THE GREAT LANDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15931, 31 May 1915, Page 8

THE GREAT LANDING.

mummm $m, j feat, j CHARGE OF AUSTRALASIANS. COURAGE-AGAINST CUNNING fflmes and Sydney Sun Services. London, May 28. The Times' correspondent says:— " Great landing operations in- other wars were never like that at Gallipoli. Never had landing forces fought their way through such obstacles as did the, British, French and Australasian troops. On six beaches there was a grim fight. It was simply" hell. Every TurcoPrussian rune was employed, and our losses were heavy. The wounds were mostly slight. The wounded men are cheerful and confident, and longing to be back at the front." An Australian officer told the correspondent We were ariScious before we began., knowing that seme of the men were rather raw. When we were nearing the beach the enemy opened' with shrapnel, machine-guns, and rifles. The Australasians just fixed bayonets and went up the rocks/ and hillsides. Only two men were not killed. One man in the hiiat jumped out v and rushed up- The others charged through til 3 barbed wire, tlio Turks bolting. Some of the units rushed on toe far avid suffered heavily, being cut up by machine-gums. "The s *»ib every*':ere was full of stiipfci'.'i, each with * week's food and '20C' rmiids c; ammunition. They eadly straight shots. One sniper suled wo/, an Australian uniform, and had eight identification badges round his neck. The napers fired till iffloa were wiihin sy*i- : and then pray .d for quarter. Some are disguised -id a sin- pjulv, ud . "tied ' Mb'te 100 m for the woiiTidsu.' Their peculiar acc" x . revealed that, they were Turkiut, d ad th« Australasians shot them down. One of these stretchers contained a machine-gun and three boxes of ammunition. . It was difficult at first to restrain the men from firing, but th'oy soon learned" The correspondent says tHro is reason.'to believe that some Australians, who actually got close to Maidos in tie first impetuous rush weie wounded and left in places temporarily abandoned. They were found mUrdered when the places were won back. "The Australians took revenge when the Turks coun-ter-attacked in • dense formation. AinaaUxr spirit- was shown in all raita One Australian climbing dowii .ft cliff was warned tha'' there was a mine below.. ? His response was, '' Catch m°. when I come up." Swarthy me- spr'aq; up at me point, crying " Balaam, Sahibs; we Punjabis.'' ■ Tho sceptical Australians attacked the u-en ard discovered they -vexe Torpo-.GerL-Ras r.'\ blacienf-u iacep- Ta«/J?tw Aettlandeu foftght i/' ?oica)ly. T*o i Turks, fought cuf. fli d Safewl ing at the siff} X the bayoiet. .. COIONI'ALS "WIN FAIE. ZEST FOR THE ' BATTLE . ■ - 4 Sydney, May 29. _ ; Mr. 0. E. W. Bean, tbo official Commonwealth correspondent, . cables that the Australasian method of advancing may not be the' safest, but lit is making itself famous here. " I have seen all sorts of infantry in action. " he :b& s, " 'rat none' quite equalled and few, , spared with that which , received t ' its . long and weaiy training on the ucsert round Caiio. : ' The same is , true of the stretcher-bearers and the Array Service Corps." . ..J-;' ■' ,■ 5•.

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" OUR BELOVED ITALY." RELIEF OF THE WOUNDED. (Received May SO, 8.30 p.m.) Rome, May 29. The Pope, in a letter to Cardinal Vannutelli, published in the Osservatore Romano, after complaining that his voice in favour of peace has not been heeded by thh belligerents, deplores that the conflagration has extended to " our beloved Italy." He points out that it will bo necessary to make efforts for the relief of the wounded and prisoners, He exhorts all Catholics to practice a | thr.e days' strict ecclesiastical fast, j He accords plenary indulgence ap- | plicable to souls in purgatory. I He adds: " I wish the echo of our voice might reach all our children • afflicted by the scourge of war, and I persuade them of our. participation [ in their sorrows and troubles.'' INHUMANE WARFARE. DEPLORED BY THE POPE. Times and Sydney Sun Services. (Received May 29, 3.35 p.m.) London, May 28. The Pope has written to Cardinal Vannutelli deploring the methods of -iffence contrary to the dictates of humanity and international law which have been introduced into r,he war.