UNDER SHELL FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15950, 22 June 1915, Page 4

UNDER SHELL FIRE.

EFFECT OF TURKS' ARTILLERY USE OF EXPLOSIVE BULLETS. WORK WITH THE BAYONET.

The experiences of men under heavy shell fire are described by Private Harold Goodman, of Sydney. "The country was so bad, so covered, with thick scrub, and so steep that it was impossible even to pull each other up in some places," he wrote. " Anyhow we all stuck to the job and got over the worst part up into the head of the valley where it opened to a wide, gradual slope, the ridge of which wa3 intended for our fifing line, it being the only possible cover about this' part. While we were getting along this far the Turks were also on the move. They were trying to come -round our left, | Hank, whore wo wero trying to get, arid their aircraft spotted us here checking their advance. It was the general signal for their artillery. Apparently they concentrated the whole of their artillery in the vicinity, lon us. No one that has not actually been through it could iraagino what it was like. It was here that we suffered, so severely in our regiment. My company got as much as any of them. All but one of our officers fell, six out of eight sergeants, and the great majority of our men. •' A shell would burst just in front of us as we were lying in the open with no cover. It would splatter all round us, pet some, and miss others. After each one there was a general chorus of 'Where did you get yours, Bill?' Bill would generally say 'Another in the arm, or leg,' or; Wherever it was. You would hear another ask of somebody else, and get no answer. You could safely say he was out. I lay there for about half-an-hour until things got a bit quieter, and then made an attempt to get back to the dressing stations to get mv foot fixed up. After crawling and hopping for nearly a mile, I got it dressed. I got down the 222' 2 miles to the beach hospital, and it only took me six hours to do it. That was the hardest proposition I have over tackled. " The Turks are a cruel lot. They take no prisoners, and any wounded they get have all been cut about by them. They use soft-nosed bullets, and explosive ones that burst when they hit. You can imagine what effect they had when they went home. I saw a man hit in the mouth with one. It blew the whole of his face away. Some wonderful work was done by our bayonets. We forced the Turks from the shore with them without firing a rifle. We fixed bayonets, and we rushed, and the Turks rushed also in the same diree* tion. Another party of 12 got cut off from the firing line. They rushed with their bayonets, but only two got through, i We were outnumbered by five to one at least."

"ONE MURDEROUS RUSH." | NOT A TURK LEFT BEHIND. The first official news of the attack on the Turkish positions reached the forces remaining in Egypt by a Red Cross train carrying 500 wounded men, which arrived at Cairo on April 29. Writing to this effect, a Hamilton member of the Field Engineers added that 300 more arrived on the following day. "These men are only slightly wounded," ho writes, " and are able to w£,lk, many of them being shot in the arms and legs. All the serious cases are in hospitals at Alexandria. Soma of the wounded tell us that their regiments got fairly (lit up, although they won all their scraps. For instance, one crowd had orders i.o charge the first line of trenches, hut once they started nothing could, stop them, and they carried the first, second, and third lines of trenches and not leaving a live Turk behind them, for they were either killed or retreated. All the returned men seem to think thai after they have been under fire a' couple of times they will be steadier, as on this, their first time, when they got the order to charge they dropped their racks and made one murderous rush, carrying everything before them for some miles.' This Telates to the Australians,' as we have not seen any New Zealanders as yet." CRUELTY TO PRISONERS. CHARGE AGAINST TURKS. A letter written in Turkey by a mem-ber-'of the Howitzer Battery, and posted by a returning wounded soldier has been received in DuueHin:—"l am at the front at last, and I can tell you it's no" joke. The shells and bullets simply rained on us, but our chaps are wonderful. We drove tho Turks back six miles, and we have lost an enormous number of killed and wounded. I have had a few close shaves, but so far have been one of the lucky ones. " The Turks are fiends, but we're devils when we get loose amongst them. lam having a bit of a holiday to-day, but tomorrow I am going back to the firing line. It is very exciting, and I wouldn't miss it for worlds. The Turks will take a lot of beating, but we are all too good for them. They r.re terribly cruel to their prisoners. Some of our chaps have been found with their tongues cut out and their throats cut. Some of the things I saw simply made me cry. I'don't know how manv Turks I killed, because I was firing as if I was in a trance for a while, but soon wok'fl up when men began to fall about me. It's a horrible sight. Ono chap had both his eyes blown out. Otago has lost the least of all. They are cautious about showing their heads, hut when they get properly going they take a lot of beating. They 88;' that between us and the Australians we have lost 12,000 wounded and taken prisoners. I know there are a .lot, but I don't think that many. It is a great country—all hills. The Turks look great in their uniform. They have a lot of German officers, and use dum-dum bullets."

POOR SHOOTING BY SNIPERS. TURKISH BULLET MOST HUMANE. The quality of the shooting by the Turks did not impress the Australians very highly. "Trenches were made, and sticks put all over the place for the ranges," writes Private W. Oyston. "As soon as one approached any of these marks, there was an extra shower of bullets. I had just got a nice place for sniping the Turks and Germans as they were firing at us when a,sniper found me. He had ten shots at me b:foro ho found me. I was unable to get out of the way, for had I moved the others would have seen me; so I lay there, and he kept on firing, but was unable to hit me again. Thoy are rotten shots." An interesting description of the bullets used by the Turks has been given by Surgeou-Lieutonant-Cplonel J. B. Nash, Second Australian General Hospital, in a letter written at Mena House on May 8. "Several thousands of our Australians are here wounded, some severely, more not so bad, yet all knocked out temporarily by Turkish or German bullets or pieces of shells," ho wrote. "The rifle bullet used by the enemy is the most humane projectile I havo seen. It is pointed like a' pencil point, well-coated with nickel, and below .503 in diameter at any level. The grooves are numerous and deep. _ All thess characters make it pierce soft tissues, bones, and clothing cleanly, and with high velocity, the consequence being that a small clean puncture represents the inlet, outlet, and the track from one to the other. In many cases a lung or two lungs has or have been completely passed through, yet iiniiiterrupted'recovery has ensued in the course of two weeks. Such could hardly follow after being struck with a round shot, a Martini, or any largo non-pointed missile." |