TURKS AS SNIPERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3205, 18 August 1915, Page 49

TURKS AS SNIPERS

COLONIALS IN' SPLKNDID SPIRITS. (By Captain C. E. W. Be ax, official press correspondent with the Australian Expenditionary Force.) Copyright.—New Zealand rights secured by the Otago Witness. GABA TEPE, Juno 15. Events have been quiet since my last cable. There lias boon some fighting, most nights, at Quinn’s, chiefly with bombs, always followed by frantic outbursts of firing on the part of the Turks, but otherwise fighting has been confined to sniping and artillery duels. Sniping is a regular part of the German methods of war. The Turks make good snipers. Formerly soma hid in the branches of trees or snug corners within our lines, but these were far fewer than reported, possibly 10 in all, and were wiped out within a fortnight. Snipers now cither boldly lie out in shallow trendies in front of their lines or behind special loopholes in the trenches or hillsides. These loopholes are generally exceedingly well concealed, but experience now enables our snipers to spot them. Our snipers have lately shown a. marked superiority, which is daily increasing; The artillery duels it is impossible for me to adequately describe, owing to th© risk of giving some clue to the gun oosjp. tions. It must suffice for the present V say the work done, especially in the early clays of the landing, was tremendous, and sometimes heroic. The guns were dragged up across precipitous slopes by the men themselves. During those days the Australian guns found themselves in a position which, as far as I know, is unparalleled in this Avar. During the night attacks some Turks were killed within 10 yards of the guns. The gunner sat all night with the gun laid, firing lever m hand. The gun was sometimes fired with tho fuse at zero, so that tho shell burst on leaving the muzzle, and the gun became a glorified shotgun. These conditions naturally have long since altered. Whenever the Turks think they can locate our batteries they pour in a considerable amount of shell. This fire is received with the utmost coolness, both by the artillery and the rest of the troops. To-day a man belonging to a machine gun section wjis lying clown in a trench, when a very large shell struck him, carrying off his leg and part of his arm. The man was not killed, and is discussing cheerfully how ho will get a living in Australia afterwards by selling newspapers. Our artillery also has nicety of targets—the enemy’s mule trains, which almost daily can be seen in t.tie distance, carrying supplies. Lately wo have noticed through telescopes the enemy’s troops drilling out on tho wide, rolling downs behind Achi Baba, apparently practising company drill. Presumably these are reinforcements of newlyraised corps. Our own reinforcements aro good material. British and French shells aro visible from hero, bursting on both shoulders of Achi Baba hill seven miles away. Wo watched with intense interest their coming gradually but slowly nearer in tho interval between Achi Baba hill and Kilid Bahr plateau. It makes tho fighting undoubtedly as difficult as in Flanders, but gradual progress is being mado in tho southern area. Mr Bartlett’s and Reuter’s special cables give a good idea of the general situation, but other European sources are generally untrustworthy. Our men. the Maorilanders included, are in splendid spirits. The beach to-day resemblcd Manly on a holiday. Just now the flics are far more annoying than the Turks.