CAPTURE OF BEERSHEBA.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11476, 2 March 1918, Page 6

CAPTURE OF BEERSHEBA.

AUCKLAND’S GLORIOUS DAY. . WINNING THE KEY POSITION. The following account of the capture of Beersheba, with which the new campaign in Palestine was opened, has been furnished by “Ake tions

A long night ride, with one twohours’ halt, and the welcome snatch of sleep, and thou on again on another bearing, on till daylight, with a further halt, while ground ahead is carefully reconnoitred, and halting and moving forward till the last foothill is made good and the way is clear across the plain. The shells of our heavy guns* supporting the frontal attack can be seen bursting in salvoes on tne Turkish main defences. “Jacko’s getting a good shake-up” is the comment. Supporting troops are already moving in long, black columns, tailed with dust, on our right and away to our front lies our objective, Tel-el-Saba. The hill—tel means hill — stands out as a sentinel, the last of its northern fellows, between two steep-banked wadis—water-course — that join at its base and carry on to the vfestwaid. It is the back door of Beersheba, one of the keys to the whole series of strong positions, and it must be in our hands by night. Enemy cavalry had been seen from the high ground working like ants on its summit, feverishly digging the trenches that German miscalculation had left undug. They are out of range of our shellfire,"but their turn is coming.

BEGINNING- OE THE ADVANCE Shaken out in loose formation—our quick silent charges were commented upon in Zefcoun days—we move steadily forward at a walk, cross the wadi near a stone-built well, rapidly watering thirsty horses in the storm-pools as we go, and then up and over the bank for a few hundred yards, and we come within range of the enemy guns. The brigade quietly takes up its line, our portion faces straight at Sabs. To the right, a squadron dismounts and forms a line; the remainder wait in folds of the ground while the scouting is done, and then move down to the left into a bend of the wadi, where headquarters is established. We now can see the Turks’ advanced lino, and bullets begin to fly. Our machine guns take a hand, and our field guns start to search the hill, hack and forward and from side to side. Under the covering fire our dismounted lino goes over the edge of the wadi on to level ground, and into a blasting fire. Hero we sustain our first casualties, but the line is formed, and gradually built up and strengthened by successive rushes.

Firing began'at SOO yards, and is steadily maintained. Oar machine guns move r>p a little to a better position, a hew rocks on a mound, the only nc ticeablo cover in the line. Over t, on our left two of our troops join tine Australian line, giving supporting fire and gradually working'forward. Ahead of us are the Turks in a rocky natural outwork of the hill. Prom its dips and hollows and from throe Bedouin huts on the commanding heights comes a hot rifle and machine-gun fire. Jacko is rattled ; lie knows what is coming and “has the wind up,” and though he sticks tight, his shooting lacks accuracy and our casualties are fewer. But the volume ,of fire makes the proposition a solid one and up that bare, bullet-swept slope our men must go, for here tnore is no way round but most of our men are veterans and the now hands have their spurs to win and glorious traditions to help them do it. The order is 'given: “The whole line will advance at five past two,” and.prompt to the minute, off they go in the quick rush and fall flat of open fighting. Our covering machine-guns stutter more vehemently in their eager efforts to assist; Jacko’s heat a devil’s tattoo in return, bnt shrapnel and our own fire have them badly shaken, and at the final rush up go their hands, too scared to try to use the ugly sawedged bayonet provided by German kultnr. Thirty-five minutes; so far so good, but more remains. The guns lengthen range and pump it into the main hill hot and strong, while, keeping well together, on w 7 O press through clumps of “kamerading” Jackos under a hot fire to the summit, where their new-mnde trenches are. But we are blooded ; nothing will stop us, and 20 minutes more take us over the broken ground and see us, victors, on the top of Tel-el-Sabo. The hill is won, our objective taken; we bold the key to Beersheba, and Australians on our left swept in a gallant mounted charge through the dnor we have opened and on into . \3ft i town. We have taken numerous prisoners,Snachine guns and much booty; souvenirs are there in plenty for the picking up. Wo collect the last of our wounded —their wounds : already dressed—and then bandage I Turks; one crosses himself and says, j “Orago, Christian”—he is probably ! a Greek conscript: all are grateful for the attention given them. We camp that night on the captured ground, well content w r ith the close of a splendid day Everything has gone like clockwork; no con(fusion, the utmost gallantry as a matter of course, and no hanging back; the regiment has done magnificently in every branch. A Military Cross to an officer.and one to an A. M. R officer of the machinegun squadron, and five Military Medals to the men are the aftermath. These show that the work has been appreciated in higher quarters, and though thrice the number were earned as a nn rk of recognition it will suffice. October ,31st was Auckland’s day; it fell to their lot to do the job, and they did it well; theirs the opportunity and theirs the success, m><de possible by the assistance of Wellington Canterbury and the Australians, but the doing was theirs, and theirs the glory. And the dead? If ever men died gloriously ours did at Tel-el-Saha.