PALESTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1918, Page 5

PALESTINE.

TURKS KEPT BUSY. IMMENSELY STRONG LINES " SECURED. , Cairo, March 7. Mr. Maasey, in a report from Palestine Headquarters, dated March C, says:— During the past week the Turks have had much to think about in various sections of the line.Hardly a day has passed without the enemy being compelled to yield positions of value. The most important of our advances - were north and west of Birch three days ago, when, Welsh and Home Country troops made a strong attack on both side 3 of, the Nablus Bond on a twelvemile front and pushed back the enemy one and a-half miles. This operation, in hill country, taken in conjunction with .the captures of Jericho and the high ground west thereof, gives us immensely Btrong lines round Jerusalem. In continuing the lines westward the Irish troops forced the Turks from broken country, while the enterprise of / Soutn-Western County soldiers in the foothills was fully rewarded oy the ground gained. One night Indians rushed a 400 ft. hill and completely surprised the Turkish garrison. Our aerial supremacy has been maintained, and, though German aviators hav shown signs of more activity, they have paid dearly for it. in the last two d.ivs we made lone flignts over the Dead Sea to harass the enemy communications with the Hedjaz, and dropned many bombs on Katrani station and on camps and an aerodrome west of Kerak. Excellent iresidts were observed. Yesterday we bombed a station south of Katrani. '~- ——___ *! TAKING OF JERICHO. BY AUSTRALIAN LIGHT HORSE, AJBMEN PLAY A BRILLIANT PART. Reuter'a Telegrams. Cairo, Feb. 23. Writing from' Sir Edward Allenby's headquarters in Palestine on Thursday, . Renter's correspondent said:— There has been a lull in the operations jon the Palestine front since the beginning of the year, owing on the one hand to the necessity for huilding, up lines of communication in the? rear, consequent upon the tremendous wish last December. The weather exceeded the worst prognostications. It has been much colder than anyone anticipated, and the rains have been almost tropical in their intensity and frequency: Nevertheless the engineers and labor corps have not lost a.n? time, and the fruit of their good work is the ease and regularity with which supplies reach all parts of the front. The spell of quietness, however, has now been broken on our right wing by i fresh offensive, which has been crowned with complete' success, yieldins iinwrtant strategic and not inconsiderable material results. The fighting after Christmas left our troops in possession of important heights east of Jerusalem, and dominating the road to Jericho. WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN! The Turk 3, however still had some forces °to the west of that old historic town and height, and had they had sufficient strength and energv to have worked round between Bethlehem and the Bead Sea they might even have menaced the road to Hebron. The greater part of this region between Jerusalem and Jericho is barren, broken, and very hilly, until within seven miles of the Jordan, where there is apparently * level -irface, but which really is furrowed and cleft with innumerable steep, narrow gorges, like earthcracks, the result of some natural convulsion. The Turks held the semblance of a line along the crests of six miles east of Jerusalem, and on each side of the road Co Jericho. The defences consisted mostly of stono sangars and occasionally shallow trenches. The i&fenders were plentifully supplied with machine-guns, but had not shown mrieh aggressive activity, owing probably to the problems of supplies, "which must have suffered from the weather. Nevertheless they used to indulge in sniping our outposts, and, now and again, hi patrol raids, without ever doing real harm. rußSTßcrnvß, but annoying. A few guns were used, also to register our positions, usually after nightfall; and, although they were rarely effective, they were nevertheless annoying. One night over 100 shells were fired into our lines without causing a single casualty. Still, even the most innocuous bombardment palls after a time; and it was decided to drive the Turks beyond the Jordan, in order to make our right sank absolutely secure. tXitb sJJ!)* tet taarmat began on FebruliiMltinrOTithMit of

Bires was advanced some hundreds of yards, and was improved by the capture of the Hill of Telessowan. No serious opposition was Rencountered, although a small body of 'the enemy made a night attack on one of our reconnaissance posts, being repulsed after getting within bombing djstance. It may be added that Turkish tombing parties are usually more distracting than i dangerous, as all shout when a bomb is | thrown, their aim being none too skilful; while our fellows reply by yelling: "Come on. Johnny Turk!" Last Tuesday morning Welsh troopi. and Londoners attacked along a broad f ront respectively north and 30uth of the Jcrfcho road, while the Australian Lisht Hor?e made a wide turning movement from the south. The enemy hotly contested the advance, clinging to positions with astonishing tenacity. Notwithstanding the difficult ground and the unfavorable weather, our men swept forward, carrying the whole of their objectives. The advance was resumed next morning; and again the men went forward with irresistible valor. The flghtins resolved into a series of engagements for the crests of ridges, as, when he was driven off one height, the enemy simply retired upon the next, where he continued to stand. Heavy showers drenched friend and foe alike. But our men were not to'be denied, and at the end of the day covered GOOO yards on a ten-mile front. THE DEPARTED PROSPERITY. This was riot a mean achievement, across broken country, and in the face of strong machine-gun opposition. The cavalry had a particularly difficult task. Nevertheless they managed to get well round the right flank, our attack rounding <>p all the enemy parties south of Jericho.' The Australian Flying Corpa also gave valuable support, bombing the enemy in the rear. .Yesterday they jeported that tha enemy apparently was evacuating Jericho, as "tins were seen hastily moving eastward. This :porning troops entered Jericho, but details are not yet to hand as to whether they encountered opposition. Jericho itself is an insignificant village of 3f)o inhabitants, squalid and povertystricken. There is no trace of that prosperity which earned it the title of "The Citv of the Palms." The Turkish defeat not only secures access to the Jordan and the Dead Sea, but also gives a valuable and timely assistance to the operations of the troops of the King of Hedjaz, who is reported to be advancing northward.