THE LANDING AT ANZAC

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 19, 25 September 1942, Page 3

THE LANDING AT ANZAC

x«EW ZEALAND ARTILLERY IN THE HELD, 1914 TO 1916 THE TURKISH ATTACKS IN MAY (Continued from -week). - . Three days later the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, with the 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade left for Helles. The temporary withdrawal of the two brigades' so weakened the line that the gravest anxiety prevailed, until the tension was relieved by the arrival on May 12th of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and the men of the Australian Light Horse. On the arrival of these fresh troops the- battalions of the Royal Naval Division, who had been assisting to hold the line, were embarked for llelels. While the line had been so thinly held the New Zealand batteries in action played a very responsible part in the defence of the position. The 2nd Battery, tirelessly vigilant in following every movement of the enemy in front of Quinn’s and the neighbouring posts, lent invaluable aid to the infantry on the morning of May 10th, during a strong enemy counter-attack. On the previous night troops of ' the Royal Marine Brigade had made a sortie and captured some trenches, the possession of which would materially have improved the position at that point. The assaulting troops had succeeded in establishing themselves in the captured trenches, and reinforcements had been sent up, but at the dawn the Turks had heavily counter-attacked, and recaptured the trenches. The direct fire of the 2nd. Battery’s ISprs. on Plugge Plateau, and the high explosive of the 4.5 in. howitzers inflicted very heavy casualties on the enemy, who paid duly for their success. •Later in the morning the 2nd. Battery so effectively shelled the trenches in front of Quinn’s Post that the shooting drew warm praise and a message of thanks from Brigadier-General Trotman, R.M.L.1., commanding No. 3 Section of the line. Further evidence of the deadly effectiveness of the fire of these two batteries on this occasion was had some time later, when an entry was found in the diary of a Turkish officer to the effect that two Turkish regiments on May 10th lost 600 killed and 2000 wounded. Despite the fact that they were few in number and so ill-supplied with ammunition, the three New Zealand batteries shot so well and so consistently on every emergency, and at every critical period, that invariably they received the warm thanks of the Infantry

Commanders in the line. The gunner’s regret was that his activities- should be so drastically limited by the unkind circumstances that every round he expended had almost to be begged for. But by accurate service on the guns, and careful handling at the observation post, as much was done with the meagre supply as was humanly possible. The 4th Howitzer Battery suffered more by the shortage than did any of the 18pdr. batteries. The only howitzer battery at Anzac for many months, there fell to it the multitude of tasks which the flat-trajectoried 18pdr. were not able to I undertake in a country so unsuited for 1 anything else but howitzers. Not a day . passed but requests were sent in ' to the howitzers for fire to be brought to bear on some particular target which the other guns could not reach, and very often the Battery Commander found himself without ammunition, and un- ' able to accede to the request. A re- • serve was always to be kept on hand | lest some critical emergency should suddenly arise'; and to make inroads on it for the purposes of normal daily fire I was out of the question. i Oji May Kith, the day before the Ist | Battery guns were got up to Walker’s Ridge, Major-General Sir A. J. Godley sent to the I'.R.A. a message referring in appreciative terms to the shooting of the batteries then in action. “Please convey,” the message ran, “to all your batteries now here 'my high appreciation of the excellent shooting they have made while in action here. All commanders of posts are loud in their praises of the support they have had from the howitzers and No. 2 Battery, and on behalf of the whole Division I wish to express to them our thanks for the good work which has led to such substantial results.”