GALLIPOLI.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 23, 28 January 1928, Page 12

GALLIPOLI.

f A GERMAN 'ACCOUNT. "THE OPEN DOOR." NEARNESS. OF DEFEAT. Much has been published for the British side dealing with the Gallipoli campaign, but little has been heard from the Turks or Germans about the fighting on- the Peninsula. . Recently, however, a Berlin publishing house issued ah interesting book on the subject under the title "Gallipoli Bedeiitung und Verlauf der Kaempfe (meaning and course of the lighting), 1915." It was written by General Kannengiesser, of the German Staff, who was stationed with the jTurkish army. So far as is known, no .copies of the book-have yet reached New IZealand, and it ■is understood that 110 translations'. have so far been published, though one is in hand. Recently, however, the literary supplement of "The Times" published an outjline of the tale as told by the German '.writer. I General Kannengiesser at .the outbreak ,of the war was a member of the Liman ! von-Sanders Mission in Constantinople 'and the head, with a Turkish deputy {alongside him, of the "Army Department," which was charged with the I organisation and distribution of the ! army, and with communications in peace and war. There he remained .until April 1 26, 1915, when, after the British landing at Helles and Anzac on the previous day, Liman von Sanders asked' for his services in the field! Turk Reserves Astray. He says he is moved to write because, after attending'a meeting of old Gallipoli fighters in Berlin on 20th December, 1925, to' celebrate the tenth anniversary of the evacuation of the Peninsula by the British, he felt that "the deeds of these men who fought there under the Crescent for Germany's honour and glory opght rtot to be forgotten ... and I have in vain awaited any account of the Gallipoli campaign that is more than newspaper chat (Plauderei)." General Liman von Sanders contributes a preface, in which he sounds the same note: That few Germans know the details of the deeds of their 500 countrymen who "in blazing sun,-short-of ammunition, under, continuous fire of ships' guns, held high the honour of the German name against a mighty British-French . expeditionary corps^" Mustapha Kemal, the .man of destiny, whose prompt action on April 25 crushed \ the prospects of a successful British adyance after the Anzac landing, when Liman von Sanders was in the wrong place with his reserves, forty miles away at - Bulair, does not receive mention. Kemal does not seem to have appreciated German help. When the author arrived in the ; Peninsula on April 30 lie was sent by von Sanders to take over, from another. German, the. Fifth Division on the Anzac front, and he went to Kemal to find, out its whereabouts. The Turk told him that the division was mixed up with, his o.wn,-the 19th, and there would probably he fighting again at once, so lie could not take over. He then left him idle,, and next evening, after permitting him to attend a conference of regimental • commanders — which, of course, took place-in Turkish, a language which he did not understands—sent him back tp .Liman von- Sanders. ; . - Success oh a Hair. On returning to von Sanders a second time on May 2, he was sent to the Krithia front, to order a night attack to drive the British into the sea; but the Turks had suffered such "huge losses" that the reinforcements had done no more titan' replace casualties, and he found tlie situation, very doubtful. After one 'attempt he reported that further attacks were impossible; and he. thinks that but -for the opportune arrival of a German naval detachment with eight machine-guns, with the Turks firing on- each other, the British would have succeeded in-the Second Battle of Krithia (May 6-8). In the Third Battle of Krithia - (-June 4) General Kannengiesser was "adviser" to Sami Bey, a divisional coin-mander—and spent most of the time wrangling -with liim. The Turks lost the left" and centre of llieir position aiid evacuated the-right. Here, again, the author thinks- that success hung on a hair, and that "if there had been another simultaneous and vigorous British attack the- results would have been disastrous to the Turks." And he adds: "As on other occasions,'the British again failed to take advantage of their initial" success."

The most dramatic moment comes during the Sirvla landing. In the scctor "where this took place there were only three battalions, a squadron, and four batteries, which for two days deceived General Stopford—"The Goddess of Victory held the door open, but he refused to enter." At 5 p.m. on August 6, General' Kannengiesser, who was now commanding the 9th Division on the coast near Gaba Tepe, was ordered to take three-quarters of his troops northward to reinforce, and at 4.30 a.m. on the 7tli to 1 Occupy RoFja Chemen Tepe. Riding on ahead with a staff officer, he reached the siTmmit', -to see Suvla Bay full of ships, baggage, and supplies being landed; trenches dug, the men cooking, smoking, and bathing—"a peaceful picture, very much like a Boy Scouts' exercise." A party of the British approached the heights: General Kannengiesser and his staff officer had only a couple of revolvers, and looked around for help. They- discovered a Turkish battery asleep, forcibly took its escort of twenty infantrymen and got them to the summit /When the British were only 500 yards off! .Other reinforcemehts came along, a couple of companies, a battalion, and then the heads of his own division; Koja 'Chemen Tepe' was secure, and all prospect of British success again removed. At this' stage General Kannengiesser was hit in the chest, but he had done-his job. The Evacuation. Returning in September, he commanded in succession the XIV. and XVI. Corps in the JSuvla sector. Short of food, the TUrkS Went down quickly with sickness and jlisease when exposed to the rigours of the winter? so that from October 14 to December 9 he lost 8212 men out of roughly 36,000. Although there were many rumours that the British would try. to withdraw, ahd were looked'- for, nothing could ibo discovered;. gun >and \rifle. /ire were normal, and the working, ou entrenchments and. repajring ;\v}re , seemed to indicatethat the meant to stav. At rp 3 , a ®- on December 20, however, a, Turk who spoke some, German reported two great burning on the coast, and an, assembly of-ships in the bay,. Patrols.. wpre__ sent out, and were received with fire except in the centre, which led the . .Turks to suspect' a trap It was not uiitil daylight that it-was ascertained that the British had g<wn>. ' ' . e