AN OBSERVER OF WAR

Southland Times, Issue 17657, 15 February 1916, Page 2

AN OBSERVER OF WAR

MR ASHMEAD BARTLETT. VISITOR TO AUCKLAND. TUB GALLIPOLI OPERATIONS. On the pinciple that the looker-on sees the most of any game, particularly when he sees it from an especially favourable vantage-point, Air Ellis Ashmead Bartlett, the British war correspondent, who was in Auckland on Monday as a through passenger by the R.M.S. Niagara to Sydney, may well be considered to know more about the Gallipoli campaign than most men. Mr Ashmead Bartlett, it will be remembered, witnessed the sensational landing of the British and Australian troops in April last, from the deck of a warship. His description of the fighting, contained in Ids despatches to English papers, and recabled to New Zealand, was the first and most brilliant account of the operations that was received by colonial readers. Therefore, bis first-hand views on the campaign generally, and the behaviour of the New Zealand troops in particular, as detailed in a conversation with a Herald reporter, are of peculiar interest. Mr Bartlett is on his way to Australia for the purpose of delivering a series of lectures upon the present war. Seeing that he has been on every front in the present war with the exception of the Russian and Italian, and that he remained at Gallipoli up to the time of the last serious operations prior to the Allies’ withdrawal, his equipment for the purpose is exceptional.

ATTACK WAS A FORLORN HOPE. Mr Ashmead Bartlett confirmed the impression conveyed by recent statements of New Zealanders who took part in the campaign that the landing upon the peninsula was a forlorn hope from a very early stage, so far as the prospect of driving back the Turks from the shores of the Dardanelles was concerned. “At any rate,’’ he said, “it became absolutely a forlorn hope immediately after the debarkation of our troops. In the landing we lost so large a proportion of our army that it became Impossible to push forward at once, and the delay that was entailed in bringing up reinforcements enabled tbc Turks to strengthen their positions to such an extent that, as the event proved, we were quite unable to dislodge them. The hope became reduced to the vanishing point when the landing at Suvla Bay took place. What was attempted there was an impossible operation, and after its failure the eventual withdrawal,- since successfully achieved, became inevitable.

"The whole situation at the Dardanelles was changed entirely from the moment that Bulgaria entered the struggle,” said the war correspondent. "Until then we had a chance of landing an army which might have secured the peninsula. When once the Bulgarians declared themselves against us that became impossible.” THU SITUATION AT SALONIKA. With regard to the position taken up by the Allies at Salonika, Mr Ashmead Bartlett considers that it is one that can easily he held against any force ehe Central Powers are likely to bring against it. The town is partly engirdled by a semi-circle of hills, which, when fortified in the manner ' that la made -possible by the use of powerful artillery, form a strong defensive position. "With the assistance that can be given by the guns of the Allied fleet he does not see how their defending army can possibly be displaced. "But,” added the visitor, "there is little chance that the Germans will make any serious attack upon either Salonika or Egypt. Their policy is to compel the Allies to concentrate huge forces on the shores of the .dSgean and in Egypt, in order to weaken in, that degree their armies on the "Western front. I cannot regard the demonstrations against Salonika and Egypt as other than feint attacks. Certainly, their chance of making any headway against us in Egypt is negligible, however necessary it may be for our authorities to he on guard against possibilities.” WESTERN FRONT STILL THE KEY. "It still remains true that the Western front is the key to the whole situation. Tlie actual result of the fighting in the Balkans matters nothing. The purpose of the Germans in that region is to make us pit as many men as possible against the Bulgurs and the Turks. The penetration of their army into Turkey is of no great military consequence. They had already gained their greatest advantage in the way of food supplies by moans of Bulgaria, for that country had had an exceptional harvest. Turkey can give them no help of that kind. Her crops have been poor, partly because she had not recovered from the devastating effects of the previous Balkan wars. As a matter of fact, the Turkish army on the peninsula was largely fed by supplies brought from Bulgaria.”

NEW ZEALANDERS AT THE FRONT. Of the New , Zealand and Australian troops at Gallipoli, Mr Ashmead Bartlett saw a great deal, and lie found that to see them was to admire their grit and soldierly qualities. “I say, frankly,” he remarked, “as one who has been in every campaign of consequence for the last fifteen years, either as a spectator or fighter, that I have never seen a more magnificent body of men than the Australasian troops. In the trench work the initiative of the men in the ranks was most serviceable. They did, not need to depend upon their officers, as do so many armies. Even when the officers were shot clown, the men were able to cany on without their direction. That sort of thing, added to their physical qualities, renders them especially valuable as soldiers.” As to the work of individual colonials, Mr Bartlett can only speak of those whom he was able to Identify, instance. lie came into personal contact with Colonel Malone, of Taranaki, and speaks enthusiastically of that officer’s work at Quinn’s Post. The colonel's death at Chtrunk Bair, after he and his men had obtained the highest point reached during the campaign, lie described as a great loss to the army Captain Wallingford’s splendid work with the machine-guns was also well known to him, though he had only thought of Wallingford as an Imperial officer, and was unaware till last night of his connection with New Zealand. Mr Ashmead Bartlett strongly’ cooperated with Mr’ Malcolm Ross, New Zealand’s official war correspondent, tc a great extent each relieving the other of a considerable amount of work. For instance, Mr Ross “covered” the Anzac portion of the operations in tlio interests of both. AMERICAN OPINION.

In passing through America, Mr Ashmead Bartlett delivered a number of lectures in the United States. Discussing the question of American feeling in regard to the war, he declared that public opinion in the States is overwhelmingly in favour of the Allies. Even amongst men of German descent he found signs of genuine sympathy 7 with Britain. Moreover, lie met with universal evidence of disgust at the attitude of President Wilson. On the other hrnd. it was widely hold that the cause of tiie Allies had benefited more by 7 American neutrality than it would had the United States come into the war, at any rate before Britain bad organised her munition supply system. The war, in Mr Ashmead Bartlett’s opinion, is already won. What is going to end it is one of the antagonists finding that it is losing economically 7 by the continuance of hostilities. There will be no such thing as any 7 particular decisive victory. We must be prepared for a long-drawn-out struggle before Germany finally succumbs, that reason our national policy ought to be to avoid lavish expenditure, and conserve our means, in order to he able to hold out strongly to the bitter end.