HEAVY FIGHTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1915, Page 5

HEAVY FIGHTING.

THE BATTLE AT SARI BAUt, WARM PRAISE OP THE NEW ZEALANDERS. WORK DESCRIBED BY, GENBRAD GODLEY. Wellington, Yesterday. The heavy fighting which took place at Gallipoli on August Oth and sub< sequent days, in connection with the ati tack on Sari *Bair t is described by Qereral Godley in a letter received by the Defence Minister (Hon. J. Allen), Tm letter shows that the part played by the New Zealanders was a very important one, and that the men did their work in fine fashion.

"The operations were commenced on the night of Friday, August Oth, when the Otago, Canterbury, Wellington, tod Auckland Mounted Rifles (acting ai !a« fantry), and the Maoris, under com* niand of Brigadier-General A. H. Russell, a New Zealander, and the 4th South Wales Borderers and sth Fusiliers, under command of Brigadier-General J. H. Travers, formed the covering force for the general attack on Sari Bair," utyi General Godley. "Under cover of toe night this force advanced ipon the nearer Turkish posts, and with great gallantry and determination succeeded in driving the enemy out of two trenche« at the point of the bayonet. This success* fu] initial effort paved the way for the general attack upon the main Turkish positolns. The right assaulting column, which consisted of the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, a company of New Zee-, land Engineers, and an Indian Mountain Battery, was commanded by Brigadier* General F. E. Johnston, a New Zealandeu (of the North Staffordshire Regiment)! The left assaulting column which *ii commanded by Brigadier-General V. H. Cox, consisted of his own Rrigade of Indian Infantry, the 4th Australian Tnfantry Brigade, consisting of thk lJtfc, 14th, 15th, and lGth Battalions, under command of Brigadier-General John Monash, a field company of New Zealand Engineers and an Indian Mountain tery."

"Both these columns, after a night march through extremely difficult Country, consisting of scrub-covered span, bare, precipitous cliffs, and narrow, winding, deep ravines, succeeded in •»- tablishing themselves in spite of the Turkish opposition at the front 'oi the massif of Chunuk Balr, a commanding feature of the mountain range 886 feet high. Meanwhile, throughout the night the Ist and 3rd Australian Light Horqe Brigades, under command of BrigadierGenerals Chauvel and Hughes respectively had, by fire and ijomb attack, contained a largo number of Turks in front of Quinn's and Pope's Post, Walkers' Ridge, portion of the Anzac position, which were held by their brigades. At 4.30 a.m. they dashed forward with the greatest elan and impetuosity, and occupied and cleared out a Turkish trench close to them, tat more than this they were unable to ac« complish, and they then withdrew to their own lines. ...

"The enemy were now in strong force, and our troops met with obstinate resistance, but, in spite of this and of heavy losses the New Zealandera and Gioucesters scaled the cliffs and ecrnbcovered heights, and gained a footing, on the summit ridge of Chunuk Balr, Under terrific bombardment, the Ghitrkas, gallantly led by Colonel Allenson, succeeded in mounting the heights of the neck between Chunuk Bair and "Q" (the centre spur). Prom this vantage point tiiey looked down upon the Dardanelles, and saw the Turkish motor-cars and several transports coming and going along the main roads to the eastward. Unfortunately, however, owing to the difficult nature of the country to be traversed, General Baldwin's column had been delayed, and before it could arrive to confirm the success already attained a very strong counter-attack was delivered by the enemy upon the Ghurkas, who were also heavily shelled and so compelled to retire. The New Zealanders, however, maintained their ground, and by the end of the night we still held our footing—-rather a precarious one it is true—on the crest of the Chunuk Bair. In this fighting the .Yew Zealand infantry were heavily attacked throughout the entire day, ami as they had been fighting for three nights and three days with no sleep and with little food and water it became imperatively necessary to relieve them on the Holiday night." . . (The front-line position was lost by the troops ivho relieved the Yew Zealadders.) "By Tuesday evening our line was firmly established on the height* a few hundred feet below the summit of Chunnk Bail'."