THE DARDANELLES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 May 1915, Page 7

THE DARDANELLES.

A FORTNIGHT'S OPERATIONS REVIEWED.

'THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S SUMMARY.

WELLINGTON, May 28

The High v Commissioner reports from l.ondon on?.Mav 2/th, at 7.30 p.m., regarding' the -Dardanelles operations .from May 6-Into 19th: There was severe fighting on the "t3th. The whole Allied line" advanced .-.a thousand to fifteen hundred yards, • 3but the left wing was checked by .strong Turkish redoubts. The French, . lowever, gained an important position, which served as a pivot for furvther operations. On the 7th and Bth the attack was - resumed in face of heavy fire, the .French attacking the Turkish trenches with, the bayonet. A counter-attack • was repulsed with heavy loss. During three days' fighting the Aus 7 ■ tralasians at Sari Bahr, in spite of reinforcements to support the : anain attacks, successfully resisted all . attacks. The fighting on these three ' -days was severe. A large proportion of the casualties are only slight wounds. The Turkish defences are strongly ■ constructed, and only capable of cap- . ture by slow trench warfare. The French fought with magnificent

courage, and suffered heavy loss. On the 9th a brilliant attack by the 15th and 16th battalions of the 4th

Australian Infantry Brigade carried •with the bayonet.three lines of enemy "trenches at Sari Bahv. The Turks

■counter-attacked heavily at dawn on r i;he,loth, forcing the Australians back '' "to their Original trenches, but the _ opened and fired on tbe enemy "" at close range, do'ng terrible execution, the dead Turks forming an obstacle.

Fr/yn the I.oth to the 17th the Allied line further advanced. On the 17th Generil Bridges was -mortally wounded during an attack on "the Australian position, his death ■•causing an irreparable loss to his command.

On the n:ght of the 19th there was •continuous fire, but no attack against the Australians and New Zealanders. ,