MOST COMPLETE OF VICTORIES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10085, 26 September 1918, Page 5

MOST COMPLETE OF VICTORIES

PICTURE OF HOPELESS DEFEAT CAPTURE OF HAIFA, ACRE ; AND ES SALT «»— ALLIES PROGRESS IN WEST GREAT SUCCESSES ON THE MACEDONIAN FRONT

By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. Australian and itew Zealand Gable Association. LOjSDON, September 24. , Mr W. T. Massey writes from Nablus on Aionday:— "in conversation with me to-day, a General with experience in many wars said: 'There is n L . more complete victory in the history oi war than General Alienby's anmhiUii tion of two Turkish armies west of the Jordan.' This in onesenienoe de*>I cribes in epitome and with absolute truth ..the operations of the last n\« ! days of this magnificent Imperial Army in IWestine. The Turkish Severn.! and Eighth Armies have-been, practically wiped out. The very small number who succeeded in getting across the Jordan in isolated batches are < mere fragment of the force which was opposod to us on the morning of th. 19th. 'i'hey are almost entirely without war material, and it is doubtiu. whether one gun, lorry, or anything on wheels got away. A few batchc.-. in the hills are holding out in inaccessible spots, and it may be a day or two before they are all rounded up, but'victory, final, complete, and probaMj i unparalleled, has crowned the efforts of General Alienby's army. "To-day the cavalry c&ptur&d the important port of Haifa, historrcai ' Acre, and Es Salt. The result wrill have a far-reaching effect. Our Arab Allies have captured Maan, and there are indications of the enemy leaving, stroncr positions east of the Jordan, particularly about Es Salt and Amman. It ie clear the Turks are willing to sacrifice the troops.in Hed]as and leave the Turkish army in Yemen to its own devices. What effect this swirt and staggering knock-out blow will have on them may be imagined. "At present it is-known thai our prisoners greatly exceed twenty-five thousand, and it is'certain that this number will be exceeded for in my movements over this wide battlefield since our forward rush started 1 have always heard larger estimates than the official claims. In fact, there are groups of men sitting under white flags, awaiting acceptance of their surrender. More than 260 guns are located in our lines, and possibly more will be found. Artillery ammunition in vast quantities is everywhere; some depots are acres in extent. . .... . "As the Turks only manufacture small arm ammunition, if they try to raise new armies to take the plains -of those destroyed, they must call on Germany for every gun, transport, and instruments of war required. Assuredly our victory has put the T'urks in- a desperate position. - • "To-day T saw one of the most remarkable sights which a soldier ever gazed upon. No veteran with long experienoe. of war in many fields I have spoken to" has seen the like. F.rom Balata, where the road from Nablus falls through the craggy hills ancl narrow passes to the Wadi Farah, there is a stretch more than six miles Ilong covered with debris of the retreating army. In no section of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow could there have been a more terrible picture of hopeless and irretrievable defeat. "In this areaalone there were eighty-seven guna, of various calibres, fully ; a thousand'horse and ox-drawn vehicles, nearly a hundred motor lorries and.■ cars field kitchens and water car ts. A mass of impedimenta blocks! the road, with the carcases of thousands of animals and the bodies of dead! Turks and 'Germans. This was the work of the Irish, Welsh, and Indian infantry, with the artillery pressure behind, and the energy,, of the indomit-able-British arid-Australian airmen in front. The infantry had forced the enemy over the hills into the road just as their guns began to ■shell the retiring transport, and the airman swooped down to 200 ft and bombed the head of the column. -■ . "The work was done with surprising thoroughness. On© flight after another took lip the work until the whole column was one vast, broken mass. The enemy troops, seeing that escape with vehicles was impossible, fled to the hills. Some endeavoured to find an outlet up the Bedsan road, and ran j into the hands of the cavalry waiting for them. Others accepted the inevitable, and sought refuge in our lines. For effecfci. .mess and systematic bombing it would be difficult to find a parallel for this destroyed column. "The operations working up to this debacle were magnificently continued. The Irish and Indian troops played a great part. In thirty-sis hours they ■ maotched,twenty-one miles as the crow flies, over a continuous succession of mouutaina. and deep, rocky valleys, fighting incessantly against the enemy, who strove with much, conspicuous gallantry to delay the advance. The whole nature of the country was in the enemy's favour, but the Irish and Indians brookefl no opposition, and fought with superb courage. 4 'Just before the Balata road was; in sight,, the Turks tried hard to compel the Irish to halt. Where the Nablus road passes Huworah, about five miles south of Nablus, -there is a wide flat surrounded by hills. The Turks held the summits with numerous machine-guns, and it was obvious that it! would take alT'day to' drive them out by a prepared attack. The Irish and j Indians, therefore," extended widely and advanced across the east of the' plain. When the Turks saw that the infantry meant to get on their flanks j they started to retire, and they, too, came into the plain. The Yeomanry swung out behind the bill, and mad© a brilliant charge, sabring many Turks. Then, wheeling to the left, they got the village, and more prisoners and material, i, :j.~ i. ' "To-day the airmen have been bwsy in the Es Salt-Amman area, bombing the enemy on the move, and also attacked the station at Mafrak and the station and aerodrome at Dera. Their direct hits included one on a hangar." OFFICIAL REPORT OF MOVEMENTS ,•"■'""■"." \'"'"." j ~. LONDON, September 24. j An official message From Palestine states:—East of the Jordan the enemy I is withdrawing to Amman, on the Hedfaz railway. The Australians, New ] Zealand, West Indian, and Jewish troops are pursuing them, and have reached Es Salt, capturing,guns and prisoners. Our cavalry in the north occupied Haifa, and .Acre after a slight opposition. The prisoners are increasing, and.the total now largely exceeds twenty-five thousand. King Hussein's Arabs have occupied Maan, and are harassing bodies of the enemy retreating along the railway to Amman. REMARKABLE TURKISH COMMUNIQUE Au»tralian and New Zealand Cable Association and Reuter. . ■ .. LONDON, September 24: A Turkish communique states:—Very skilful reargard fights are facilitating the accomplishment, of our plans on .both sides of tho Jordan. VICTORS ENTHUSIASTIC_RECEPTION AT HAIFA j Router's Telegrams. ' September 25, 11.20- p.m.) • ■ M ■■- v IXXNDON, September 24. Router's correspondent at Palestine Headquarters, writing on Tuesday, states:—A few hundred Turks left behind.at Haifa resisted our advance. The configuration of the ground, with a marsh on one sido and the road slopes on Mount Carmel on the other, prevented our troops deploying in an extensive line and sweeping up the Turks, who were thus able to concentrate their fire on a narrow front. Our men gradually worked their way forward to drive out-the Turks. Their positions, however, held out till tho ■ The population''of'Haifa gave the men a most enthusiastic reception, even Gorman colonists participating in the welcome. These Germans axe mostly quiet emigrants from Wurtemiburg, who oarne to Palestine on conscientious grounds. They complain bitterly of Turkish exactions. There was some looting by the natives before tho entry of the British, the Turkish commander having told the inhabitants to help themselves to Government stores as there was no time to destroy them. However, everything is orderly. Tho administration was taken over without tho slightest hitch. Tho disposal of tho thousands of prisoners is tho real problem. It is a pathetic sigh-t to see th© unending succession of convoys of moro than 2000 strong in charge of a few guards wearily footing it along the dry dusty roads towards tho railhead. The men look weak and exhausted, and many fall out and are. picked np by lorries. THE IMPORTANCE OF HAIFA Australian and New Zealand Cable Association. (Received September 25, 10.10 p.m.) LONDON. September 24. The British capture of Haifa is regarded as important, providing a useful harbour with a railway in the direction of Lake Tiberias. The Turks eastward of the Jordan aro falling back towards Amman, along the Hedjaz railway,. Their situation is critical owing to their communications being broken at Deraa and the., fact that Arajbs occupy Maan.