CAPTURE OF ERZERUM.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 May 1916, Page 6

CAPTURE OF ERZERUM.

RUSSIANS' BOLD STRATEGY. FORTS TAKEN WITH BAYONET. SIBERIANS' CYCLONIC SWEEP. The brilliancy of the Russian stratify, which resulted in the capture of Erzeroum, is emphasised by the dptailed accounts of the operations appearing in London newspapers. The first fort taken was Kara Gubek. Without a pause the Russians advanced upon the Tafta fort, four miles nearer Erzeroum, and after bombarding stormed and captured it. Twenty guns, besides prisoners and stores, were taken here. These two forts lie relatively far out, the next nearest, Chobau T)ede, being six miles to the south, on the Deve Boyun heights. The record of 4S hours may be summed up as ]2 miles of territory on the map, with eight forts above the snowline, covered by a cyclonic rush of mcomparable Siberian troops, whose ironVnduranee must nave been terribly tried yby the climatic conditions over mountain country, where as many miles standi on end as appear lineally on the mnp. I Thaplan of campaign was something as follows:— Dashing in pursuit of tlie fugitives of the broken Turkish centre right up to the guns of Erzeroum forts, the Russians at the outset threatened to rush the impregnable Deve Boyun positions from the east along the best and shortest road from Koprikeei and Hassankala. The Turks made a desperate attempt to check the Russian onset by a sally into the Pasin plain, but were driven back behind the line of forts. This sally doubtless convinced the Turkish commanders that Russia's main forces were coming along the best road, and along that road Russia pushed up under extraordinary difficulties guns in number and calibre sufficient to keep the Deve Boyun line forts busy. Meantime great activity was displayed by the entirely independent Russian column away to the south, in the region of Melazghert. This column pushed forward to ftlmyss, cut off the Turkish forces from Erzeroum, and herded them towards Mush and Bitlis. Fugitives north-west towards Erzeroum from this region were pursued, and generally demonstrations were made calculated to give the impression Jiat the Russians were bent on circumventing the lino of forts by a flanking march from the south. At the same time extreme activity both on sea and land was displayed by the other Russian forces on the Turks' extreme left on the Black Sea coastline region. Then a special striking column mainly composed of Siberian troops, seized the Dumlu Dagh ridges. This column was lost sight of for some days, whi-h were evidently employed in making the best way across country.

THE DECISIVE BLOW. While this daring movement was in r.rosress through blizzards and. snowdrifts, with fifty to sixty degrees of frost, some troops appeared in Gurdja Bogza Pass working towards Erzeroum from the north-west, and approaching by the two roads the outlying fort of Kara fiubek. The decisive blow appears to have been struck by the Siberian columns which took the Kara Gubek and Tafta forts in the rear. Both these forts lace all ways, and their capture though executed in a quick time movement, necessitated hard fighting. The Siberians then swept southwards like ft cyclone behind the Devo Bryun forts, which all face eastwards, and within twenty-four hours were masters of all seven forts. ENEMY'S PREPARATION- FOR FLIGHT.

A very considerable portion of the garrison of Erzeroum succeeded in making good their escape before the entry of the Russians. The enemy's preparations for flight were noted immediately after the fall of the first fort, and the final resistance was the work of nothing more than a strong rearguard. Possibly there was something in the rumours current immediately after the capture of the Keprikai positions that even then the Turks had begun the evacuation of the large stores of provisions which are understood to have been accumulated in their great Armenian stronghold. It seems probable that they got away the greater part of their light artillery, though the heavy fortress guns must'have been abandoned.

Another account of the operations, published by the London Daily Telegraph, states that a simultaneous attack was made both on the extreme northern fort of Kara Oubck. barring the passage of the gorge of the Kara Soo Valley, and on the outer line of the Deve Boyun works. A bull's-eye shot burst in the magazine of Kara fiubek, exploding its contents, and the fort was stormed shortly afterwards. The first breach in the Deve Boyun rampart was effected 011 the same day. According to the Staff news, Kara Gubek, was occupied on the evening of one day, and Balangez, the first of the Deve Boyun works to fall, on the following morning. At any rate, it was evidently this latter fort that gave the signal for the crumbling, away of the eastern bulwarks of Erzeroum.

FORTS OVERWHELMED. The Russians then, by "an impetuous night attack, overwhelmed Fort Tafta, which was the second of the defences of the Kara Soo Valley, and in this way apparently opened up a. clear road to Erzeromn from the north. It was in the fight for this work that 1400 prisoners were taken, and, indeed, the main attack seems to have been delivered on the left flank of the fortress while the Turks, according to sound military critics, >yere rather expecting it on the right. While the operations in the Kara Soo Valley were in progress, the first line of Deve Boyun was under a rapid, incessant, and well-aimed fire from the Russian heavy artillery. Especially fierce was the bombardment of Choban Dede, which still broke the continuity of the Russian line. This fort was so knocked about that one of the Russian 3tornring parties rushed at it with the bayonet. The remaining works of the front Deve Boyun line seem io have been placed in such a position by these successes of the attackers as to be able to offer feeble further resistance, and the works of the second line v.'ere apparently for the most part at once blown up and abandoned by their garrisons, who had, 110 doubt, received orders in good li:ne that they could only hope, at the almost, to delay the fall of Erzeroum for a few hours. There se»m* to have been no Sglitins ai all around Hi? (wo southern fovfa in the "alan Token Ridge, awl it is believed ■!i»v wer • fii'on a vide berlh b l ' the •'*» 3'.;r.t; iiankimr movement.