THE FIGHTING AT GALLIPOLI.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 52

THE FIGHTING AT GALLIPOLI.

AN ATTACK THAT FAILED

SPLENDID QUALITY OF NEW ZEA-

LAND TROOPS,

The following interesting extracts are taken from a letter received by a member of our staff from a soldier on active service at the front. Its cheery optimism is in strong contrast to the belict held in some quarters that the Gallipoli campaign may have to bo abandoned, iho loiter reads as follows: “ The big attacking movement that was organised here about the middle of August was a very cleverly worked out operation, and, in my humble opinion, would have been a startling success bad a little more attention been given to some vitally important points of detail. It is the most difficult country imaginable in -which to launch a big attack, especially in the dark, and the officers of the different battalions were often in doubt as to their positions whether they wore too far forward or not far enough. The maps our officers have of tho country are real Chinese puzzles. X could never make head nor tail of them, and I’ve seen officers arguing half the night over them. “ Another factor which lessened our chances of success in the attack was that the colonials who had been in the trenches in the Anzao region for three months without being relieved wore far from fit to undertake the storming of a bill like 971 —an important position hold by several thousand Turks. However, the four New Zealand battalions wore brought up to about three-, quarters fighting strength and put at tho hill. They got further up than anyone, and, to their everlasting credit be it said, they stuck to it like heroes until endangered by the retirement of some of the noncolonial regiments. It was here that the carnage began, and the Turks mowed our fellows down with their machine guns, ot which they seem to have an inexhaustible supply. On account of tho retirement our company was unable to do its work, so X put in most of the morning helping wounded Gurkhas out of tho firing lino. There were some terrible scenes. There were dead and dying on all sides —more than the ambulance corps could cope with. Wo went round with our water bottles, doing what we could for them. The Gurkhas are magnificent little fellows, and so patient when wounded. After tho retirement we strengthened a position on tho ridge of the hill, and that night the Turks counter-attacked, hut were met with such a heavy fusilade that they thought better of it “Notwithstanding these little setbacks wa are gaining ground fast, and will soon bo across the Peninsula and have the lurk hemmed in on the bottom end. 1 wouldn’t bo surprise to see it all go flat any day. The Italians are sending a force to help

tts, bo the Turk will soon see the futility of the argument. Of course, he is fighting for the safety of Constantinople and tho existence of the Ottoman Empire, and, as Enver Pasha says, ho may fight to the last man, but I hardly think eo. “ I reckon that tho Australian and New Zealand infantry are tho best troops on Gallipoli, and the Light Horse and Now Zealand Mounted Kifles a good second. The Australians are out on their own, and the Turk holds them in holy dread. There are about 50,000 British troops here—-but none of them are the regulars, being sections of Kitchener’s army —and the Scottish units are the best of them. The Royal Scots, for instance, would stick at nothing.” One of tho participants in the fighting early in August writes as follows:—“ Un August 7 we took part in a big advance away to the left of our old position. I shall never forget the awful sights of that day. It started by our bombarding the Turkish trenches, about 4 p.m. on August 6. Our regiment moved off abopt 9.30 in support of the South Canterbury Regiment, and when day broke we landed right amongst the Turks, having, by an all-night march, completely surprised thom._ Eor a time it was just like a clay’s rabbit shooting, as when we got to pretty close quat ters the Turks took to their heels, and we pumped lead into them for all we were worth. I don’t know how wo would have got on if they had stood up to it, because wo were only about 400 strong, whereas, according to tile lowest estimates, they numbered between 3000 and 4000; but they did not wait to see.”