THE DARDANELLES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CIII, Issue 15742, 28 August 1915, Page 10

THE DARDANELLES.

LANDING AT STTVLA. A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. LONDON, August 2G. The following is a continuation of the description by Mr Ash mead Bartlett, official correspondent for the British. El-ess at the Dardanelles of the lai'ding at -Suvla Bay: — The brigade landed on the northern spit, and advancing along Kizlar Da>gli ridge. gained tome three miles of the front. Hero they entrenched and l-.-eld the around all day. Simultaneously a division disembarked on the southern spit. Tlu; enemy 'was holding the small hill La.la. Baba in their immediate front. 1 hero was a short, sharp fight before the hill was rushed as the point ol' the bayonet. -Afterwards a group of Turkish snipers caused some casualties. At dawn both divisions were firmly established, holding both spits and a low narrow neck running across the front of the salt lake. At da.yMght j the Turkish artillery shelled the bank and the landing places, a couple of b:rtvs>i\-es firing rii-vcurateiy. but the sLiannel was high and caused few casualties, whi'e the common shell, bursting in soft sand, did little damage. The precision with which the mass of ine:i was landed was most remarkable, and J .ho country may be proud ,of hearing how the army bore itself inular heavy shell fire for the first time. AYhiTo these operations progressed tl ere was heavy firing heard at Anzar-, shoeing that the Australians. Now Zcalandeis and other divisions wore advancing It was of the utmost importance to secure a- sufficiently wid-> finnt f]U'vklv for deployment, and the advanced against the Anafarta hill-. The operation was splendidly carried out. Battalion after battalion rioved across the narrow Mtiwwav iron ling the salt lake under heaw shell fire without wavering. Our cruisers furiously bombarded the enemy's p:vit. : ons, but were unab'e to locate the guns accurately and silence their fire Our field battery and mountain battery took up a. position at Lala Baba. and rendered effective sunport. One division, having passed the causeway, wheeled right towards the Anafarta ridge, and found themselves in broken, woody ground, where their advance was temporarily checked. Simultaneously a brigade of the same division n.oved southward. At 11 o'clock in the morn/ng a. Taubo endeavoured to bomb the ships, but misled them all. Late in the afternoon a wind sprang up and there was a violent downpour of rain, threatening to interfere with the binding, but tii.r- v corner atmosphere refreshed the troops. Tiie advance continued and swept inland under heavy shell fire and rifle fire, the long lino--, keeping ■their formation as beautifully as if on i parade. The Turkish gunners vainly tried to cii-rck the advance. Tiie line : swept forward amidst clouds of smoke [ and dust blown up by bursting Filially they joined up with the iufanj try who had ndvanc-d on the other ride of the- lake. Before darkness fell. t-«'i battalions had captured the advanced position of Yilghin Burnu. This ei.ded the day's fighting and a siieecssin 1 land;iv_'. \\r- everywhere penetrated three miles inland.

AUSTRALASIANS' GREAT ATTACK. THE BATTLE AT SARI BAHB. LONDON.. Aug. 26. Renter s Alexandria correspondent reports as follows: Again the Australians and New Zealanders have covered themselves with glory in a. magnificent attack on Sari Balir. Definite action commenced on August 5 at nightfall. The Ghurkas and New Zealandeis led the way, the Australians following. 'I hen followed tense moments of marching in the dead of night, hugging the coast and speculating on fate. - The men were cheery enough, although they knew that the odds were against many seeing the sun rise. A sudden limelight would have disclosed an extraordinary sight, thousands of men from Anzac to Suvla Bay creeping among the scrub and along gullies, with knives and bayonets ready for the despatch of stray Turks. Everything depended upon surprising the enemy and effecting the greatest execution while night lasted. Occasionally one heard a strange gurgling sound —a. Ghurka. was effectively using his kukri. Not a. sljtot was fired—all was silent amid bayonet and knife-work. The Turks were everywhere surprised : some were too astonished to resist,; a German officer who was captured asleep under a tree said he did not- expect an attack in this direction. Sunrise revealed the situation. The enemy weve surprised at our nearness, and were soon pouring in a deadly fire. We had no option hut to entrench patiently and await the night. In the last stage of the fight our troops wore astonished. . They were rushing a difficult, ascent when the Turks leaned over and helped them up, kissed their hands and surrendered in a hody.

EXCITJNG INCIDENTS

One brigade left Anzae on the morning of August 6 and was continuously marching for twenty hours. Then it was ordered to charge. Although the men were suffering from fatigue they stormed the hill in a wonderful manner and were soon within two hundred yards ofc> tile summit. An officer who was bayonetted in the leg closed with his assailant, and gripped him by the neck. The Turk fixed his teeth in the officer's hand. The officer pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the Turk to the heart. A Turkish officer when dying was given a. drink, and offered the sympathetic New Zealarider his gold watch and £3 in Turki ish money. • The Turks fought fairly, not showing animosity against the British and carefully avoiding shelling the hospitals.

WHY THE SUCCESS WAS INCOMPLETE. A wounded Australian officer says: — ! "If only the niglit had been two hours ; longer we would have shifted aA! the Turks off that- hill. At dawn we were six hundred yards up. The enemy rained down a merciless fire forcing us to entrench. Tho wounded cared nothing for their wounds and were eager to see the objective reached."' Prisoners declare that the Germa.ii officers told the Turks before April that the Australians and New Zealanders were probably coming, and warned them that they were not ordinary men, but were devils for fighting. The landing in April confirmed this warning. It was a lasting regret that there were insufficient troops to follow up the great initial success at Gaba Tepe. . TURKEY ANXIOUS FOR PEACE. ATHENS, August 26. It is rumoured that Turkey is likely to agree to a separate peace with the -Allies unless Germany declares war against Italy. -