The Dardanelles.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 July 1915, Page 5

The Dardanelles.

"FOR GOODNESS SAKE." TIIK ALLIES' TASK. .PICTOK OF THE BATTLEFIELD. Received July ,10, fl.o p.m. London, July 20. Renter's correspondent with the Mediterranean expedition says: "A battalion commander, who was crouching in a dugout watching shells bursting, said, 'Eur (loodness' sake, tell the people at home what a tremendous proposition we art up against.'"

Keuter's agent continues: By dogged determination and Homeric courage the Allies are no longer holding on by the skin of their teeth, but the supreme .task is ahead. Eire has ravished the soil, which is furrowed as though there bad been a titanic ploughing competition over every acre. Fragments ol shells, aggregating iron enough to build a battleship, lie in the trackless waste; barbed wire of enormous gauge trails across the scorched yellow stubble every dozen yards for twelve miles up the coast.

I THE TURKS WEARY. COLONIALS IN POSITION. TURKEY'S TRUST IN GERMANY. Deceived July 30, 5.5 p.m. London, July 20. ■Hie Australians and New Zea'landers are holding a wonderful cliff, and are perched en clave, which compels the lurks to maintain at least two divisions to counter a permanent thrust at their communications. The Turks are being abundantly fed .which great factor is sustaining the war. Ihe worthiest of prisoners admit turkey's weariness, but the Turks are still convinced that England conspired to betray them to Russia, and still regard the annexation of their battleships which were building in Briain as an act of piracy, while they, regard Germany us a benefactor for giving them the Goeben and Breslau and sending submarines to! attack the Allies' warships.

AT QUINN'S POST. CAPTAIN BEAN'S REPORT. Received July 30, 10.20 p.m. ~ Sydney, July 30. Captain Bean, cabling from* Gaba Tcpe, says: On the l!)th we faced forty to fitty guns—about half of them being fourteen- and fifteen-pounders, the rest tour, six, and eight, with occasionally ten- and elcvcn-inchers, and with a sprinkling of lighter guns, whose positions were readily changeable. These can be placed within a few hundred yards of our trenches and quickly removed. There was also an ancient mortar, flinging 12-inch bombs. The amount of tunnelling done by the Australians and New inlanders may be judged by the fact that we have already lilown up seventeen mines opposing Rubin's Post, in almost every ease destroying a Tunkish tunnel. The New SCealanders in one day threw 570 bombs trom Quinn's Post, which the. engineers have recently altered out of all reco"uition. °

FIGHT FOR ACHI BABA. IiRILLIANT CHARGE BY ATTACKERS Received July 30, 8.30 p.m. London, July 30. Renter's Dardanelles correspondent (ays that between days of big things »e are now getting little affairs of considerable strategic significance from little work. Commanding the gully the enemy have maintained an irritating fire since the 14th upon the sector of our new position, and it had to bo stopped. French seventy-fives poured i heavy fire into them, in blazing sunihine, wi\i a whirling gale of dust, the men charged brilliantly and captured the position, with heavy enemy losses. Three hundred yards of' trenches, forming an encicnte in our new line, were jo packed with Turkish dead that they were untenable. This is the section tak" en and lost several times during the last big effort. The enemy's artillery was Ton- active during the assault.

AN INVISIBLE WAR. HOW THE TRENCHES ARE TAKEN. Received July 30, 8.30 p.m. ' London, July 30. The Exchange Telegraph Company's correspondent at the Dardanelles says that this is an invisible war. Sitting on the highest observation point one can see nothing of war, although one knows countless men and guns are under his very eyes to get in the battle for Achi Baba. A long khaki line leaps out of holes, charges a Mack gap a few yards ahead, and disappears. It lias simply .gone from one hole to another, hut it means that we have captured the trench. The guns lengthen their range, and the second trench is rushed the same way, yet not a Turk is visible. There is no such luxury as resting; after a sojourn in the trenches the. men come to the rear. There is shellfire of all calibres from Achi Baba and the Asiatic coast. INTENSE HEAT. WOXDEIIFUL ORGANISATION'. Till-: TURKS DEJECTED. Received July 30, !l p.m. London, July 30. The Turks' gnus always pot at the British ships entering or leaving the harbor. The Allies are achieving wonders in patience, endurance, and organisation. Naval co-opi'i-ation continues, and the ships are smashing villages and wrecking guns, but now it is escutially a land campaign. Operations may seem to progress slowly, but a visit reveals what an immense organisation has accomplished, while the fighting is on a firmer footing. The precipitous dill's at the landing stage, which made the name of the Australians famous, failed to arouse wonderment after seeing this \ great network of organisation. Any ' defects in organisation would be fatal in this trench warfare. Tt is a question whether the snows and frostbite of Flanders are not minor ills compared with the enervating heat and sunstroke. Men are almost knocked out before lighting begins. Turkish prisoners are dejected. This is a hopeful sign, and if the Allies can now press their advantage final success is assured.

SMYRNA BOMBED. TUIIK.S UAVK AMMUNITION, Received July 30, 10.20 p.m. Mitylene, July 30. The Turks have evidently obtained largo supplies of heavy ammunition, enabling them to keep up a sustained artillery lire. An Anglo-French aeroplane again attaeked Smyrna, and destroyed the Gasworks and a petrol depot. °