New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 5, August, 1915Various
History
New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 5, August, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
Farther up the coast the Australians and New Zealanders have made a
lodgment upon one of the strongest advanced works of the Kilid Bahr
Plateau. As seen from the northwest here they threaten the
communications of the "fortress" and are drawing against them a large
part of the garrison. This is composed of the flower of the Turkish
Army, and, notwithstanding casualties that must already amount to
70,000, the troops are fighting with gallantry--with desperation,
indeed, because they realize that when the bastion of Achi Baba falls
the occupation of the Kilid Bahr Plateau becomes a mere question of
time, and that when Kilid Bahr falls the doom of Constantinople is at
hand. In view of the difficulties--were it not for the landing one
would be tempted to say the impossibilities--which confront our men,
the gain of a score of yards in the Gallipoli Peninsula may fairly
represent for the purposes of comparison a gain of 500 yards in the
Western theatre of war. Therefore, to find its importance the gain of
500 yards on June 4 must be measured with affairs like Neuve Chapelle;
and the few quiet days that succeeded may be accepted as repose.
[Illustration: Map of Gallipoli Peninsula, showing the mountainous
nature of the terrain, and Achi Baba.]
After a violent effort on the night of June 11 to 12 there was a
brilliant little action by the Border Regiment and the South Wales
Borderers which resulted in the gain of two trenches. On the 16th the
enemy, led by a Turkish and a German officer, made an assault on the
trenches of the 88th Brigade, but were driven off with loss. However,
that night the trenches gained by the two regiments on the 11th were
heavily bombed, so heavily that our men were forced to retire about 30
yards and dig themselves in. At dawn we were able to enfilade with
machine-guns the vacated trenches.
Then the Dublin Fusiliers charged with the bayonet, and once more gave
us possession of our gains at heavy cost to the Turks, whose dead
filled one trench.
On the evening of the 18th the enemy bombarded very heavily another
portion of our trenches on this side of the line. They were evidently
attempting in miniature our own methods of Neuve Chapelle and June 4,
as immediately after the bombardment they were seen to be massing for
an attack. However, the imitation ended rather abruptly at this point,
and the affair petered out.
On the evening of the 19th the Turks by a fierce attack, managed to
get into an awkward salient which had remained in our hands after June
4. For some time there was great difficulty in recovering this, but
the 5th Royal Scots and a company of the Worcesters, led by
Lieut.-Colonel Wilson of the former regiment, made a glorious attack,
and drove out the Turks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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