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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144671, 4 May 1915, Page 2

The landing of troops in the neighbourhood of tho Dardanelles has taken place at several points, probably with the object of dispersing tho Turkish forces ns much as possible, Tho \cw Zealanders were with the detachment which fought it.-, way ashore near tho ' extreme end of the peninsula. As shown in our map to-day, another force was landed at Snvl'a and a third at Vcni Keui. on the opposite side of the peninsula to Gallipoli. It. was reported some time ago that 20,000 British troops wero landed nt Enos, a town on tho Gulf of Saros that is just out of the map. Tho french also have put troops on shore near Knm Kale, on the Asiatic side of tho Straits, but Inter reports state that tho majority of those have now been withdrawn and that only a small force now remains, which has advanced to Ercnkcui. The scries of feints by which the Turks were kept in, uncertainty as to where’the real attack was to he made appears to have been very well planned, but now this purpose has been accomplished tho small forces thus scattered are in a somewhat dangerous position. Twenty thousand men at. Enos, for example, can do practically nothing, and may at any moment bo attacked by two hundred thousand Turks. Similarly tho other detachments could be cut off in detail, or at any rate compelled to fight very hard to hold their positions. One may fairly assume that tho main advance is to bo made along the Gallipoli Peninsula, where our men arc engaged, and therefore it seems not iraprobabb that tho forces which landed at other points will be withdrawn and I unite in one main body, which will push along towards Gallipoli. Against this array practically the whole strength of Turkey will be directed, except the army fighting tho Russians in the Caucasus.

It may seem that the Allies have undertaken too groat a task in endeavouring to meet the whole Turkish army, when it is remembered that the Turks put 350,000 men in the field against Bulgaria in 1912 and that they have been preparing tor war over since with the aid of German money and under the direction of Gorman officers. AVo do not know show many men tho Allies are proposing to put into tho Gallipoli Peninsula, but there is no doubt that tho Turks can outnumber them many

times. The position, however, is not so serious as would appear a t first sight, for the area of the peninsula is so small that the Turks cannot put more than a certain number of men on the ground. Moreover, all men and supplies must pass through the narrow neck at Bulair, which is easily commanded by the guns of vessels in the Gulf of Sarps. At present, it is true, there can be some traffit from the Asiatic side of the Straits, but that will grow more and more impossible as the Allied forces and the fleets advance. It therefore seems a perfectly feasible military operation for an inferior force which has its flanks protected by war vessels to drive any Turkish force that can Ims brought against it right out of the Gallipoli Peninsula, and thus open tho Dardanelles. .Further land operations would probably demand a larger force, but when the Dardanelles are open it is expected the licet will not have very great difficulties in reaching Constantinople, especially with tho Russians at the other end of the Bosphorus, and possibly a Russian force landed on the coast of European Turkey or Asia Minor. The Russians will.certainly desire to bo sharers ity.the honour of the capture of Constantinople.