NEW ZEALAND'S PART.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17006, 13 November 1918, Page 10

NEW ZEALAND'S PART.

RECORD OF THE FORCE. BATTLES IN MANY LANDS. FROM OALLIPOLI TO FRANCE.

New Zealand has every reason for prid in the share she hue taken in tho war Her military effort has been remarkable for a small country so situated, and tin achievements of her soldiers rank will the proudest deeds of arms in all history The offer of a force, in the event o Britain being involvod in the war, wai made by Mr. Massey in the House of Re presentntives on July 31, 1914. War wen declared on August 4, and three dayi later Britain accepted the offer. Volun teers were immediately called {or, and met from the cities, towns and country dia tricta rushed to the recruiting stations On August 15 a force of about 1400 men under Colonel JR. Logan, styled " The Ad ranee Guard," sailed in two troopship: from Wellington for an unknown destina tion. Soon after it was announced thai this force had landed at Apia, in Oermai Samoa, without opposition, the islanc being annexed in the name of Britain Two German men-of-war —the Scharnhorsl and the Gneisenau—were still at large ir tho Pacific, and as far as New Caledonia the only escort available for the troop ships was that of three small British cruisers. These circumstances added peri to the undertaking, but it was carried through without any mishap. Despatch of Main Body. In the meantime the mobilisation of the 6000 men who were to form the Main Body w. proceeding in New Zealand, where war fervour was at its highest pitch. Instance* of men travelling long distances on horseback from the back blocks tc enlist were frequent. Tho Auckland infantry and mounted forces wont into camp at Epsom, and troops from the other centres were accommodated in camps in their own district. On September 24 two vessels with the Auckland regiment* on board sailed north, from Auckland to meet the other vessels at sea, but as the Government had reason to suspect that the German warships were within striking distance of the Dominion, and as it was evident that the escort was not adequate, they were recalled land the other ships remained in Wellington. On October 11 the Auckland ships left for Wellington, and on October 16 all 10 vessels sailed, the main escorting vessel being a Japanese battleship. The commander of the force was General Sir Alexander Godley. At Albany, in Western Australia, the ships joined the Australian main body fleet, and the 38 vessels then sailed for Egypt. On November 10, during the voyage up the Indian Ocean, tho If.M.A.S.-Sydney, one of the escorting vessels, destroyed the German raider Emden at the Cocos Island:' Tho troops disembarked at Alexandria, and established a camp at Zcitoun, seven miles outside Cairo, where the open desert offered splendid faeflities for training. The landing on OallipolJ. The first engagement in which the New ?Ai'and infantry participated was the Turkish attack on the Suez Canal on February 3, 1915. The attack, which was carried out in a half-hearted manner by iil-eqirpped Turks, was repulsed without difficulty by the military and naval forces, Mid tho New Zealand infantry returned in high spirits to Zeitoun, where they remained until April 9. On that date they left Alexandria for a destination then unknown], but destined to be the sosne of one of the most famous military exploits it) history—Oaiiipoli, tho gateway to Stamboul. The historic landings were niado on Ajril 25, the Australian and New Zealand forces bein? associated in seising, in the face of deadly enemy fire, the beaches north of Gaba Tepe, afterwards known as Anzac. In spite of heavy losses, lack of water, and the most rigorous campaigning conditions, tho Anzacs consolidated their positions on the first ridges, and clung to them tenaciously, in face of strong Turkish opposition from the dominating positions above. A week later the New Zealand infantry was sent south to Capo Belles, where on May 8 they made n costly and indecisive advance at a spot known as " The Daisy Patch." On May U the New Zealand 'Mounted Rifles Brigade landed at Anzac without their horses, vni took over a portion of the line. Both fides then settled down to trench warfare of a rather desperate character, the opposing trenches in places being as close as ?Oyds. On May 19, the Turks, under General Liman von Sanders, launched a general attack all along the line, with a view- to pushing tho British into the sea," but they were repulsed with heavy loss. The Suvla Bay Operation)). The nest action in which the New Zealandeis took part was one which practically put the seal of failure upon the campaign. To support the new landing by British troops at S'jvla Bay, New Zealand, Australian, and Indian troops launched lan attack on August 6. The final objective of the New Zealanders was Clmnuk Bair, Dart of the ridge which forms tho backbone of the peninsula. Position after position was taken, and on August 8 the crest was gained, the Gloucester* being on the left of the Now Zealandeta in this terrible assault Next day the Turks, strongly reinforced, attacked and overwhelmed the men who had taken over the crest from the remnants of the attacking force. In the absence of reinforcements and new supplies of gun ammunition, no further British attack ceald bs made, and the campaign declined into a secondary operation. In the latter days of August the Anzacs secured an important well and Hill 60. making impregnable the line from Ansae t.i Suvla, but nothing beyond trench warfare is to be recorded until the evacuation, which at Aiuao was completed by December 20. So ended one of the most brilliant failures in history— failure which will never be forgotten by New Zealand for the proud part her troops played in it After the evacuation the New Zealand troops went to Egypt, and established a camp in the canal zone at Lake Tinsahi Tho Mounted Bides were soon mounted and ready for their comini? work in the Sinai. On Christmas Day, 1916, the newly-arrived Rifle Brigade had a share in the defeat ol Senussi at Gibel Medwa, in th« Libyan Plateau. By the end (if March, 1916, the reorganisation of the' Now Zealand Infantry .Division had been completed, and it was despatched to France in April, arriving in tho second week of that month. The division was taken to the neighbourhood of Armeutieres, where it epent some time undergoing strenuous training, and towards tho end of May took over four miles of the front in that locality, this sector boincr doubled when tho Somme offensive began. In the midrtlo of August the New Zealanders were withdrawn from Armentieres, and, after resting at St. Omer, were sent to the Somme Valley, near Abbeville, and thence marched to Fricourt, entering the treuches on September 10. At daybreak on September •15 they " went over the top " in the attack of Fleis, and long before the darkness fell that night they had proved themselves worthy to stand with the finest troops in the British Army. For 23 days the New Zealand Division remained on the Sommo, milking fresh advances and withstanding violent counter-attacks. Finally on October 7 they wero withdrawn, having advanced over two miles. The division was rested in the neighbourhood of Abbeville, and in November returned to the vicinity of their northern sector, occupying the trenches in front of Flcnjrbaix. The Battle of Messines. Thin section they occupied without being engaged in tiling beyond raiding, until May, when they moved north to the rear of the* Messines sector. After careful preparation they launched this great attack in company with Australian troops on Juno 7, the Dominion troops taking this formidable ridge within 100 minutes. A feature of this battlo was the preliminary firing of a huge quantity of explosives, which had been placed in long tunnels the New Zealand Tunnellers had helped to drive beneath the ridge, For its

thoroughness and precision in this great action the division received the highest praise. The next operation in which the New Zealandfira were engaged was on July 31, when La Bssseville, about two miles south-east of Messines. was finally secured after it had changed hands twice. Attack on Fassohendaele Ridge. After a spell out of the line the New Zealand Division again participated in an important operation—the attack against PassckeJidaelo Ridge, to the north-east of I Ypres. Attacking on a front of 2000 yds lon October 4, the division captured ! Qravenstafel Village, Abraham Heights, I and other positions, and all the objectives were taken according to time-table. The German positions were penetrated to a depth of 1700 yds at some points. October 12 was a dark day for the division. On that day it was ordered to the assault of Bellevue Spur. The men leaped to the attack with their accustomed enthusiasm, but the ground .was a sea of mud, pitted with shell-holes brimful of slush. Owing to the state of the ground, artillery had difficulty in moving into position, and as thero was no "grip" in tho ground accurate shooting became extremely difficult. In No Man's Land the gallant men were faced wif'i a wide belt of Uncut wiro and concrete pillboxes, from which machine-guns poured a devastating fire upon them. The task was an impossible one, and had to be abandoned, the two battalions engaged having suffered most severe casualties. After the Passchendaelo fighting the New Zealanders spent threo weeks in recuperating, and then returned to the line not far from Ypres, where they spent the winter without being seriously engaged. Meeting the German Advance. The next task of the New Zealand troop! was in Picwdy. On March 26, 1918, they went into action on tho Hebuterne front, in the Somme area, when the great German offensive had reacted the limit of its striking strength. They repulsed four German attacks on March 27, 28, and 31, and then made an advance, capturing a ridge north of Serre Road, taking prisoners and many machine-guns. On April 5, the division met another heavy attack along its whole front, and again repulsed the enemy. A few of the Cyclist Corps and Otago Mounted Rifles were also despatched to join the forces under General Bertbelot, who was in command between the Marne and "ftheims. Wliiio the main body Of the New Zenlanders were enured south of Arras, the Germans opened their attack against .Metereu, further north. To meet this 'new onslaught it was necessary to gather up every possible man, and a New Zealand depot was called upon to send as many men as it could. Within six hour? a composite force, including the Second Entrenching Battalion, the Cyclist Corps, some artillery details, and even cooks, had been enuipvV -v* infantry and thrown into the action "tad gained high praise for their work. During this fighting some New Zealanders were captured. From Defence to Offence. The main New Zealand force remained jn the Hebuterne sector, and they followed up the German retirement, which commenced on August 14, and fought a num. ber of small, but intense, local actions. On August £1 commenced the great offewrive of the Third Army, of which the New Zealand Division formed a part, on the front north of the Ancre. By August 24 tho division was within half a mile of Bapaunje, heavy opposition having been encountered and gallantly overcome at Loupart Wood. By August 26 they bad outnaukad Bapaume, and on August 29 captured the town. Tho attack was pressed on, tho New landers continuing to do heir shai» in tho fighting. On August JO FrenucDurt and Bauomrt fell to them, Haplincourt was taken by the New Zealanders on September 3. They continued in pursuit of the retreating enemy to Bertincourt. The action would permit of no rest for th« division, and weary, but eager, th'y p-e*sed on. On September 11 they (•'• ..'-*d the village of Peuiere. By this ti'.u. ihe division had captured 2400 prisoner and a great number of guns. Soon Trescault Ridge fell, and on Sentcm. her 29 the New Zealanders dashingly attacked strong positions south-west of Cambrai and drove a wedge into the enemy's fine, taking 1000 prisonere. In October they crossed the Scheldt Canal in face o! strong opposition, and captured the village of Crevccoeur. Welsh Ridge was taken by the Dominion troops, on October 2, La Vacquerie, on October 3, and Lesdain and Esnes on October 6. They pushed on through Beauvois, Fontaine, ond Vieely, and on October 11 took Bia. stre, on the River Selle.

Record of Two Months' Fighting. Soon afterwords the division was given a rest which it had richly earned. In eight weeks and a-hulf it had advanced 40 miles, fighting its way over 37 mile* of the whole distance. It. had captured 6000 prisoner*, 59 guns, and 1000 machineguns. Between August 21 and October 21 it sustained a total of 6900 casualties. On October 22 the New Zealanders were engaged in the fighting in the neighbours huod of Bcaudignies, overcoming strong re. Bi«tjncc and capturing a numbor of batteries. The following day they captured bridgeheads on the Ecaillon River, and farther advanced. Their last feat in the war was the capture of Le Queeuoy, described as one of the outstanding single feats of the war. The New Zealanders stormed the outer ramparts with scaling ladders sad mado breaches in the walls. Sinai and Palestine. A. section of tie New Zealand force. which has had long and arduoue work under exceedingly hard conditions is the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, and mounted details, who wire posted to the Anzac Camel Corps. These men have borne their full share in the campaign, which achieved its end in September, 1918, when tho Turkish Army was captured in northern Palestine. The brigade gained ilis--1 tinction for its brilliant work in a number of engagements, and for the manner it performed laborious patrol duties. The campaign opened in May, 1916. and shadily the Turks were driven from positions I which menaced Egypt, the names of El Arish, EI Romani, and Gaza recall deeds which gained glory for tho hard fighting, hard-riding New ZeaJanders. They fought in almost every action in Palestine. One of their most brilliant actions was fought on the left of the British line, in November, 1917, when tho brigade broko an attack by a fresh division, In September, 1018, they wero on the right of the line, and were generally responsible for cutting off. the retreat of the beaten Turks across tho Jordan. |

TURKEY'S SHARE IN WAR

SUMMARY OF CAMPAIGNS.

SUCCESS OF BRITISH ARMS.

PART OF NEW ZEALAND TROOPS.

Turkey was a belligerent for almost four years, from November 5, 1914, to October 31, 1818. She had for some time been increasingly under the influence of Germany, »*d the escape of the warships Goobcn and Breslau to the Dardanelles enhanced tho prestige of the Central Powers. The closing of the Dardanelles was engineered by the Kaiser's naval and milter.;?, representatives and this and! the • bomb. "went of Russian towns on the Blwk Sea were treated by the Ailing a* hostile acts. Three campaigns were waged by Britain against Turkey, on Gallipoli and in Mesopotamia and Palestine, and one by Russia, in the Caucasus. The Dardanelles campaign -was opened on its naval side towards the end of February, 1915. By the beginning of March the allied fleet had entered the Dardanelles, and had reached Killid Bahr on tho European side of tho Straits, at tho entrance to tho Narrows, where some of the forts were attacked. The warships continued to venture fjjrthe/ into the

Dardanelles, and thus to enter upon what was recognised as the dangerous stage of the operations. On March 20, news was received of the loss of the British battleships Irresistible and Ocean, and the French battleship Bouvet. These ships, none of which were modern, struck drifting mines and sank in deep water. The landing of the allied forces on the Gallipoli Peninsula, under the cover of the guns of tho fleet, took place late in April. It was in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, April 25, a day that will long live in history, that the Now Zealanders landed at Caba Tepe, in company with the Australians, under a withering shrapnel, machine-gun, and rifle fire. At tho 6ame time that the New Zealanders and Australians lauded at Gaba Tepe allied troops were also landed on both the Asiatic and European sides of the Dardanelles, and it was announced thtit they had established a line across the south-western extremity of the Gallipoli Peninsula. On May 8 the Now Zealanders and Australians took part in the assault on the formidable fortress of Achi Baba and the heights of Krithia at Cape HeUes. They were met by a tornado of bullets, and enfiladed by machine-guns, but not a man turned back. After severe fighting the Turks evacuated tho village of Krithia, but the Allies could not then advance to take or hold it. Tho position, both at Anzao and Cape Helles, gradually assumed the character of a deadlock. In the meantime the troops of the German commander, General von Sanders, who had boasted that the British force would be driven into the sea, met with defeat on May 18 and 19. The news of a new " surprise " landing by British troops in Gallipoli at Suvla Bay, a few miien north of Gaba Tepe,, thereby threatening to cut the only land highway to the Gallipoli Peninsula, was cublished on August 12. General Si: lan Hamilton reported that the landing wan successfully effected, and after a day's fighting considerable progress was made, 630 prisoners being taken. General Hamilton also reported the capture of one of the crests of Sari Bair, which lies in the northern zone, where tho New Zealanders and Australians were fighting. The crest wag occupied after fierce fighting and the successful storming of strongly-nelc' positions. - The Ohuuuk Bslr Fighting. An advance made by the New Zealanders on August 7 and 8 in connection with tho now landing was described by Mr. Ashraead BartJett as " the finest feat o:' tho fighting and the highest point and troops bare yet gained on the peninsula." On the night of August 7 tho New Zealanders charged the Turkish lines with fixed bayonets, and swept the Turks before them. Fighting continued during the right ano throughout August 8 and until dawn on August 9. A subsequent official account of the operation i between August 6 and August i 21, stated that although the New Zealanders and Australians, by their brilliant attack, gained the summit of the Sari Bair ana Chunuk Bair ridges, they were ! obliged to withdraw owing to the British j I attack from Suvla Bay not developing | j quickly enough. The ground gained, now-1 I ever, enabled the Australasian and British lines to be established along a front of 12 I miles. A renewed attack was made on j ' August 21, but, although points on the j slopes of the hills forming the enemy's centre were reached, the troops were unable to gain the summits, and withdrew to their original front. From the time of the failuro of the Suvla operations activities on Gallipoli died down. Sir lan Hamilton was re called to London, and General Sir Charles Monro succeeded him. It was subsequently learned that General Monro had reported strongly in favour of withdrawal, and this opinion was shared by Earl Kitchener, wno visited Gallipoli during a mission to the Near East, when the i Balkan outlook was darkest. The with- j drawals on December 20, 1915, and January 9, 1916, were described by Mr. Asquith as being " without parallel in I military or naval history." On their withdrawal from lie Dardanelles the New Zealanders went to Egypt and rested there during the winter. Here there was some fighting, which could j hardly be dignified lay the title of a campaign. Stirred up by German and Turkish agents, Senussi from the North Libyan Desert and Tripolitan Berbers invaded tho western frontier of Egypt, but. wttre driven off by a British force, which included part j of a New Zealand brigade.

From Cairo to Aleppo. The Turks mads two attempts against tho Sues Canal, but were decisively defeated on each occasion. Then General Murray began a comprehensive plan for defending the canal well to the eastward. He built a broad-gauge railway across tho desert, and on December 21, by a surprise attack, captured the fortified town of El Arish, 90 miles east of the canal. Following up this advantage, the British pursued the Turks up the Wadi El Arish and took Magdaba Redoubt and 1500 prisoners. On January 9 the Australian and New Zealand mounted forces crossed the Turkish border and captured Bafa, destroying the reinforcement* subsequently sent to the ! Turks. (Subsequently they- pushed on towards Oaza, but failed to take the town. Sir Edmund Allenby relieved Sir ArchiI bald Murray, and, having received the necessary reinforcements, opened his Palestine campaign on October 30, 1917. Holding the Turks at Gaza, Allenby first attacked the enemy at Beersheta with a force under Sir Philip Ohetwode, and occupied the town after a stiff light, in which 1800 prisoners and 16 /jpjis were taken. Allenby then captured, Gaza. The enemy was now in fall retreat to the north, and was vigorously pursued. Askalon was occupied, and on November 13 the enemy, in position 12 miles north of the town, was defeated. By November 19 Allenbv's infantry had advanced into the highlands of Judea, and were 15 miles from Jenuialem. Hebron wag next occupied, and on December 9 tho Holy City was surrendered by the Mayor, and on December 11 the British commander entered it on foot with a small escort. The British fiircM gradually worked north, captured Jericho, and established a l ; ne across Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, but there was no great movement until September 19 last. On that day oir Edmund Allenby broke the Turkish line on the Plain of Sharon, nnJ cavalry poured through tje gap. The Turkish Army was surrounded and annihilated, only a remnant escaping. British cavalry moved northwards as fast as their horses could travel. Damascus was captured on September 30, Syria was conquered, and the last episode of a brilliant campaign was the taking of Aleppo, 200 miles north of Damascus, on October 26. The Mesopotamia* Advance.

The expedition which was landed at Basra, on the Porsian Gulf, wag at first brilliantly successful. General Townsliend had by the end of September, 1915, captured Kut-el-Amara, which assured all the original object* of the expedition. It was then decided to push on to Bagdad. The advanco was begun in October, and by ths first week in November General Townshend had reached within seven miles of Ctesiphon and 30 miles of Bagdad. He won a brilliant action at Ctesiphon, but the arrival of Turkish reinforcemonts comI pelled him to fall back on Kut-el-Amara, | where bis force was cut off. A relief expedition was despatched, but it was unable to raise the siege, and on April 29, 1916, General TowtAend and 8000 men were compelled, through the exhaustion of their supplies, to surrender. General Sir Stanley Maude took over the campaign. Ho organised better communications and then struck so effectively that KuUl'Am&ra waa recaptured on February 22, 1917. A crossing of tho Tigr«, under heavy fire, at the Shumran bend, six miles allow Kut, threatened to take the garrison in the nsax, and it was compelled to retreat with sill speed On March 11 Bagdad, with it« sacred associations, • was captured. lie British advanced up the valley* of the Tigris and Euphrates, defeating tie Turks whnrever they chose to etand. Sir, William Marshall, who had succeeded to the command on tie death of Sir Stanley Mamie, bad just commenced a new offensive* when Turkey capitulated.