THROUGH ALL OBSTACLES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13697, 29 May 1915, Page 3

THROUGH ALL OBSTACLES

HOW THE AUSTRALIANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS LANDED.

GALLANTRY OF OUR COLONIAL BOYS.

TRICKS OF THE TURKS(London Times and Sydney Sun Services.!

(Received May 29, 8.40 a.m.) | LONDON, May 28. The Times correspondent says the great landing operations m other wars' were never like that m Gallipoli. Never h_ve landing forces fought their w_y against such obstacles as tho British, French, and Australasian troops. On six beaches it was a grim fight, simply hell. Every Turco-Prussian ruse was employed. Our losses were -heavy, but the. wounds mostly were slight, and the wounded are cheerful and confident and longing to be back at tho front. An Australian officer told tho correspondent: We were anxious before it.be gan, knowing that some of our men were rather raw. Nearing the beach the- enemy opened fire with shrapnei, machine guns, and rifles. The Aus tralasians just fixed bayonets, and went up the rocks and hillsides. Only ' two men were killed m one boat. Out jumped and rusfted-tho others, and- charged the rough barbed wires, the Turks bolting. > Some units rushed on too far, ah 1 suffered heavily, being cut*" tip by machine guns. The scrub everywhere was full of snipers with a week's food and' two thousand rounds of ammunition. , Tliey are deadly straight shots. One sniper who was killed wore the Australian uni form, and had eight identification, badges round his neck. The snipers fired until our men were within five "yards, and then prayed for quarter. A disguise! stretcher party cried, "Make, room for the wounded,' . but their peculiar accent revealed that they 'were Turkish. Tin Australians shot clown a dozen of them. The stretcher contained a machine gun and three boxes of ammunition. It was difficult at first to restrain the men from firing, but they soon learnt to hoi 1 back.

The correspondent says there is reason to believe that some of tho Australians actually got close to Maidos m the first impetuous rushes. Wounded who were left m places temporarily abandone 1 wore found murdered when those places wore re-won. The Australians -had their revenge when the Turks counter-attack-ed m "dense formation. There is "ii amazing n spirit m all ranks. „Ono Australian who was climbing down a cliff, and was warned that there was a mine below, made the response, "Catch mo when I come up.'' Swarthy men sprang up at one point', crying^ "Salam, Sahibs. We aro Punjabis. ' The sceptical Australians attacked them, and discovered that they were Turco-Gernians with blackene'j faces.

/The New Zealanders' fought heroically. The Turks fought well, but ilo.l screeching at. the sight of the bayonet. A naval officer m tho i Dardanelle. writes to the Tinies as follows: — "The Australasians* obtained a most: stkrtlin."success^ We rushed 6000 of- them ashore m the ..-half hour, and they were absolutely irresistible. The first two boats were wiped out, but the re' rhauider went through everything as if it did not exist. Barued wire did not check them, and the trenches were child's play. They did not firo much, but used their 'bayonets with tremendous effect, killing every Turk and German reachable, and capturing deadly machine-guns. .'■-.-' v Then -they charged up a hill ,700 ft, clearing everything beforo themV A hot shrapnel fire drovo them partly doVvn, but they doggedly dug themselves m half-way down. They achievesl a wonderful performance, ana the landing was a great blow to the TurcoGermans, who. thought the place was impregnable. GERMAN COMMANDER WOUNDED. (Received May 29, 10 a.m.) ....'-.- / PARIS, May 28. Tlie Echo de Paris reports that General Limaii x^n Sanders, commanding the Tm'co-Germans at the Dardanelles" has been wounded and .hit Admiral von Useden succeeds him.