Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-13
POSITION" FIGHTING
IS GREATLY DIMINISHED
Only Slight Changes Occur as Result
of Engagements on Gal
lipoli.
TURKS DO NOT PRESS ALLIES
Trench Becomes Safest Place Against
Artillery Fire Near Front-Eng-
lish and French Position More Pre-
cariOuS as Autumn Advances

| Rahr started. On May {. the Turk
ish troops had dug and occupied the
| trenches in which, with few exceptions,
. they are still found to-day.
oTensives by the allies. and counter
! offensives by the Turks. have led to but
slight changes in the terrains occupied
/! Immediately after the landing OF tho
allied troops during the last week of
April At Arr Burnu very little terra in
has been lost by either side. While
: temporary changes have been some
! what greater and more frequent a, Sed-
! dul- Bahr. both Turks and allies have
! strained constantly every resource to
| regain what had been lost. In most
/ cases. the allies have re-occupicd lost
| trenches by virtue of overwhelming
! commandments, while the Turks have
| retaken their lost trenches at the point
! of the bayonet, s rule. Latterly. TOO.
/ the sappers mine has been often en-
! pioyed by both sides when a trench of
! the opponent had TO be taken. or when
/ a trench had TO be re-occupied.
During the last three weeks, posi-
( ton lighting on the Gallipoli PENN
! sula has diminished To what may be
| termed Its minimum. The Turks have
! not pressed the allies. because. for the
/ time being, little was to be gained by
!
| from the peninsula. 1t has been argued
/ here. that so long as the allies are at
/ Ari Rurnu and Seddul- Rahr other land
| ing operations elsewhere are unlikely
| The allies landed on the peninsula UNI
| der the cover OF n naval artillery fire
the violence of which has not yet been
! forgotten by the Turks. To have the
| same experience on some other part Of
| the European, or Asiatic. coast, does
not appeal to the Turks
| ACTION RADIUS OF both ARMS
Is GREATLY LIMITED
| Meanwhile the naval and land artil-
| lery OF the allies is no longer as active
! rs II has been in the past. The action
| radius of both arms has been greatly
! limited by the nearness to one another
! of the opposing trenches Several
! weeks 1870 the Turks and allies tried to
! make ombardment oi the other sides
! trenches easy and safe by marking
! their own trenches with little white
! signs The first step in this direction
/ was taken by the Turks. Bu, the allies
. soon discovered what ha& been done.
/ and placed similar signs along their
/ trenches. Then the British and French
| trenches were marked with Il light yell
/ low sign for the guidance OF the allied
/ nava! and land artillery The Turks
/ learned of this and placed similar signs
| along their own trenches. Several bonn
! hardments attempted after that led to
/ Smelling ones own positions. since
! then the trench has become the safest
! place against artillery fire near the
/ front.
That the artillery markers, the signs
/ spoken of, are of no value when ex-
: posed by both sides is due to the fact
/ that the lines Of trenches run in and
! out OF one another, and that. usually,
! either side must 50 label several
trenches running parallel 10 the ad-
vance position which established the
boundary of the terrain that may be
! shellcd without placing friendly troops
in jeopardy. This condition is largely
/ respon sible for the long spell Of mac
! tivity which the allied feet has had.
| though the presence Of the German sub
/ marines has also mad deterrent eff
! feet. Everything considered. ii may be
| said that under present conditions. the
| Turkish artillery on the peninsula can
| do as much work as the numerically
! greater superior allied artillery.
: DOES NOT AUGUK WELL For
ADVANCE ON CONSTA NTISOPLE
ON the British and French troops this
| has had no good influence. AS an In
| fantryman, the Turk is fully the equal.
/ If not III" superior, OF the Frenchman
and Rritishcr. In addition the Ana
! tolian peasant, who forms fully So per
| cent of the Turkish forces on the pc
! niusula, has the advantage OF being
! summer. has made itself felt in sur
I felt of sitting heat Together with the
/ enforced icleneSS of the allied ship bat
teries. these circumstances seem TO
! have caused feeling in the British and
/ French trenches which does not augur
! Well for speedy advance on ConStan
/ tnopic
/ There is no longer any doubt that
/ the allies believed firmly that the
/ Turkish artillery would soon be with
/ out ammunition. Prisoners OF war, and
/ the letters and diaries found in the
| allied trenches. have again and again
! reiterated this. But this state of af
| fairs has never set in. During the last
| Two weeks the Turkish batteries. at
( Ari T5urnu, Se.idul- Bahr and on the
/ AnatOlian shore OF the Dardanelles.
! have been very active and have shown
I that there is no lack OF ammunition
/ 70 be Hoped for. owing 10 the resource
! fUlncss OF the men forming the Otto
/ man general Star. Employees o! the
! kyupp establishment arc making ar
I t!ilcry ammunition OF all sorts in and
! near this city. The Turks have the
! situation so we'll In hand now that
/ even shells of the largest caliber are
/ being turned out under the mana re-
! ment Of German ordnance officers
I brought here for the purpose. Even
/ an infantry rife factory Is now In
! operation.
| POSITION OF ALLIES
TO BE MORE PRECARiOUS
{ The coming OF autumn will render
! the position of the allied troops on the
/ peninsula even more pgccarious. should
! they have failed by that time TO ad-
vance considera bis beyond their pres
ent positions SO far the allies have
I found II Impossible to establish near
/ Scddul- Bahr and Ari Burnu tho sup
( ply bases that will he needed when
! during the fall and winter months bad
/ weather viii make it impossible to
ship from the adjacent islands of
/ imbros. Lcmnos and Tcncdos. in the
( p!cccme"i fashion IN which this is now
{ done the food and ammunition re-
CURED 10y The allied troops. Large sup
! nv Sims nrnrlnr Tho cnns1 of ihc