THE TURKO-ITALO WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 215, 9 March 1912, Page 8

THE TURKO-ITALO WAR.

ATTACK LED BY BRITISH OFFICER. ARAB CHAMPION. AND HIS CRUSADER'S SWORD. We were early astir on the morning following my arrival at Souk-el-Youhma, for we were to deliver an attack on the left of the Italian line, which then lay about half a mile away, writes ex-Lieut. Montagu in the London Daily News of Jan. 13. We set out in column of route along a sandy road, Captain Huni, an Arab officer, and I leading the way. We had half a battalion of Turkish regulars and about fifteen hundred Arabs with us, all the men, Turks and Arabs alike, being armed with Mauser rifles. Huni and I carried Mauser repeating pistols, and I by this time had adopted the uniform of the 38th Turkish Cavalry Regiment. Our Turkish troops were excellently disciplined, but the Arabs were, of course only partly trained. Before the march began the Arabs clustered around their respective Sheiks, who exorted them to kill as many Italians as they could in the name of Allah. Each fresh exhortation was the signal for a wild, fanatical shout of "Allah."

After marching for about live minutes Iwe caught sight of large numbers of bodies of Italians, Turks, and Arabs killed in the fighting of the preceding few days. All the bodies, irrespective of nationality, had been stripped naked by the Arabs. The latter, as a matter of habit, refuse to leave anything on the field to waste. The property of their comrades killed in action is collected and carefully sent to the relatives; loot from the enemy's killed is looked upon as the property of the killers. Some of the corpses bore the marks of brutal ill-usage. For example, I noticed some Arab corpses the faces of which had been shockingly disfigured bv burning. Apparently soma sort of oil had been poured on them and then fired. In some instances the fingers of dead Italian soldiers had been cut off for the sake of the rings upon them, but at that time I saw no other mutilation.

INTO A TRAP. We were advancing steadily, and I can assume you that I was feeling terribly sick, when, without the slightest warn- i ing, we found ourselves under 'fire at a range not greater than fifty yards or so from four Maxims posted behind the bank at a bend in road ahead of us. 'We all threw ourselves flat on the ground, and secured some little shelter from the hedges, but an Arab was killed and a Turk wounded, while a bullet tore a hole in my coat. The shock of the unexpected attack reduced ,me for the jnoment to an absolutely childish state. The noise was deafening, and one felt utterly thankful I that for a few minutes, we did not get the order to movg. Captain Huni quickly recovered his self-possession, and we attempted an enveloping movement. In doing so we ran full on the Italian lines, and for one solid hour we were engaged in sharp fighting amidst a frightful dim. . It is curious how in the uproar of the battle, above the rattle of the machine guns, and even above the heavy artillery and bursting shells, one, can distinguish the characteristic reports of the various rifles.

There was no shell fire, but the machine guns maintained an endless row amidst which it was easy to note the difference between the "pom" of the Mauser and the "C-r-r-rack" of the Italian rifles. The Italians, by the way, used a thin, pencilly, nickel-coated bullet, which could snick » a, particularly neat hole. Wounds from these bullets caused the Arabs little concern. They would pick up a lump of dirt, put some oil on it, clap it 011 the wound, and go on as before. Our bullets were the regular fat bullet of the Mauser weapon, made of soft lead.

In that hour's fighting I lost all sense of nervousness, and came to the conclusion that one stood as much chance of being hit behind a rock as out in the open. At the end of the hour we noticed that the Italians were slowly withdrawing. I decided that a charge was the best thing to decide upon, and passed the word to the Arabs to get ready. Their preparations did not take long. They cast aside their ordinary, some throwing then rifles down us well and drawing* daggers and knives of curious shapes.

THE GIANT. There was among them a giant, standing some 6ft Bin. high, who carried with him a huge two-handed Crusader's sword almost as tall as himself. He threw aivay his rifle and his burnous, and stood waiting the signal, wearing nothing but a cloth around his waist. Knowing something of the Arab's reputation for swiftness of foot, I started first with about half-a-dozen Turks, but before we had covered twenty yards the whole place became alive with demoniac howls and yells, and the Arabs were flashing pas us like hares. I got there fairly, to the front and emptied my Mauser at short range, but I did not stop to refil the magazine, for the feverish excitement of the moment had communicated itself to me.

The affair only lasted a couple of minutes At the end of that time all the Italians who were able to make good their escape were out of sight, having fled incontinently. At our end of the- line they left twenty-three dead, including one officer who had fallen betore a prodigious blow delived by the giant aready mentioned. With his twohanded sword, so I was assured—and I was shown the corpse—lie had at one blow shorn off the head, shoulder, and left arm of his foe.

The Turkish success was complete, for the fleeing Italians had sought to cross a road held by Captain Huni, and had been picked off like rabbits. We captured about 67 Italian rifles, and I estimate the ldHed 11 at 60 ' We lost somc 16

This success immediately preceded the «?*•'? h " revol t" in the town, winch was brought about by a number of Aiabs who, not being disposed to yield any strict obedience to orders from me persisted m making towards the town! with the result that they got behind the Italians and had to fight for it. fourteen of them were badly wounded •and these were bestowed in'a phee of hiding by their comrades, who, being unnbel to retreat, made their way into Ai? 7, n anil st,rrCf l "P the town Arabs Altogether nbout 150 0 f them got throng into Tripoli. * Tt chanced that a .Tew got to know nbout the fourteen men in hiding, and he sold hi* information to the Italian General, who ordered a raid, anil secured the wounded men ns prisoners. They were taken into the town and placed in hospital where they practically recovered from their wounds. And a fortnight afterwards tl,ey were all excuted rebels, though not 'one of them had moved a . finger in connection with the revolt m Tripoli.