Evening star., 1915-12-11
DESCRIBES CAMPAIGN
AT THE DARDANELLES
Capt. Fortesque, Former Military
Aid at White House, Says It Is
Key to European Fighting. ,
Tells Members of National Geo
graphic Society It Holds Problems
Of Enthralling Interest.

Capt. Granville Fortescue. formerly
military aid at the White House, de-
scribed the allies campaign at the Dar-
danelles in a talk before members of
the National Geographic Society at
New Masonic Temple last night. He be-
gan his lecture with the explanation
that he considered the Gallipoli cam
paign of the last six months to be the
key to all the European fighting.
The struggle at Gallipoli." Capt
Fortesque said, offers political and
military problems of enthralling inter-
est and of vast possibilities. With the
last citadel of the Turk in Europe un-
der attack one can see here, in antici.
patton, far-reaching changes in the orr
ganization of Asia and of Europe, in
the course of civilization. The world
policy that has issued from the brains
of England's leading statesmen for one
hundred years has been in a way, di-
rect or remote, related to the present
fighting at the Dardanelles. The politi-
cal aspect of the fighting for Constant.
nople is most important one.
Failure May Mean Horrors.
THE sun of England will never shins
SO bright again If her armies are beat
en- at the Dardanelles." the lecturer
continued. IF the French and English
force the Dardanelles 1t may bring
about a quick completion of the war.
If they fail to force the narrows, it
may mean a decade of horrors"
The problems that are being worked
out in this small battle theater are
fascinating to the military man, Capt.
Fortesque explained, for here every
phase of warfare can be studied and
mere every weapon used in war, from
the monster fifteen-inch gun to the
g!ittering hand bayonet, is finding en-
ployment.
The campaign at the Dardanelles
was undertaken for a variety of rea-
sons,' he said. Russia was to be
given way to the warm waters of
the Medl1erranean This would have
enabled Russia to send out the vast
stores or wheat now contained in her
granaries to the markets of the world
and to import steady stream of
cannon, rifles and other munitions of
war for her armies. So both her
military and her financial condition
would have been greatly strengthened.
Undertaken to Aid Russia.
Moreover" he went on, "the cam
paign was undertaken to relieve the
pressure on the Russian Caucasus front
by diverting Turkish attention to GAL
lipoli. Further. had the allies been sue
cessful at the Dardanelles. they would
have forced the Balkan states to es-
pouse their cause, giving them another
point of attack against the central
powers. Lastly, they would have carved
up Turkey among themselves. which
would have been a most enjoyable
Thanksgiving process"
The nature of the Gallipoli battle
theater. Capt Fortescue said, could only
be described as one of concentrated
ruggedness. and he dwelt upon the bit.
ter difficulties that the French and
English have had to face in their oper-
ations there. He compared tho sheer
cliffs. rising to heights of 800 feet. to
the palisades along the Hudson. The
Turks hold all the dominant positions
upon these cliffs. he said, and the diff
culties experienced by the allies SOL
diers in scaling the steep clay and sand
stone sides in the face of rife and
machine-gun fire. hampered by their
kits. he declared to be beyond the
powers of description. The bravery
with which the French and British SOL
diers have met their almost impossible
tasks here, he said, was among the
brightest in all the annals of warfare.