FIGHTING AT THE DARDANELLES

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 319, 23 October 1915, Page 3

FIGHTING AT THE DARDANELLES

THE TIGHT FOR CHUNUK BAIR. NEW ZEALANDERS STORM THE HEIGHTS. FIERCE FIGHTING ON THE RIDGE. ONSLAUGHTS BY BRAVE TURKS. (From Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces). No. 3 Outpost. Sth August.

By 5.45 a.m. on Saturday, the 7th August, the Otago, Wellington, and Auckland Regiments had joined up on Rhododendron Ridge, and were about to attack their objective. Ohnnuk Bair, the curving outline of whieii wo could see clear cut against the eastern sky, some distance back, and several hundred feet above.

A slight diversion was caused by the appearance of two aeroplanes, one a Taube and one an English machine. For a time we were thrilled with the expectation of a duel in the air overhead, but the speedy German machine made off in a great hurry, with a thin bluish line of vapour streaming from his exhaust. The English pilot followed I him for a while, and then turned and went on wth his. observations. Off shore the bailoon was up above its mother ship, and r vessel was shelling in the direction of Anafarta, searching, no doubt, for a four-gun,-battery that had come into action against the landing. Our wounded were being brought in to a dressing station not far from the beach. Turkish wounded were also being carried in and attended to. and by this time there were 200 prisoners within our lines. The Turkish prisoners were given food and water. Three haspital ships stood out in the offing. About 9 a.m. there was a lull in the firing, and sometimes a full second would pass without a rifle shot being fired. The ships' guns were silent. Half an hour Jater, however, the bombardment was resumed with an ear-strain-ing noise. By this tme the New Zealand Infantry Brigade had advanced well up the slope of the hill, but, as they had to run the gauntlet of fire from the Turkish trendies, and also from a mountain gun, they were held up for the time being. They were being enfiladed from Battleship Hill on their right. Meantime, the Turks had appeared on the crest of the hill, and we could see them quite plainly against the skyline. One big man came bravely out into the open and waved his men on. Some of them came over the crest of the ridge and down the slope for j about 100 yards towards our troops: but they were met with bursts of i shrapnel from our howitzers, and we saw several drop. The officer bravely I urged them on again and again, but finally they gave up, and retreated over the ridge top. The ships were signalled, and they soon were searchng the ridge with shrapnel and high explosive. We saw some Turks drop, but once they had retreated over the skyline and on the reverse slopes they were comparatively safe. In a saucer-

shaped hollow on the shoulder or Chunuk Bair we could see our reserve;; clustered. They Tematnea there all that day, the next nght, and most of them also during the following night, and seemed fairiy safe from the enemy's fire. A second bombardment by the navy hit all along the ridge, but the Turks had got 'into safety, so it was decided to discontinue the gunfire till nightfall, such of our own guns as could reach the position regstering upon .it in the meantime. For the present the New Zealandcrs had failed to reach their objective. That evening a long line of Kitchener's Army, as it is called, headed by the "East Lanes." poured out of the communication trench, filled their bottles at the water depot, and proceeded under cover of the night to take up their position in the firing line on the left. They coined a likely looking lot, well dsciplined. They had. had a few days in the trenches at Helles. but this was something different even from Holies, and very different from England. They were to be tested under very strange conditions, and in very unfamiliar surroundings. In the "Rest" valley in which they had spent the night quietly waiting, they had had quite a number of casualtes. They were, however, in very good spirits, and made enquiries if there was any "foitin' ": to be found about- here. We assured them that there was—just a little. The Fighting on Sunday.

Another dawn—that of Sunday, the Bth August—saw the ships again shelling, and after the preliminary bombardment we saw the New Zea.lauders advancing through the stunted scrub towards the crest of' Chunuk Bair. They went at first cautiously, and then made a dasli and gained the ridge. It was an inspriting moment. Could the few men who had reached the ridge hold it against the Turks, who had the advantages of trenches on the right and the left? Our men were shot at from several points of vantage, and we saw several drop. But always there were others to take the places of those who had been put out of action. A number of the Turks advanced boldly and bravely in the open. Three of them rushing up to a man on the extreme right of our line, bayoneted him, and he fell to the ground. They passed on. Two of them were shot down. The third vanished over the crest of. the ridge. There was .fighting at close quarters for a time, but our men, for the time being, had won the day, and soon two flags fluttered out at either gnd of our short line, a few yards short of the actual summit, to indicate the position and guide the guns in future shelling. It was most interesting to watch the operations. Our men began to dig themselves in vigorously, and gradually against the skyline we could see that their bodies were getting lower and lower down. There was a great crackle of rifle fire and the mach-ine-guns began to pour out their streams of bullets. A Turkish gun burst some shrapnel over the position we had gained, and a smaller gun endeavoured to reach our reserves. On

the left our guns were shelling vigorously, and other shells fell on the deep enfilading Turkish trenches on the

right. Opposition from the latter quar-

ter was soon silenced, or at all events greatly minimised, but on the right the Turks dashed up boldly on to and sometimes ever the ,crest of the ridge. As a rule, however, they did not come far down our slope, and those Avho did soon turned tail and van back, for one of our Maxims was soon playing on them. We could see them clear-cut against a dark cloud, the northern end of which the rising sun was .just tinging with gold. Quite close to the victorious New Zoalanders. and a few yards from the actual summit of the ridge, Ave picked up a Turkish trench filled with men. As they rose to fire volleys we could see the gun.gleaming on their bayonets. They fired hurriedly without aim, and ducked down again. At (5.30 a.m. the sun rose over the northern end of the ridge and made observation difficult. All this time the firing did not cease, but our men had now made themselves gome protection, and were not to be 1 shifted without a struggle. Some exposed themselves fearlessly as they gained the ridge, and every now and then one would fall. The bursts of great explosions from one of the cruiser's shells made vast eJbuclß of smoke and shattered earth along the ridge, and in one of these we could clearly see a, Turk hurled in the air. Most of the Turks had, however, retreated over the ridge and so our guns lengthened their range. The shrapnel seemed, to burst in good positions, and no doubt if accounted for quite a number of the enemy, in any case it had a demoralising effect, for a Turk, brave as he is. does not like shrapnel any more than lie loves the colder steel of the bayonet. Down below in the scrub, considerably to the left of the position our brave fellows had gained, we could see the Ghurkas waiting for their opportunity, but night was to fall' before they could obtain it. , The Navy was now making magnificent shooting or, the ridge. Tlie red flame of the bursting shell amidst the Mack cloud' of smoke and. earth it raised was startingly vivid. By this time our men had dug themselves in pretty well, and at twenty minutes past six the rifle fire slackeued. The ships' guns also ceased firing for the time being. By 7.30 a.m. our men had gained n few yards, and we saw one of our flags waving on the actual summit of the ridge, quite close to the Turkish trench. The fight co tinned throughout the day, with oe<>sional fierce bombardments from the Navy, and bursts of rifle and machinegun fire. The Turks appeared to bo reinforced, but they gained no ground. Night fell with the New Zealanders still hoMing the highest point of the whole battlefield on the G.allipol.i peninsula, but holding it precariously.