LATE WAR NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144858, 9 December 1915, Page 7

LATE WAR NEWS.

NEW GERMAN DEFENCES. MEANT TO SAVE MEN. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIGHT. (Received Doc. 9, 1.20 p.m.) PETROGRAD, Dec. 8. A remarkable German defence measure, enabling them to hold tho front with the scantiest defence forces, was brought to light by the Russian successes at Keninicru. The field fortifications surpass anything previously seen. There are seven rows of trenches, and a whole underground city for shelter. A prisoner says that tho Kaiser, in October, declared that the .soldiers must dig. Men who would not dig their comrades’ shelters must dig their com-, radcs’ graves. The entanglements in places are two hundred yards deep. A portion consists of tough wattle, in n«der to economise in wire, and it is equally difficult to hack through. The Germans in the middle course of the Dvina burn off the forests and plant sharp branches as ehovaux-de-frise. which are sometimes a mile deep and sown with mines exploding on contact.

CAMPAIGN ON GALLIPOLI. A BREAK IN THE WEATHER. PREPARING FOR A t\TER CAMPAIGN. NOTES FROM A DIARY. (From Malcolm Ross, Official Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces.) War Correspondents’ Camp, October 11. Up to the end of last month tho troops operating on the Gallipoli Peninsula have enjoyed an almost uninterrupted spell of lino weather—clear, cloudless days, with a hot sun, ami warm nights. But tho heat has been enervating, and tho plague of flies that worries a eooped-up army—no matter how excellent the sanitary precautions may have been—combined with tho necessarily sameness of diet, havo caused a good deal of sickness and a general lassitude that was becoming more noticeable as tho weeks crept past. Now, at last, the weather shows signs of breaking. Already wo have had some thunderstorms and a low cool days; certainly cooler nights. The change is rather a welcome one, especially to tho New Zealanders and to the English troops, and what with rest camps and cool weather ono already' begins to see a change in the bearing and briskness of tho average soldier. Wo havo been warned to dread tho weather, but on the whole the late autumn ana tho first month or two of winter will bo preferable to tho heat of an arid summer cooped up in a doep, narrow trench, with no view to speak of, and, as a rule, not even tho top of a Turk's head in sight, or marching along the dusty, winding saps—from which the ’scenery was equally umliscoverable—one often lolt as if tho end of Time had arrived, and as if there were no longer any' pleasant spots on earth. But with the cooler weather a change'is coming over the scene, and, while dreading the worst, wo hope for the best. Tile winter will no doubt bring its own troubles, but we shall at least bo rid of tho flies, and of diarrhoea and dysentery we hope. For the rest, we shall bo largely dependent upon the state of tho seas, but probably tho navy and tho merchant marine which have planted us hero will still see to it that, come storm or como shine, wo shall not lack for munitions and supplies. This granted, wo sliouuld more than hold our own against tho Turks. Already preparations for winter may bo observed in every quarter. The French—thoroughly imbued with ono of the greatest of Napoleon’s maxims—havo already made themselves fairly comfortable at llclles. In the confined spaces which tho Australians and New Zealanders occupy further north tho problem is a more difficult ono, but it is being taken in hand, and will no doubt bo grappled with determinedly. The Engineers have already been at work, and saps and trenches are being scientifically drained. Tho trenches also are being improved from what may bo termed the domestic point of view, and the dug-outs back of tho trenches are likewise receiving attention. , Wo have already had two or three rains of brief duration, but tho scored corries and the scarped hillsides tell us only too plainly that wo must bo prepared for something worse if wo aro to occupy our present position during the rainy season. On tho flat land which the British occupy at Jielles, and also at Suvla, tho draining of trenches will not bo so easy, but it cannot be nearly as bad as it was in Franco last winter. The Turk, everywhere looking down upon us from higher ground, has the advantage, and a further advantage in that he has a considerable area behind his lines throughout which ho can choose sites for camps and vary his linos of communication to meet local conditions. But oven in his case a winter campaign will have its drawbacks, and he, like ourselves, cannot bo enamoured of the prospect.

DIARY OF A TURKISH CADET. The following extracts from the diary of an under-officer (cadet) have been received by the General Staff, and contain interesting information. The “sound of the guns” heard on August 27 would bo the firing in connection with the attack on Kaiajik Aghala and Knoll 60. and the cadet no doubt took some part in the subsequent fighting in that area:— “August ‘24, Monday.—At Ouzoun Kcupru. Wc will remain hero until evening. M e tiro about 200, the majority ghu/.i, even some of the men have not yet their wounds healed and they are gallants who run to avenge. “August 25, Tuesday.—Early in tho morning wo left Ouzoun Kcupru for Kara Pinar. On the road there are special arrangements for water, so wo could march easily. We reached Kara Pinar in six hours instead of seven and a half. This is a Christian village, and the , laziness of the inhabitants is ■understood from the fertile, but uncultivated ground. We camped at Pakhship. “Aiumsfc 26, Wednesday.—When 1

started for Keshan it was full day. Keshan is in ruins after the Balkan 1 War, but the Government is land working. , ... “August 27, Thursday.—We •noise of the guns. Wo left for Yerli Sou. Tehavroz is quite a high mountain. Kouson Dagh is in front of us. Wo march for long hours and I was very much tired; they do the journey between hero and Bulair, on account of the possible danger, by night. We followed the course of Bulair forts; they have evacuated Bulair because it is a target to the enemy. There is only an Islam coffee house, whore wo had tea.' Early in the morning wo left for Gallipoli. The roads are very regular. After three hours we wore at Gallipoli. As there has boon some bombardment hero they have evacuated the city, but everywhere is full of troops. “August 29, Saturday.—l left Galhpoli to camp in tho night at Bair Kcuy. „ , “August-30, Sunday.—Before sunrise wo marched towards Ulghar Dcre. Here tho men had dinner and suppor; they were also given two days’ rations and were separated for different units. “August 31, .Monday.--Left wing of Komildi Bunin group of Anafarlas. I pass tho night near the stores of our regiment about half-an-hour back of iirTng line. T saw the regiment commander. I was sent to the 7th Compnny. “September 1, Tuesday.—There was a continuous artillery battle to-day. I took command of the 2nd platoon. The regularity I found hero, I had not seen in school. There is tea every morning and regular food. There are always olives and raisins. “September 3, Wednesday.—l went to tho firing-line with the commander of tho Ist platoon. I was desiring to see the enemy from a shorter distance. I was rather anxious. Thero are special instruments to seo the enemy without being seen. I had hardly lifted the instrument, an enemy bullet broke it. This welcome was not so pleasant; however, I went away the same evenring. After supper 1 took my platoon to make somo common trenches. T am rather careless to the dum-dnms berating all around me. September 3, Thursday.—Nothing worth recording. September -1, Friday.—Thero are always enemy aeroplanes abovo us._ Our artillery is shelling them, hut without result. Bombs dropped from the aeroplanes cause great damage. The men have loft everything to God and are expecting to be killed every moment. Alter the (lying of the enemy aeroplanes, four of tho warships, left of Kemikli Bunin, began ait unprecedented bombardment on our back trenches. In the meantime, enemy machine-guns firing from trenches only 30 metres away deprive us of many of our dear comrades. Mv oars are deafened; tho ships ceased firing; with fixed bayonets wc are waiting for tho enemy’s attack. “September 0, Saturday.—Our men will take the trendies to-day. I saw that our part was safer than the others, because, while on the right tho opposite trenches are almost touching each other, our distance is about 150 metres.”