The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915Parrott, Edward
History
The Children's Story of the War Volume 4 (of 10): The Story of the Year 1915
Parrott, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile literature
Sir Ian Hamilton now determined to make a new landing on Suvla Bay,
which lies to the north of the Anzac region. Look at the diagram on page
278 and make out the chief features of the neighbourhood. You notice
that the bay, which is about two miles wide, is like the crescent moon
in shape, with capes forming the horns. Along the edge of the bay runs a
narrow causeway of sand, and behind it is a salt lake, dry in summer,
but overflowing in winter. Lining the coast north-eastwards from Cape
Suvla is the ridge of Karakol Dagh, over 400 feet high. Between the
southern end of the lake and the promontory which shuts in the bay on
the south side is the low hill of Lala Baba, and about one and a half
miles to the east of it is another elevation, afterwards called by our
men Chocolate Hill, because it was burnt brown by the shells which burst
upon it.
[Illustration: The "Anzac" Front.
The water-courses shown on the map are mostly dry in summer.]
Find on the map (page 275) Azmak Dere, a ravine which lies to the south
of Chocolate Hill. From this ravine northwards stretches a series of
hills and flats on which there are farms and patches of dwarf oaks, and,
on the seaward fall of the hills, thick scrub. Everywhere the plain is
cracked by water-courses, which are simply deep, dry gullies in summer.
Just north of the upper course of the Azmak Dere is one of the two
Anafarta villages; the other stands two miles farther north. Between the
south village and the foothills of the Karakol Dagh lie the Anafarta
Hills.
At the points marked A, B, and C on the diagram (page 278), Sir Ian
Hamilton proposed to make new landings; but, as a matter of fact, his
troops were put ashore only at B and C. They were to try to carry the
Anafarta Hills, and their right was to link up with the left of the
Anzacs, who would advance at the same time. If this were done, the
central crest of the spine of uplands which runs through the western end
of the peninsula would be in our hands. We should then be able to
command the one land route to Maidos on the Narrows; the communications
of the Turks would be cut, Achi Baba would fall, and in due course we
should reach the plateau on which all our hopes were centred. Such was
the plan. It was a bold plan, and it had a very fair chance of
succeeding.
Of course, if the Turks got wind of what we proposed to do they would
make preparations to resist us, and the conditions in the south of the
peninsula would be repeated. The landing on Suvla Bay was to be a
surprise. We knew that the Turks had made no preparations in this
region, and we hoped to take them unawares. If the landing could be made
speedily, if the troops could push forward without delay, and if they
and the Anzacs, working together, could join hands and gain the crest of
the spine of uplands, all would be well; but if there were delays, if
any of the various columns were not up to time, or failed to do the work
assigned to them, the whole movement would end in failure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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