ANZACS fN SINAI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11926, 8 February 1917, Page 4

ANZACS fN SINAI.

HIGH PRAISE FOR MOUNTED BIViSIOR. "NEVER HAD A FAILL'RE." Ovn Corr.F'srONnts'T.] LONDON, Jon nary 1. The rorein. of Mr V. T. n. hri.'ii.'int journalist a'torhexl to the ibiti-b forees protecting the Stior, Canal zin'l won - ih<- Tur'ts :n the Siiuii region. eont"in c cl'-ntnr::s ronc°rninp the \ioumed DiviMop. which will be ver\their trihcv'.f-o.;ntry;l:An Mid ''(I.T.Hi. with tho occupation ••■ V,l Arish. which w?s nnoxpoi'tedly nhnne.nited bv the :>tul the -idisr-.'piont. rapid 'ip : ">n :md r ; .ptu;-o of Mn^hdrshu. Mr ALi?>oy. wr.tinc •''" C lirb.r runs V.vc, -nid :- Hv n brillinm stroi.e ■i'^b 1 r-red extraordinariiv nrduon;: •• o:i.i;t;or, ; , tho niountod troops or the divert : oluinn>. v. hieh indioti'd ■.:;!.• orcu deiefit on the Tnriiish garrison at M;'tp.h'iubn.. scc>ri<l ft victory inuob i"»rc i;!r-reai'-li-iup than the onpfuro of 1000 prisoners indio;.t..s. The -wift. tieroo and irresisli'c'o attack litis produced one most. import;;u : elfect on The eanip:n;:?! hi Kpypt. for i lie Midden rush oi' mounted' t'.K»p< for a dis.'aiu-e t-;' t vcenty-ir.'o miles in a >m;do niaht lia- 'li.d; an immense moral iidlnoni-o on 'no with the l'cxult that the enemy are hurnodh- leavincr much *tron<rer carrison noM-

e:■».'.. Tho <u!erny'-: eabmlati'.ns in Northern Sinai have been completely upset- By their ovaeuauou or l\l Ari.-di they tlioujiht they would yield u<* ai! imtKortant st.catei;io poin: v. irh no 10-s of men, « emr-idcaition to-day; but they iiavcr counted en the remarkable moMi:;v of ti'o dos.-yt eolutnn or rha.t lie- 1 >riti-.li fiee.eral would ■-<> soon fellow nn bn« of the <-onst. tov.ui. The Turks have become very nervous about their lines of communication, au'i reports inchoate that nearly all fho:r fovee-- are now fnein;; towards the Beorshebn base. Tht:s tie- victory of Map'hdab.a. which ado'e<l to the fame '■,( the An/:i" Mounted Division and. has prove.'! tfo sterling value of the Cum el Corp*. of men drawn from British Veoiranry ae,d Colonial regiments, may h-o regarded ais one of the most important battle i'.i the eninjiai.un in Eastern h/rvpt.

When the troops left. on Wednesday to eoruvuirat-v at tin 1 r.ai'-hoad nn immediate advance on EI Ari>h wc- noeoniemplatod'. but, the news, received at 7 r>.m.. that the Turks had evacuated the tovn determined die British cronoral to pros o, on, nod El Arish was surrounded at dawp the next morning. Some infantry followed ih- 1 mounted troops through the apnallinrdy d'fnouit countrv. The troops spent Thursdny nisrht in hivonne their march of twenty-five miles during th-- 1 previous night. COMMISSARIAT DirFrCFLTIES. Three hours at tor sunset on Friday the general eommandine tin* Ansae Momuoa' Division a.s-'oniblod a force, which included a contingent of the Camel Corps in Wadi, to the south of El Arish. ■where the troops were rationed and the horses fed and watered in order to ho ready to advance to attack M?>ghdahn. early the next morning. The difficulties attending the provisioning of tho troops wore enormous, hut they wore, overcome by the ktrepuous labours of the supply branch. The troops had only been in El Ari-.li thirty-six hours, and' the slow-moving came! convoy had to bring supplies from tho railhead. One convoy lost its way in the darkness, and arrived late, but soon after midniglii the provisioning was completed, and at one o'clock sharp tho force moved off at the trot, and covered over twenty miles of what they describe as an uneventful march in loss than four hours. The night was very dark, and the surface of the ground was often broken, hut the going at "Wadi was not nearly so heavy as was experienced in the march from the rail-head on "Wednesday. At ten minutes to live the column reached a point i wonty-throe miles from El Arish, and several officers went forward to reconnoitre the enemy's position, a task of great difficulty, because at dawn tho lighii was immediate!v behind M.nghdaba. which was rdso obscured by the- snutke from many bivouac fires. Maghdaha is a ' nrev position, but it appears io he absolutely flat. It lies almost in Wadi itself. An we pow know. the<-,v were five redoubts very <mnninglv placed. »o as not. merely to cover + h« approaches io the position, but to support each othe>in every possible wav. 'The. siting of tho redoubts was done «o well thn~ only one could tx' sct! from the artilVrv observation post. nnd : although when the guns got to work on i; they blew it to

pi pros in n T-ory --port rime, r.ko oilier? were oxiivmely difficult, in locate, and the Turk* fop-hf. in th»m lor eight knurs.

Af. eight o'clock 'erne brigades mover] to the north r>f the position under cover <-,;" the sand dunes to the e?-T P:iid s-outh-oasT of MnehdnVa. in order to cut off th" enemy'* r«y»~reat. and the Corn- with r> mountain ba"?terv Ivrrnn n frontal attach. Batt-erie--, of Terrif''> r inl TTorso Artillery supported the r.',- L v.rk throurdiovt :he dnv with Fnlondid rninncrv. nnd ike Avnac troor>s. who the assistance, (if some* of these batteries a<- tke battle of Bomaoi. wu-e loniT >n their rtra? = <-> of the nrrvrnxp work of the -.runners. f-'hor;lv after ike troops moved off aeroplane mocsnejes indicated t.hr>i Konio of tho fflpii" wotp re'inn", and ik" brigades to tk--> o.asr of MnHi(l.ikn rn on ouieklv to complete the privsrr>mP7it, and n reserve hricado went forward at, the *rnt to rrovent Th« enemv from tro-Minr away. It -n* discovered, however, that, onlv small r>nrt'cs of the encmv were rrliriprr, and that ike mm'n enemy position was very stronply bold. HEAVY EXEMY FT RE. Tim reserve brigade cam* under heavy machine gun fire, while the enveloping brigades were shelled hy Kmpp mountain guns. The Corps likewise received intention irom the enemy'* Kims while moving aero--..; the wide niain between the point of as=.-mbb- and the redoubts, Ike affording not, ;i vestige of cover. The- camelry, howeve-r, advanced with magnificent steadiness. The reserve brigade being unable- to adranee, beyond a certain point without serious among their horse?, swung to the right to assist the Camel Corps

attack and to complete the envelopment from the west. 1-a< kof cov<"r prevented rapid progress, ha- the ; ( ova nee waa everywhere ;al. When irjjxa r.he ruin*; of the ivflo'ik. T.idch fcftd Leon hv miu ii >•<-■. kliiv s6o* svere shown they were igooied. ."» heavy firo continued from other parts «f the enemy's po-rjen, Fr;cc-pt at «"»•*;' portion of the line the advarea "re- ■ he>'!;r>d St abonz" noon. Tr >eea---d tlia* the enemy was determined to h"'d on until *Upport* had been bj-ouch' up. Jho ]-. Kf.;-|i.":e of f]-e fijht:r~ wa» heavier than the fir'-? Our aeroplanes, which wore under eon st.tr* machinegun and artillery fire. eh-ned ever tTie redoubt- anil scored mar,v hit" with thei- bombs, the artilb-w up- hiorcased in intensit'-". ;■■ ad the ron-tar/---' nf the enomr. ™h>ej-, had been nos" determined. . olh;v;od at. four o ; r ;nrk. The Turk": did not oil surrender ~hrn. for indivinrrs' tjrirr* f'-on~ the v-r«f of \TV;rii went on '-h dr-1,,,,., ; ,- t ,>.. Tl-yv.-sh-mit the iitfrneon the nvT'nfcnsilfP of the -,a*er Miiir.iv ".as a prising problem. M '?' o: the m«>: 'ufferpcl peonies of thirst, hut their fi':: : if'ns -pirn was unaffected. ;■; hoi-p:'. --tater rnoit urctentlv !T'|inn''fl. The diffmnlty iv,-..<-solved as rp-2"'"':* "bf h<-.r.-».= wb»n t'ir» position "'*:!'"! d'e t>.'ol;s whs take-", : ::d the men bad m; t--> wait hire, fa" 1 " Ari»b oule'c'v arrive;! e;, the h,»"tlefiekh 'it rktsif <: ommaxdaxt a prt>i»tf.t:. A i'urrhor supply of vr.tor ro.T' , .iea the force ns it uas returning, and I'V* men ii'ii b;.i k to-iiay, luniK i'm'.s ah.e to .achieve 11:«-1r bean-' derive in sp«nd Christmas it. K-aa.rjoe.-i J'H Arid:, and home: very little ilm wrrse i'.avir.£ had to face tbro<n Wv.: day's 1,-e;ivy fighting in '.lie enur.M- "f mur d;iv>. Th)> flying eolTintn den It. with the on n.y very thoroughly,

lor 'Mir of a force "!" about '2C.l':') it captured lfltiO (ifficrr? and dipii mid four mountain u;un> --nil the hicthv had—v.l:iK- liio killed and wounded form a laru'o proportion of the r^rnHinder ct' the garriso-.i. The priscm-r* include Kii;illr I>ey. "ii''- '■ommandani: von Kro-senstein i« said to have left the post, in a motor tor Jerusalem at three o'clock in the morning. Most of the prihonors are Syrians, They are. big men and wen-nourished as far as I con id sw. hut not. well clothed. They seem to ho glad to ho in captivity, hut thev put up .-i fight which neither the officers nor th n men. Our artillery fire they described as very deadly. One gun which was heing limbered up to gc.ii away was observed by i■■■■■■ -miners ami promptly blown to pieces.

i in- feeling of oairioradorie existing between the A.nzacs and the. Camel Corps h.v; been .strongly cemented by tins action. They h ;t .i fought together before, but not in sure, close touch. Each observed the determined work of tho other, and the admiration is mutual. In fact, the wjh,:<> force is a band of brothers. It is difficult not to nift superlatives when writing of this force. The Anzao MounirJ Division have never had a failure: their resourcefulness, courage n»d endurance are all known by tirae.

and no one understands the military qualities of tho Anzaes bet'er than tie l enemy. Thry are invaluable in Egypt. Their endurance has never been put to a severer iesr than during this swift, desert advance. All the men were dog tired tvhen they reached their bivouac to-day; but they are not. only willing but anxious to make another move to keep "the old Turk on the run." Nothing would give them greater satisfaction than to move in tho company of the gunners and camelry, and, u possible, of tho infantry of tho same column, the latter of whom they regard as having had cruel luck. " The Territorial Division lias indeed bad bad luck. They fought well in Gallipoli, they have done much spada work here, and they proved their gallantry by their heroic defence of Bir-el-Dueidar against, odds ot eight to one. Thev wero, however, denied an oonortunitv oi petting at the Turks during their retreat from Pomani, beeause~+ro nature of the ground and the Tn. V,p' long Mart made it impossible for infantry to catch them, and the evacuation of El Arish prevented them from making the main attack on the town. Tho way in which brigades of these hardy .Scots tramped through Foft. sand on foot, to this place shows that thev are extremely fit. For three months this division has had no tents, but has lived in the open, suffering all the discomforts arising from wide variations of temperature, the days being verv hot and the nights, espennllr during the }*tt week, exceedingly voirh Other" johi comrades working at El Arish are the Australian "N'av?] Bridging Train.