FIGHT FOR CHUNUK BAIR

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 251, 22 October 1915, Page 3

FIGHT FOR CHUNUK BAIR

NEW ZBiLAN3>EBS STORM THE HEIGHTS.

FIERCE FIGHTING ON THE

RIDGE.

i ONSL.4UGI/TS BY BRAVE

TURKS

(Frorc Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces).

No. 3 Outpost, Aug. 8. By 5.45 a.m. on Saturday, tiio 7th August, the Otago, Wellington, and A iiekland Regiments ]iad joined up on Rhc dodendron Ridge, f.nd were about to attack their objective, Chimu*. Bair, the curving,outline of which we could see clear out against the eastern sky, some distance back, and several hundred feet above. A slight diversion was caused by the appearance of two. aeroplanes, one a Taube and one an English machine. For a time we were thrilled with the expectation of ri: duel ?.n the air overhead,, but the speedy German machine made off in a great hurry, with a thin bluish line of vapor streaming from his exhaust. The English pilot followed him for a while, and then turned and went on with his observations. Off.-snort: the balloon was up above its mother ship,, and a vessel was shtlling in the 'direction of Ahafarta, searching, no doubt, for a four-gun battery that" had come into action againt ihe landing. Our wounded were Veir-g brought in 10 a diessintl; stati.pT> not far from the beach. Turkish *. ounded were also being carried in and attended to, and by iliis time there were 200 prisoners within, our lines. The Turkish prisoners were gn en food £>nd water. T'nree hospital ships stc od out in ihe offing. About 9 a.m. there was 5 < lull in the firing., and sometimes a full socond would pass without a rifle shot 1 ping fired. The ships' guns were ?:lfnt. Half an hour lfter,\ however, the bombardment was resumed with an ear-straining noise. By this time the New Zealand Infantry Brigade had advanced well up the, slope or the hill, but;, as they had to run the gauntlet of fire fiom the Turkish trer.ches, and also from a mountain gun, they were Jield up for the time being. Tney were being enfiladed from Battleship Hill on their right. Meantime, the ■lYrks had appeared on the crest of the,, hill, and we could see them quite plainly against the skyline. One big man came bravely out into the )pen ?nd waved his men on. Some, of them came ove■: the crest of the ridge and down- the slope for about 100 yards towards our troops; bui tl ey were met with bursts of shrapnel from our howitrers, and we saw several drop. The officer bravely i iged them on again and again, but [finally they gave it up, and retreated j over the ridge top. - The ships were signalled, r.nd they soon were searching the iidge with shrapnel and' high explosive "We saw some Turks drop, but once they had letreated over the sWline and on to the reverse'slopes they .were comparatively safe. In a 1 saucer-shaped hollow on the shoulder -of Chinnk Bair we could see our reserves Hustfred They remained there all that day, the-next night, and most of them also during the folbwing night,, and seemed fairly safe from the enemy's fire A second bombardment by tlie Navy--lift all along/the ridge, but the Turks* had got into safety, so it was decided to discontinue .the gun-fire till nightfall, such of our own Inns as could reach the position registering upon' it in the meantime. For fhe pesent fhe New Zealanc ers had failed to reach .heir objective That e\ en ing a long .line or Kitchener's Army, as it .is called, headed iii the -'East Lanes.," pourea out of the coroTTunicatior trench, filed their bottle, kt the water depot and proceeded under coyer of the ni«rht to take ap their position m the fiTng line on the left. They. seemed 'a likely looking lot, well *Brap»tted, and well trained.^ They had had^ few days in th* trenches^ at Helles, but -.his %.as something different even frcm Helles, and very different fiom England. They were to be tested under very strange conditions, and in. very unfamiliar surroundings. In .the ''Rest" valley in which they had spent the night quietly waiting, they had had quite a numler of casualties. They were, however, in..^ ery^roci spirits, and made inquiries if there Si :mv "foitin"' -tote found ibput here. "We assured them that there was —just a little. THE FIGHTING ON SUNDAY. \nother dawn—that of Sunday, the Bth 4i'gust—saw the ships again shelling, and after the preliminary bombardment wo saw the New Zealanders advancing through the stunted scrub towards the crest or Chunuk: Bair. They went at first .'autiously, and -.hen made a dash and gained the rid"-c It was 5:1. inspiriting moment. Could the few men who had reached the iidi*e hold it agrinst ihe Turks, who had .the advantages of trenches on the right and the left? Our men v.ere snot at from several points of vantage, and we saw several drop. But always, tnere were others to take the places of the se who had been put out of action. A number of the Turks itdvEnced loldlv raid bravely m tne open. Three of them rushing up to a man on the extreme right of our line, bayoneted him, and he fell to the'gi or nd. They passed on. Two of them * ere shot down. The ;.hird vanished over the ciest of the ridge. There was fighting at close quarters for a time, but cur men, for the time being, had won the day. and soon two flags fluttered out at either end of our short line, a few yards short of the aitual • summit, to indicate the ] osi- j tien and guide the guns in regard to ! futuie slelling. It was most interest- | ing to watch the. operations Our men j began to dig themselves, in vigorously, i and gradually agsirst the skyline we cculd see that their bodies were getting lower t»nd lower down. There was a iii-eat crackle of rifle fire, and the machine-guns legan to pour out -heir streams of bullets. A Tuvkish gun Liist some shrapnel over the position we had gained, and a smaller gun endeavored t(- reach our reserves. On the left our guns were fuelling Aigoroifly, and other shells fell mi j the deep enfilading Turkish trenches en the light. Opposition from the hitter quarter was *;oorr pilencod, or at all events greatly, minimised, but on the right the Turks dashed rp boldly on to and .sometimes over the crest of the ridge. As a rule, however they did aot come far down our slope, and those who did soon turned tail and ran back, for one of our Maxims was soon playing on them. We could see thorn clow-out agf.inst a dnrk cloud, ihe northern end of which the rising sun was just tinging with gold. Quite close to the victorious New Zoalanders and a few yards from the actual suniniit of the ri.-lge, we picked up a Turl-ish trench filled with men. As they rose to firi! volleys we, could see tlie sun glrainio'j, on their bayonets. Thvy fired ]j.urriedly without aim, ;md

ducked down again. At 6.30 a.m. the j sun rose over "che northern end of the ridgo and made observation difficult. iUl^this time' the firing never ceased, but our men l-'.id now made themselves some protection, and were not to be shifted witrout a struggle. Some exposed themselves fearleslv as they gained the rklge ; and eury acw f.nd then cne would fall. Tlie .bursts of gieat explosions -from one' of the cruiser's shells" made vast clouds of smoke -md shattered earth along tlie ridge, and in one of these we could clearly sec a Turk hurled in the nir. Most of the Turks had, however, retreated over the ridge, and so our guns lengthened their range. The shiapnel seemed to burst in good positions, r.nd no doubt it accounted for quite a number of the enemy. In any case, it had a demoralising effect, for a Turk, brave as he is, does not like shrapnel any more than he loves the colder steel; of the bayonet. Down below in the scrub, considerably to the lefo of the position our traV.s ft.llows had gained, we r-oulc! see the Ghurkas waiting for 4 heir opportunity, lut nigh.t was to fall before they could obtain it. Tlie Navy was new making magnificent shooting on the ridge. The red flame of the bursting shell amidst the black cloud of rfinnl-e and earth it .raised w-\s startlingly livid. By this time our men had "dug. themselves in pretty veil, and at tMfTjfy minutes past six the rifle fire slackened The slups' guns also ceased firing for the tine being. By 7.30 a.m. our men had gaiued a few yfrds, and we saw one of our flrgs waving on the actual snmmit of.the ridge, quite close to ihe Turkish trench. The fight continued

throughout the clay, with occasional fierce 'bombardments from the Navy, and bursts of "ifle fire and .machinegun fire.:- The Turks appeared to be reinforced, but they gained no ground. Night fell with the New Zoalanders stilMiolding the highest point of the whole battlefield on ihe Gallipoli Peninsula, 'but holding it precariously.