ONE OF MOST COMPLETE VICTORIES OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 228, 24 September 1918, Page 5

ONE OF MOST COMPLETE VICTORIES OF WAR.

TURKS MUST CREATE COMPLETE NEW ARMY.

(Received 9.10 a.m.)

«f~ LONDON, September 23. !Mr. W. T. Massey, writing from Palestine headquarters on Sunday, states that there is still a great deal of clearing up to do, but the first battle is practically over. General Allenby has secured one of the most complete victories in the war. A few unimportant sections may have got away in driblets, but the Turkish anniee have ceased to exist as armies, having been killed or captured, and lost almost their entire war material of every description. If a new army be created for Palestine and Syria the Turks must provide not only men but the mechanism of war. Nearly all their guns on this front, transport, rolling stock, and engineers' stores have fallen into pur hands. The infantry alone have taken 270 guns, while the cavalry is too busy securing prisoners to count and send reports of their gun captures. I have been over a large portion of the battlelield, hundreds of square inilea in extent, and have seen the debris of the routed army, and realise that it must be soma time before a full statement of the enemy losees is possible. Thie much is certain, bold strategy backed by victorious action of enthusiastic and determined troops, has obtained victory for the Alliee from which the Turks cannot hope to recover. The British and Australian airmen, "carrying on" as usual, chose a new field to-day, and attacked motor and other transport trying to escape by the Shible-Scisan road. They dropped four tons of bombs, inflicting severe damage to men and material. In my wanderings 1 have seen the extraordinary success achieved by the airmen in these operations on the Tulkeram-Nablus road. The pilots flew at a very low altitude, and dropped bombs from which it was impossible to escape. The road for miles is choked with smashed lorries, wheeled transport, dead men and horses. Having broken up the transport columns, making it difficult for the men to move, the airmen returned and machinegunned the troops endeavouring to hide. What they accomplished in this neighbourhood was repeated on the Damieh road and elsewhere. The airmen's total casualties inllieted on the enemy must reach high figures. All prisoners epeak with dread of the sound of aircraft.—(A. and NJS. Cable.) LONDON, September 23—10 p.m. A Palestine official message reports:—The passages of the Jordan ■were closed on Sunday. The Seventh and Eighth Turkish Armies have ceased to exitrt, and the entire traneport has been captured. Twenty-five thousand ]rrisoner3 ami 260 guns have already been counted, and many more are awaiting count. — (High Commissioner's Cable.)

LONDON, September 23.