The Dardanelles.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles.

FIERCEST BATTLE SO FAR.. KXOn.MS>I\S TURKISH' LOSSES. Received duly 1:1, 10.20 p.m. London, .Inly 13. The Daily Chronicle's Leimios correspondent state-, that on the J1 tit the heaviest lighting since the Allies landed took place. It began in late darkness oil Tuesday and lasted, well into Wednesday, and resulted in a swing forward of the southern line lor live furlongs, with staggering losses to this enemy. It i.s estimated that 7001) were killed and Ij.OOO wounded. The Australians and Xew Zealandora also played a part in the victory, which marks a definite stage ill the initial work of e!i in-ling Aeiii Balm. which is now one of the strongest fortresses ill the world. For some little time the Turks had abandoned the olVensive, but they resinned it under somewhat remarkable circumstances towards the end of the first week of July. A lucky shell from a. Turkish battery blew up a small French ammunition depot. About the same time the Carthage was torpedoed in sight of the enemy's lines, and these incidents, combined with giowing accounts of flerman victories elsewhere, put fresh heart into the Turks, and impelled them to depart from tile more discreet waiting policy. TURKS DECEIVED. The fact that the Allies' entire line was .-esting in comparative tranquility inspired the Trrks that the Allies were short of ammunition, and therefore they proceeded to drive them into the sea. A destroyer's searchlight detected heavy masses of the. enemy troops moving from beyond Aclii IJaba towards the Turkish lines, with the object of attacking the French. The latter were warned, and their artillery was quickly reinforced, until a perfect wall of heavy and light guns was in position. The British Territorials, Indians and Is aval Brigade were also on the alert in tlie event that, the attack would be directed on them also. AN INFERUO OF DEATH. TKRRIBLE SLAUGHTER OF TURKS. Received' July 13, 10.35 p.m. London, July 13. The interval of oppressive silence was suddenly broken bv a tremendous burs* of Turkish shells and shrapnel on the French front, accompanied from the Straits by the guns of the Goeben, which pounded our right with eleven-inch sliells. -Many of these did not burst, being, apparently, of Turkish manufacture. The hail of sliells lasted an hour, and then a great, solid mass of Turks leapt to the attack. On they came, the silence being unbroken, save by their shouts, until tlicy reached within sixty yards. Then well-placed machine-guns poured devastation into their rallies, and twenty thousand rifles also spoke. Big guns flared and lightened the iurid scene at intervals. With fine bravery, the Turks came on unhesitating in this inferno of death in terribly cut up conditions. They reached the entanglements, only to find that their artillery had not demolished the wire. The. slaughter here was terrible, yet at three point 9 the enemy managed to invade the French' trenches, and even succeeded in turning some French weapons on the defenders, hut the second French line hurled itself instantly on the foe. '• We were so closely mixed up," said a French soldier, " that it was almost impossible to use tne bayonet, and we bad to clear onr way by simply pushing the Turks back into the trenches, where we fell upon them, running bayonets into their solid mass." MOWN DOWN IN HEAPS. AN APPALLING SPECTACLE. Received July 13, 10.45 p.m. London, July 13. At last we rushed forward, and the Turks, badly supported, fled. ' Into their struggling masses our maxims poured streaks of death, mowing down heaps. Meanwhile, the Xaval Brigade sustained a portion of the attack. It turned its machine-guns on the wreck of the attackers, and the ships' searchlights illuminating the, ghastly scene provided a ghostly target for our deadly guns and rifles. The field soon presented an appalling spectacle. Soldiers wlio fought in the fiercest fights in France and Flanders sickened at the awful si"ght. Twilight presented bodies lying four and live deep iu all positions. Men were mixed lip with the entanglements, while many of them stood erect propped up against their massed stricken comrades. RKTRKAT OF TliK RABBLE. Farther and farther, timid yells and groans, the battered rabble retreated, followed by rclentles death. The sight was so terrible that many of our men could not lire, so much did the, horrible vision of slaughter make the men tremble. At last the. poor remnant of the Turhs reached the shefter of tile trenches and the slopes of Aclii Babit. Throughout the morning our warships harried the Turkish positions. The Australians and New Zealanders at Sari I'ahr threw out a wedge of attack, as it was thought to threaten the Turkish communications. This alarmed the enemy, who beaan to withdraw. Meanwhile, the headquarters of the enemy were attacked hy aeroplanes dropping a score of bombs. ALU KS CdrXTi-U ATTAOIC' Alter a. bout ol artillery our counterattack was launched. We rushed across the deat'li-strewn area with difficulty, so thickly was "it covered with bodies. Our bombardment in many places had obliterated the entrenchments, the melinite sheiks he in# Terribly eilVctivc. We easily carried the first line of trenches, aiul then uiiv second line put the Turks to headlong (light. The enemy's i»un- were active, And threw >even thousand shells in two hour-;. The Turks hurled themselves seven times on our new line-;, hut were driven nfl' with heavy losses. The ]iri-ti-di left swung smartly forward, and threw the demoralised eneinv out of two additional lines. Onr lo<-(S were comparatively light. ; ALLIES ADVANCE. TI'RKKV WANT* PEACE. Atitvlene, July 12. After another severe battle the Allies' rhjit winjr lias advanced 200 yards. iTimes and Sydney Sun Services.] London. July 12. \l. llanotaiiN. writing in the Figaro, declares that Italian participation at the Dardanelles is simply postponed. Italian troops are concentrated, at Tarento and Brindisi. Turkey's attitude towards I.ybia and the occ:pa!io;'

of the island of Rhodes is supplying Italy with the motive for a rupture. Athens states that Turkey is attempting to arrange peace with the Allies. Two Turkish delegates are en route to Switzerland. Turk deserters who have arrived at Sofia state that the army desires peace, feeling that the situation is hopeless.