GENERAL WAR NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 7 September 1915, Page 2

GENERAL WAR NEWS.

BATTLE OF SARI BAIR, THE ATTACK FAILED. LONDON, Sept. 5. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, continuing his account, says:—The artillery, in a few minutes, lengthened their fuses and shelled the reverse slopes, not touching the trench line. The Turks came out, firing furiously, into the advancing line. Some Turks wavered, abandoning the crest, and ran down behind, but the majority stuck to the trenches, determined to die where they stood. We got high up the hill, bat machine-guns and cross-fire brought the battalion to a standstill on the north side. Some of the southsiders reached the top and jumped into t>he trenches, where they died bayonetfighting amongst the Turks, who never showed greater determination than in this hand-to-hand struggle. It looked for a few minutes as if the hill were won. We were swarming just below the crest and actually occupying a sec-, tiono of the trench line on the south side, but a Turkish battery behind, Tiill 112 commenced to pour salvos of shrapnel at a range of 1,200 yards, and simply swept the whole of our lines away and forced the survivors down the slopes under slight cover, and finally back to the trenches they had so recently left. The attack had failed, and Hx.? 70 was once more left to the Turks and the wounded and dead.

Fighting was equally severe on the right. At 3.30 a division rushed out of the trenches and stormed the first line under a fearful fire, over ground without p. particle of cover, but found it impossible to storm the second line "f deadh-, loopholed, roofed trenches. \ The brigade holding the ridge in front cf Chocolate Hill was drive;) off southwards by a terrible fire. A solid bank of flame, surmounted by rolling black smoke clouds, swept across the hill. The heat was terrific. Many of the wounded who had been placed in safety, had to be hastily carried out and laid in the open. Thus the development of the attack was delaved.

Another division, wheeling towards Hilli 112, was caught at short range by M:e Turkish second line, upon the flank, in an open plain. It was obviously impossible to proceed by assault, unless this trench line were taken. Fighting continued intensely throughout the afternoon. There was a tremendous rifle fire, but we could not gain another yard. Meanwhile a battalion and a mounted division, hitherto in reserve at Lala Baba, were ordered to re-attack Hill 70. These splendid troops, going for the first titme into action, were led by men bearing some of the best-kno.vvn names in England. They moved out of cover, but no sooner appeared in open order crossing the salt lake, than the enemy concentrated a heavy shrapnel fire on them. Their exposed line, advancing in the open as if on parade, pressed, on steadily, losing many but never wavering. They formed up behind the brigade in front of Hill 70. It was now six o'clock. Every availabl gun again furiously bombarded the crest the Turkish batteries concentrating on our trenches. The scene was majestic but awful. The light was rapidly waning, the horizon blotted out by smoke and flames; trees, scrub, grass and homesteads blazing.