Scaling the Dardanelles Heights.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4627, 10 May 1915, Page 3

Scaling the Dardanelles Heights.

In the Dardanelles. Athens, May 7. As the result of a British aviator destroying a bridge at Pandemia, communication between Smyrna and the Dardanelles is interrupted, and the transport of troops and supplies has been hampered. Lonbon, May 7. Mr Ashmead Bartlett says:—" It required splendid skill, organisation, and leadership, to get the huge armada under weigh from Mudros Bay with oat accidents. Never before has an attempt been made to land so large a foice in the face of a well prepared enemy. At dusk all lights were out, and the troopß rested. It was a beautiful calm night, and by 1 o'clock in the morning the ships reached the rendezvous, five miles from the landing place. j

The Australasians, who were about to go into action for the first time under trying circumstances, were cheerful, quiet and confident. As the boats were swung out, the Australians received their last instructions, and the men began to disembark.

Each boat was in charge of a mid-shipman, and it was loaded with great rapidity in absolute silence, and without a hitch, the covering force were towed ashore by the ship’s pinnaces. More of the Australian brigade were carried aboard destroyers. At 4 o’clock, three battleships abreast, arrived 2500 yards from the shore.

Very slowly the boats in tow moved inshore. Each edged towards each other, and reached the beach four cables apart. Then seven destroyers glided noiselessly inshore.

At 4.53 came a sharp burst of zifile fire from the beach. The fire lasted a few minutes, and a faint British cheer came over the waters, telling that the first position had been won.

At 5.3 the fire was intensified. It lasted for 25 minutes. The boats had almost reached the beach, when a party of Turks entrenched ashore opened a terrible fnsilade with rifles and maxims.

The-Australians sprang into the sea, formed a sort of rough line and rosbed the enemy’s trenches. It was over in a minute. The Turks in the first trench were either bayonetted or ran away, and a Maxim was captured. The Australians were facing an almost perpendicular cliff, on which the enemy had a second trench strongly held, from which they poured a terrible fire on the troops below. The colonials stopped a few minutes to pull themselves together. They charged their magazines and proceeded to scale the cliff. In less than a quarter of an hour, the Turks were out of their second position. The landing had been effected rather further north of Gaba Tepe than originally intended. The country in the vicinity of the landing is formidable and forbidding, as the Australasians soon found to their cost, but they proved themselves adepts at this kind of warfare. The enemy’s sharpshooters concentrated their fire on the boats.

The work of disembarkation proceeded mechanically owing to the point blank fire. The moment the boats touched the beach the troops jumped ashore, and doubled for cover, but the gallant boat crews had to pull in and out under a galling fire. When the sun had fully risen the Australians had actually established themselves on the ridge, and trying to work their way northward along it. Their covering force’s task was so splendidly ’ carried out' that it allowed disembarkation of the remainder to proceed uninterruptedly, except for the never-ceasing ingSome Australasians counter-at-tacked were almost outflanked by the oncoming reserves, and had to fall back. The Turks continued to counter-attack the whole afternoon, but the Australians did not yield a foot on the ridge. Reinforcements poured up from the beach, but the Turks enfiladed the beach with two field guns from Gaba Tepe. This shrapnel fire was incessant and deadly. The warships vainly for Some hours tried to silence it, and later in the day the guns were silenced or forced to withdraw, and a cruiser moving close inshore plastered Gabatepe with a hail of shell. General Birdwood and his staff devoted their energies to securing a position so as to hold it until next morning, when he hoped to get the field guns into position. Some idea of the difficulty may be gathered when it is remembered that every round of ammunition and all water and stores had to be landed on a narrow beach and carried up the pathless hills, and a jierions problem was getting the grounded from the shore.

The courage displayed by the wounded Australians iwill never be forgotten.. Hastily placed on trawlers, lighters and boats they were towed to the ships, cheering as they came alongside. For fifteen hours

J apaa Complacent.

Italy Arming.

Still at Hill 60.

I’RESS ASSOCIATION. COi'YEIGUT.

they had occupied the heights under incessant shell fire without the moral or material support of a single gun ashore, subjected the whole time to violent counter attacks by a brave enemy skilfully led with snipers deliberately picking off every officer who endeavoured to give a command or lead his men.

There has been no finer feat in this Avar than the sudden landing in the dark and storming the heights and above all holding on whilst reinforcements were landing. The raw colonial troops in these desperate hours proved worthy to fight side by side with the heroes of Mons, the Aisne, Ypres and Neuve Chapelle. On the 26th the Turks tried to drive the colonials from their-posi-tion, but the latter made a counter attack and drove off the enemy with the bayonet, which the Turks never face.

At 7 o’clock the warships crept close in, with the Queen Elizabeth further out, as a kind of chaperone.

As the Turkish infantry advanced they met every kind of shell our warships could carry, from the Lizzie’s 15-inch shrapnel to 12ponnders. The scene at the height of the engagement was sombre but magnificent.

Some prisoners were captured, including officers, who said the Turks were becoming demoralised by the gun fire, and the Germans had difficulty in getting them to attack.

Athens, May 7

Three Russian airmen bombed Constantinople doing considerable damage. The Allies captured the heights facing Suandere fort. The Allies advanced steadily, devoting attention to the sec*ion between Gaba Tepe and Seddul Bahr. The Turks were reinforced by a division, and desperate fighting is in progress. The Allies are endeavoring to prevent reinforcements juncfcioning other Turkish forces. The losses on both sideSr./'hav© been heavy. Message from General Godley. WiauxiiTON, May 9. The following has been reoeivad from General Godley by Col. Allen, Minister for Defence: cable received and communicated to the New Zealand units, who have all behaved with conspicuous gallantry, and have upheld the honor and traditions of the Dominion.'' News of Casualties. Auckland, May 9. The Governor has received the following cablegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies: — "With reference to your message of May u, I am informed that lists of wounded who have arrived in Egypt are despatched daily when checked. No losses of those killed in action, excepting officers, had reacted Egypt on May 5. Lists of wounded are not cabled from the front owing to difficulties, but are made on the arrival of ships."

The Governor referred to this matter when speaking at the Orphans’ Club last night:—“ I am afraid it will be some time before we receive a list of those New Zealanders who have been killed at the Dardanelles,” he remarked. “ The names of wounded have come from the base hospital in Egypt, but the more serious items will not come through for some days yet.”