The Dardaneiles.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 302, 31 May 1915, Page 6

The Dardaneiles.

GENERAL BSRDWOOD WOUNDED. _ JTIE AUSTRALIAN CASUALTIES. TOTAL NEARLY SIX THOUSAND. Received May 30, 3.35 p.m. Melbourne, May 30. Though the authorities tire milking every endeavor to expedite the Dardanelles casualty list, there are indications that they are in arrears. While the local lists total •15311, Sir George lipid's cables stated that the Australian casualties included 550 dead and 5200 wounded. Speaking in London, Sir George liehl said lie was glad that General Birdwood's head wound was not' serious. Beyond this, there is no information that General Birdwood has been wounded. A GR!M FIGHT. INTERESTING DETAILS. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) London, iMay 28. The Times' correspondent there have been great landing operations in other wars, but never anything those on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Never have landing forces fought their way through such obstacles as did the British, French and Australasian • troops on the six beaches. The grim fig : .it was simply hell. Every Turkish and Prussian ruse was employed and our losses were heavy. The wouuds were mostly; slight, and the wounded were cheerful and conlident anu longing to lie back at the front. An Australian officer told the correspondent: "We were anxious before we began, knowing that some men were rather raw. . N earing the 'beach the enemy opened with shrapnel, machineguns and rifles. The Australasians just fixed bayonets and went up the hillsides. In oni! boat only two of the men were not killed. The men jumped out o£ the boat and rushed the beach .while others charged the rough barbed wires, the Turks bolting. Some units rushed on too far and suffered heavily, being cut up by machine-guns. The scrub was everywhere full of snipers, with a week's food and 2000 rounds of ammunition. T : jey were deadly straight shots. One sniper killed wore an Australian uniform and eight identification badges round his neck. Snipers fired until we were within five yards and then prayed for quarter. A disguised stretcher party cried '.Make room for the wounded,' but their peculiar accent revealed the fact that they were Turks. The Australasians shot down a dozen. The stretcher contained a machine-gun and three boxes of ammunition. It- was difficult at first to restrain the men from firing, but they soon learned to restrain their fire." The correspondent says there is reason to believe that some of wic Australasians actually got close to Maidos in the first impetuous rushes. The wounded were left in places temporarily abandoned and found murdered when the,ll were re-won. Xhe Australasians got their revenge when the Turks counterattacked in dense formation. There is an amazing spirit in all ranks. One Australian climbing down a cliff was' warned that a mine was below. His response

was, "Catch me when I come up.' Swarthy men sprung up at one point crying, "Salaam, sahibs; we are Punjabis." The sceptical Australians attacked and discovered them to 1m Turks and Germans with blackened faces. The New Zealanders fought heroically, and the Turks fought well, but fled screeching from the 'bayonet. I WAR CORRESPONDENT'S ADVENTURE. Received May 30, 11.10 a.m. London, '.May 29. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, the war correspondent (who has written graphic accounts of the operations at the Dardanelles) , was on board the Majestic "when she was torpedoed, lie was saved, but lost everything. He proceeds to Malta, AUSTRALASIAN METHODS PRAISED. Syldney, May 29. Captain Bean cables that the Australasians' method of advancing may not be the safest, but is making itself famous here. They have seen all sorts of infantry in action, but none has quite equalled, and few compared with that ■which received its long, weary training in the desert round Cairo. The SP.nie is true of the stretcher-bearers and army service corps. ' GERMAN GENERAL WOUNDED. London, May 20. The Echo de Paris reports that General Liman von Sanders has been wounded. Admiral von Useilcn succeeds him, GERMAN JUBILATION. Copenhagen, May 28. There is jubilation throughout 'Ger many over the sinking of the Triumph. Tlie Berliner Zeitung forecasts that tin Allies will be unable to maintain tin Dardanelles campaign. It asserts tha< the British losses at Ari Burnu were s< heavy as to have compelled taeni to as> for time to bury their dead. The captain of the Persiu®, m th Tageolatt, hints that the suhmarin which torpedoed the triumph from the North Sea to the Dardanelles