THE DARDANELLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16589, 12 January 1916, Page 5

THE DARDANELLES

ALLEGED GREAT FIGHT. NO DETAILS. AMSTERDAM, January 10. Semi-official reports from Constantinople give no details of the battle on Gallipoli, which, say the reports, began with a Turkish attack on Friday. The Turks claim that the extent of the booty was extraordinarily, great, and the enemy losses were reported to be considerable. EGYPTIAN ATTACK POSTPONED, MESOPOTAMIA N EXPEDITION SUBSTITUTED. ROME, January 11. (Received Jan. 11, at 11.15 p.m.) It is believed that the Mesopotamia expedition, which the Turks are largely reinforcing, is replacing that of Egypt, which the Germans now consider premature. An attack upon Salonika is expected shortly. THE RETIREMENTS FROM GALLIPOLI. SPECIAL HONOURS PROMISED. LONDON, January 10. In the House of Commons, Mr Asquith stated that the latest retirement from Gallipoli was without the loss of a single life, as also was the case in the earlier evacuation. There is no parallel to this in military or naval history. All concerned deserve the profoundest gratitude of the country, which will make for them an imperishable place in national history. He intended to advise the King to mark specially the services of General Monro, Admirals dc Robeck and Wemvss, Generals Birdwood and Davies, and the other officers concerned. FRENCH LEFT SIX GUNS. TURKS FIRE AFTER EVACUATION.

PARIS, January 10. (Received Jan. 11, at 10.35 p.m.) A communique states : The French left six naval guns at Gallipoli. These ware included in the 17 mentioned in the British communique. The enemy opened fire at four o'clock on Sunday morning, when the embaikation was finished. A WORD FOR TllE TROOrS. MAGNIFICENT SERVICES. BETTER OPPORTUNITIES ELSEWHERE. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, January 10, (Received Jan. 11, at 5.5 p.m.) The Times, commenting upon the evacu ation of Gallipoli, ssiva that neither operation was possible for any but the boldest and .steadiest troops. Nothing could be gained by remaining at Cape Holies after the withdrawal from Anzac and Suvla. The effect on the general military position can only be good. The splendid troopd who have added to the proudest glories of the anny and reaped for the dominions the first laurels from Europeans are now available elsewhere. There cannot be a servicc more splendid than they performed. Wc trust, it will bring the victories they so richly deserved, but which were denied, I at Gailipoli. j TURKISH REJOiCINGS. LONDON, January 10. (Received Jan. 11, at 9.55 p.m.) A German wireless message says: "Constantinople is beflagged and illuminated in celebration of the Gallipoli evacuation. Thanksgiving services wore held in the mosques and churches.

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THE MONTENEGRINS. A REVERSE ADMITTED. LONDON, January 10. (Received Jan. 11, at 9.55 p.m.) A Cettinje communique admits that the enemy has occupied Turiak, and the Montenegrins withdrew to Lisnitza. It adds : "We repulsed violent attacks on Ipek and Rugovo." THE MONTENEGRIN REVERSE. AUSTRIANS USE ASPHYXIATING GAS. CETTINJE, JanuaTy 11. (Received Jan. 12, at 1.10 a.m.) ! The Austrians made furious onslaughts for several days on our front at Ipek. They reached our first line at Mount Lovchen under cover of an uninterrupted l stream of shells from the warships and the Cattaro forts. We repulsed them with enormous losses until the use of asphyxiating gas forced us to abandon a portion of our position. The fighting continues. SIR lAN HAMILTON'S REPORTS. MR ASHMEAD-BARTLETTS CRITICISM. NEW YORK, January 10. Mr Ashmead-Bartlett has been interviewed here concerning Sir lan Hamilton's report. He said he thought it a great mistake to publish it at this stage. Though he said he would have preferred to read Sir lan Hamilton's unabridged story, he went on to comment on the excerpts published in America. Mr Ashmead-Bartlett declared that the Sari P>air operation failed because it was an operation which should never have been undertaken under such conditions and in such country. It was sheer nonsense to represent the strategic plan as having almost succeeded. The Anzac troops had suffered 12,000 casualties without attaining their objective. A few Ghurkas reached the summit of Chunuk Bair and Kojachemin Tepe, which was only the lower slope leading to Sari Bair; but the losses were so terrible that, even .supposing the troops had reached the top, it would have been utterly impossible to maintain themselves.

"Why," he asked, "were unskilled troops employed at the first Suvla landing, when the heroic 29th Division, which was unhesitatingly sacrificed later on, could have hc-sn utilised ? Why were 2500 men of the First Australian Division sent to their doom in an effort to acquire the apparently useless position at Lone Pine ? Why were thousands of men thrown away at other posts wliich were dissociated from the main operations? If the objective was to get astride Kojachemin Tepe, why was the weight of the attack not I thrown against that point? Why was there no control from headquarters of Suvla? How could General Stopford get his men forward if they were split up and lost in broken country, without water or telephone communication, ajid harassed by enemy snipers ? Apart from all other considerations, it- had not been sufficiently established that possession even of the Anafarta Hills ajid Kojachemin • Tepe would have forced the Narrows or cleared the road to Constantinople. " Sir lan Hamilton," continued Mr Ash-mead-Bartlett, " states that in the middle of August the Turks had 110,000 bayonets against hi 3 55,000, and he claims that if Lord Kitchoner had sent him 50,000 more he would "have brought the campaign to a successful conclusion. As a matter of fact, all that could have been done would have been to bring 50,000 lives to a conclusion." DISCUSSION INADVISABLE. LONDON, January 10. (Received Jan. 11, at 10.15 p.m.) In roply to a question in the House of Commons Mr Asquith said it was not desirable to dircusa Sir lan Hamilton's report at present.