case in which a Turk dressed the wounds of a Britisher while under fire. Another left a water bottle with a wounded Australian. Another Australian who was taken prisoner and escaped states that he was very well treated. After the furious attack on Sari Bairo on the 19th May Turks sent a message saying: “We are going to drive you Australian devils into the sea to-morrow. ’*

A Turkish aeroplane dropped a message at Gaba Tepe,saying: "Australians and New Zealanders surrender, we will treat you well." They also exhorted them not to fight in an unjust war. Wounded men state that the Australians and New Zealanders get on splendidly together—like one big family.

STALEMATATE GALLIPOLI.

STALEMATE AT GALLIOPLL ROUMANIA AND BULGARIA. THE ONLY DANGER. PETROGRAD, June 30. The German Staff say, regarding the ; position at Gallipoli, that it is a stalemate, neither side being able to use more men within the space. The only danger is if Roumania and Bulgaria intervenes. . A correspondent says the object of the attack In Galicia is to impress Roumania. aud r Bulgaria-, ' Official; The battle-of Lnbackzow, ontli’c lath, included a brilliant, bold attack l.)y cavalry upon infantry, wherein the whole 01st German Regiment was annihilated. v,N

RAID BY AUSTRIAN DESTROYERS.

ROME, June 19, Official; Austrian scout- destroyers, bombarded the completely undefended towns ■ of' Pcraxio and * Rioni, damaging only a few Rouses. Three civilians in Rioni were badly wounded.

HUNGARIAN BATTALION ANNIHILATED.

ROME, June .10. An Hungarian battalion was annihilated. It climbed the Yiata mountain, hoping to outflank the Italian position. The Alpin!, creeping through the undergrowth, withhold their fire till close, when they poured in a nro of bullets and sprang forward with their bayonets, The enemy was terrified and confused and tried to escape. They found the Alpini on every side and the entire battalion was killed or taken prisoner.

THE KAISER’S OPTIMISM.

WILL ATTAIN PURPOSE OF THE WAR. PARIS, June 19. The Matin publishes extracts from a letter by the Kaiser to a Bavarian Court personage, wherein he insists ethe certainty of attaining the sole object wherefore Germany is fighting, namely, a peace fruitful for German States. He concludes: Such a. peace may come sooner than is expected. Even if it only gives an incomplete result it will serve for preparation further. It could be signed to-morroxv if I wished it.

! PEACE TALK.

THE GERMAN VIEW. (Re«. 8.4.5 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, June 20. The President of the Upper House in the Prussian Diet says it has been repeatedly said , that we must obtain peace which will safeguard us against a repetition of present attacks. His belief is that no such peace is possible. The greater we emerge from the wai the greater will be the endeavour of onr adversaries to snatch away by a new coalition what wc have gained.

MUNITIONS.

BRITISHER GOES TO AMERICA. TO ORGANISE CONTRACTS. GERMANS STILL ORDERING. HOW THEY GET SUPPLIES. (Reed 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 20. Mr Lloyd George has appointed Mr D. A. Thomas, coal owner, to’ go to America and Canada to organise munition contracts. The New York Herald states that German agents are buying 12 per con' of the ammunition from Hartford.’ 15 per cent, from Brfdaport, nod 10 per cent. from Waterbary. it is presumed that it is somehow reaching its destination, as agents continue to order. The first shipment was sent to South America, from thence to Holland cr Denmark.

ENEMY STOCK QUOTATIONS.

.• *• * . AMAZING. DEPRECIATION. (Roc, 9.20 a.m.) PARIS, June 20. Although the publication in Berlin of Exchange quotations is forbidden under severe penalty, Le Matin has obtained a reliable comparison of prices. The Prussian 34 per cent, quoted in August, 1914, at 754, are now 59. The Imperial fours, at 09, arc now 54. The Austrian 44 per cents, then at 95£, are now 44. '

GREEK SHIP CAPTURED.

TURKISH OFFICERS WITH PRESENTS. FOR SENUSSI AT TRIPOLI. (Rcc. 9.20 a.m.) PARIS, June 20. A communique states that French destroyers captured, between Cape Matapau and Crete, a small Greek vessel with forged papers. A number of Turksh officers were aboard, voyaging to Tripoli, convoying Enver Pasha's presents to the Scnussic.

AUSTRIANS DRIVEN OUT OF BESSARABIA.

BUCHAREST,’ June 19. The Russians forced Pflanger’s Austrians, who invaded Bessarabia, to retreat to Bojan, and captured a great quantity of munitions and supplies.

GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT,-

AMSTERDAM, June 20. A German official report nays: We recaptured EmhermuH, destroyed the French' fortifications, ;.’ and retired to our former ;positions. ‘ » attacked the Rvissiarr-position at Grodck.-'. ’ 'The Russians are Rtili boiding out.. South :ot : .tlic. DncistciV between the marshes and the Stryj; we pushed the enemy, northward.

AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL REPORT.

IMPORTANT SUCESSES. RUSSIANS BEATEN. EVERYWHERE LONDON, June 19. Austrian official: We occupied Taruogml. The Russians between the Lower San and the Vistula retired at several points. We have occupied the Cres/anow heights. Strong Russian forces have appeared in the mountainous region eastward of Niemerio and Jarnow district. The Russians southward of the Upper Dneister, after hard fighting, were driven towards Koloomby. Our pursuing troops reached the mouth of the Wenezska. Artillery in the eastern sector inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, who are desperately attempting to throw back Pflanger in Bukowina, ' W t g there took prisoner eight officers and 1002 men and captured three machine-guns. PETROGRAD, June 19. Official: The enemy on tho Bzura front spread a cloud of asphyxiating gas along a front of six versts. Our troops on the right bank of the San withdrew fighting across the rive to Ten ox and the line the Grodc’ Lakes. The enemy between the Truth andthe Dneister has been thrown back !o Austrian territory.

FRENCH SUCCESS.

GERMAN TROOPS SACRIFICED. IN DESPAIRING EFFORTS. TO MAINTAIN THEIR SYSTEM. LONDON, unc 20. The Central News’ Dunkirk correspondent says the French offensive from Lorette to Nouvillo has squeezed 150,000 Germnns into a front of 4 miles, where they are being sacrificed in despairing efforts to save the remnants of their defensive system. The French artillery is wiping out whole ranks of the enemy, heavy artillery mortars, grenades and aerial torpedoes are being utilised in an almost continuous bombardment, which Is automatically followed up by bayonet charges, when the Germans nre incapable of resisting a single mine shaft. They, had 250 German defenders/whereof 200 were wiped out and the rest taken prisoner. The stream by Bouchez Village is blocked with German dead. ‘ German heavy artillery continues bombarding and ordering ay advance proves costly. One shell struck the village of Marconi, whore 160 were billet-t-od. The shell killed. 80 observers. ALBANIAN CAPITAL CAPTURED. BY THE SERVIANS. v TURKISH COMMANDER FI.ED. ATHENS, June 20. It- is reported that the Servians have occupied Durrazzo. Ewa-d Pasha tied towards Italy.