DARDANELLES ATTACK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17326, 25 November 1919, Page 7

DARDANELLES ATTACK.

LACK OF PREPARATION. . GIVING TURKEY WARNING. " A. and N.Z. LONDON. Nov. 23. . Writing in the Morning Post, . Colonel Repington says that it was ( obvious that the seizure of the Dardanelles was an objective of firstclass importance, but it was also obvious that the enemy would defend it to the last. We should have carefully studied the operations, which , • we did not. We knocked hard at j ! the Turkish door to warn them of - our coming, and sent General Sir i lan Hamilton, after an hour's vague talk with Lord Kitchener. Sir lan j Hamilton must often have made i longer or better preparation for a; week's covert shooting than he was enabled to make for the Dardanelles operations. It was really rank injustice to at- \ tribute the failure of the Dardanelles to individual faults of officers, when the original fault was perpe- • trated in London. The new divi- , ; sions at Suvla were considered mag- ; nificent material, but were totally I lacking in war experience, and were j commanded by generals who, with " j one or two exceptions, had passed ' ! their prime. The commission had done its work " | fearlessly and honestly, according ' ! to its lights, but could not claim pro- ~', fessional authority to adjudicate 5 j upon battles. ! =======