The Story of the Great War, Volume 4: Champagne, Artois, Grodno; Fall of Nish; Caucasus; Mesopotamia; Development of Air Strategy; United States and the War
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 4: Champagne, Artois, Grodno; Fall of Nish; Caucasus; Mesopotamia; Development of Air Strategy; United States and the War
World War, 1914-1918
The third element in this new attack was to be a demonstration against
Karachali, on the European mainland of Turkey, menacing the Bulair
lines as well as the railway running to Sofia, Bulgaria. For this
purpose a number of troopships and warships carrying what was known as
the Greek Legion and made up of Cretan volunteers, were to be used. It
was hoped that this diversion would attract most of the available
reserves in and about the Gallipoli Peninsula and make impossible the
reenforcement of the troops stationed near Anafarta Hills and Sari
Bair.
The fourth and last element was to consist of a determined attack upon
the Turkish defenses about Krithia, pinning to that spot all the
troops possible. Curiously enough the plans of the Turkish command,
dominated by Enver Pasha, favored the allied troops in that the Turks
had planned an attack upon the enemy on the Krithia lines about this
time and had concentrated most of their available reserves near the
tip of the peninsula.
This intention on the part of the Turks was undoubtedly due to the
information they had received of the arrival of fresh British troops.
But quickly as they pushed forward their preparations, the Allies were
too lively for them. On August 6, 1915, the French and British troops
advanced against the Turks and there followed some of the most
determined and desperate fighting of the whole Dardanelles campaign.
In the fighting the East Lancashire Division, a territorial force, did
heroic work and bore the brunt of the fighting. There were many
individual feats of daring and bravery, yet one stands out
conspicuously. A youthful Manchester schoolmaster, Lieutenant W. T.
Forshaw, held his trench against attacks for forty-five hours. For
forty-one of those hours he was continuously throwing bombs and only
desisted when his arm became temporarily paralyzed. When, finally, the
Turks swarmed into his trench, revolver in hand he led his wearied
troops and drove them out. He richly deserved the coveted Victoria
Cross which was conferred upon him.
At dawn on the following day, the Australians began the attack at Sari
Bair. The force at Anzac Cove had been reenforced with Indian troops
and two divisions of the new troops from England. As planned, the
operations at Sari Bair were to consist of an attack, first on the
right, to serve as a feint, and then a main attack on the left which
was to link up and support the attack from Suvla Bay, moving around in
back of Salt Lake.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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