GALLIPOLI AND BALKANS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIX, Issue 285, 2 December 1915, Page 3

GALLIPOLI AND BALKANS.

SITUATION ON THE PENINSULA

THE RUMORED ATTACK ON

EGYPT,

WARSHIPS AND SUBMARINES

(From' the Special Representative ol the Age.) (Telegraphed from Perth.)

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN,

October 26

The recent attack by the Turks on the British position at Suvla Bay and the demonstration at-Anzac came to break a period of comparative quiet on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The attack was -apparently launched in the belief that the British Army on the Peninsula had been denuded to swell the force landed at Salonika. To his cost the Turk discovered the mistake, and after suffering heavy casualties he once .again settled into his trenches. v

None of the Australian or New Zealand army corps has been sent to Salonika, nor are they likely to be sent there while the position at Anzac remains as at present. -The men of the Ist Australian Division in reserve" at Mudros have been making the most of the rest which they so richly deserved. Sports, drill, and good food have enabled the battalions to retain their old fighting strength, and it will be as veteran troops strengthened by reinforcements that they will return to the trenches. In fact, by the time this reaches you tlrey will be once again in the firing line. Most of the leaders have- paid hurried visits to Egypt on military business, and liave- returned to assume command again, bringing with them many of the men who have recovered from Avounds, and are eager to join up with those of their comrades who are left.

FORMING WINTER QUARTERS. ""As far as possible efforts are being made to provide suitable quarters for. the coming winter months. For this ourpose timber and sheet iron have been landed by the navy, but up to the present there has been no great call for urgency. One rain, storm swept across the Peninsula, and for^a day the position was disagreeable, as the trenches .were wet and the sa»s were drains for a short time, while the tracks were- dangerously slipr pery. . tj The water soon .soaked .in. but it gave the troops a taste of what is to be expected. Many trenches have been shored up where they are particularly exposed to the weather, and a. system of drainage is being carried out by the engineers.

The Turks have confined their offensive to mining, which cannot be considered in any way successful. Though no longer held by Australian troons. Hill 60 was mined bv,the enemy. The. crown of this point is covered with trenches running in all directions, jvhfch are partly- -occupied by Turks and partly by British troops. E™denblv miscalculatingl their /position the Turks exploded a mine without doing harm to us, but effecting considerable damage to their own trenches.

On the Anzac front a mine entombed three Australians, who, however, managed to dig themselves out, and appeared safe and sound before their astonished' comrades. Otherwise the front has been quite quiet, the casualties at Anzac being neglible. "v

THE MEDICAL SITUATION

At Anzac. preparations have been completed for the care . the sick and wounded in tents-r—(later huts will be built) —on a site at the foot of Plugg© Plateau, nortii of .*the present beach clearing stati-on, *which had to he evacuated owing to weather conditions. . This station-is-situated at the 'oor of the cliffs, with. a. rarrow .strio of beach, not more than 30 feet or 40 feet wide, between, it and the high water mark.

The new site is at the montli of the ?,ully, where a., low pkteau forms an excellent situation for a clearing hospital, while an adjacent position is "•ecupied for army service purposes. Both points ore, unfortunately, still open to shell fire, but not to the same extent as those on Anzac beach were. Colonel ——— arrived back from & i-isit. to the front «nd has left/again for :>l'\lta. and London, where he Ayillfi'iisli his report on the medical situation. He spoke to me in terras of highest/ praise of the work done by the Australian division. As far :»s that branch of the service is concerned, all d.-etoils of dressing and clearing stations were'complete and adequate, and as far as I was able to judge, no alteration can be suggested there, whatever" the recommendations miy be in regardi to the hospitals at the base -and at Lomivos. .At Malta_ he hopes to find the key to the situation, as far as Australian care and treatment of wounded is concerned.

Prominent ebove other considerations stands out the need for a proper ration for the troops and increases in the quantity of vegetables and fatty foods. Alterations, however, have been effected.

THE BALKAN PROBLEM

The .general opinion here regarding the Balkans upheaval is optimistic, and the prospect of the Kaiser expending his hist effort on a futile attack on the Suez Canal and Egynt is regarded with no apprehension. That Egypt is the dream of the Germans may be gleaned from the magnificent promise of that territory and the North African coast as far Morocco, which was given to TWkev. J Meanwhile every effort is being made I to push forward the railway on the Sinai Peninsula, which will form the slender thread for the invading host to travel to the canal. The moment for our attack will follow on the arrival of the. German force (and very necessary ammunition supplies) at Constantinople, but German hopes are centred on the complete junction of the Bulgarians with the AustroGerman force that has crossed the-Dar.-übe-. Tho. advent of Greece nu the side of l.be Allies is anticipated, "ft is doubtful, also, if Bulgaria can rely on her troops to fight the Russians should a force , invade Varna. Turkish troops, who can ill be spared from Oallipoli. Peninsula, have been «ent to the Black Sea and the JEgean coasts.

SUBMARINES TN THE JEGE.AN

Tn view of tlie bombardment of thje Rul-jarion coast and the stream of transports f>ot\veen England, Alexandria, Mudros, and Salonika, the Gorman and Austrian submarine menace in Mediterranean waters sooirs to have grown less dangerous. A. Greek steamer w-is recently stopped by an Austrian submarine undor p-ecuimr circumstances off Crete. The Brn:rula>, two days ent from Athens, picked up two boat loads of En.sft.isb sailors. The ship being in need of b.-'-ntp. these, two were hauled on deck. Shortly afterwards, against the rays of the setting sun, the gleam of the

back of a submarine could bo .soon throe miles to the west. The submarine came alongside, having signalled the steamer to stop. In anticipation of the usual order,'"the boats were lowered, but owing to the rush for them a disaster occurred; and many persons were thrown into the water. The British sailors, who had just- been rescued, made heroic efforts to save the drowning passengers, but many lost their lives. The commander of the submarine went on board, reassured the passengers, and sent tho vessel on her journey.

Hccently a submarine base, was discovered and destroyed' by a patrol of war ships, whoso beat is along the coast of Asia Minor and Egypt. The troops have come to regard th< 5 d:ri-g-ers of war as commencing in Egypt, instead of on Gnllipoli, ?X:d are undisturbed by the sinister presence in these water* of the enemy sub- j marines. The fleet operating off' the ! Dardanelles _ .?.»d tho Bal^rian const! is well protected by :i screen of d'es- ' trovers and trawlers. Mo>vy>ver tiio warships of the monitor clos*, whieTi are armed with 1-1-inch gun*, are almost invulnerable under the water owing to their hollow side;;. 'Res'des, there are cruisers of the Aflied fleets built on a similar pattern, though drawing n greater depth of v.-:itr:'. The monitors possess .-hi ■e-iwiMfMs :ulvaiuage in being able to go rl^? in to the coast and remain nrmim'e from torpedees. Sotre splendid shooting lias Keen done by three r,hip r-;. which have been particularly active on tho right flank of the Aurrnc no-irion, iuyt itt the direction of Msvdos, ft would appear now. however, that the whole oi tho French,

and British fleets have left Mudrcst harbor, and they could!" be seen front Anzac firing along the Bulgarian coast—^visible late in the afternoons, a faint blue line of hills marking the ports of Enos, Dedeagatch, and Kavala.