Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-20
BRITISH WITHDRAW
FROM DARDANELLES


Continued from Page One
bardancllcs has taken place on the fronts
Of Ansa2 and suvla Bay. on the western
side Of Ganipoli Peninsula. Farther to
the southwest near Kritha and Sedd-cl-
Bahr the operations were confined chiefly
to artillery ducling.
GC was reported coucurrently with the
War Office announcement that part Of the
troops withdrawn from the Gallipon
Peninsula would bc sent into the Balkans
and others into Egypt
II was decided some time ago by the
British cabinet to transfer the troops
from the Suvla Bay and Anzac fronts on
the GallipoH peninsula, Premier Asquith
announced nthc House of Commons this
afternoon,
The premier, upon being interpellatcd
about the withdrawal of troops from the
Dardanelcs, said:
"Thc transferring of troops from Suvla
and the AnzaC zones is I'm pursuance with
cabinet decision arrived at some time
ago
LOSSES LIGHT IN TRANSFER.
The transfer was accomplished with
insignificant casualties" the War Office
added indicated that the Turks launched
a furious attack when the troops began
rc-embarkinE.
one OF the objections against abandon
ment Of the Dardaucllcs operations was
the fear that the troops would be slauEh-
tered by Turkish artillery while on route
in small boats to the transports 1t Is
assumed that British and French war
ships covered the retreat.
TEUTONS AIM AT EGYPT.
Events are moving with great rapidty
in the Eastern Mediterranean littornl,
where the Germans and Turks are con-
Ccutratiug for an invasion Of Egypt and
"A bid for control of the Suc2 Canal and
the gateway to India.
Turko-Gcrman troops are being gath
cred between Aleppo and HONS in great
numbers, and great quantities Of rolling
stock-loComotiveS and Cars-arc going
over the Orient Railway to move these
troops Krupps and other big NUM-
tion plants in Germany have been send
| ing forward shipments of rifles and am
munition, and Field Marshal Won der
Goltz, for long the head Of the German
military commission charged with the
task of rcorganzing the Ottoman army
| has been placed i'm supreme command
with his headquarters at Alcppo.
A dispatch to the Exchange Telegraph
Company from Amsterdam says
"It is reported that Field Marshal Won
der Goltz, commander-in of the
headquarters at Mcppo, Syria, where the
| Turkish and German troops under his
command are being equipped for an nva-
sion of Egypt"
If all the allied forces are withdrawn
from the peninsula it will release Turk
ish army of approximately 100000 men for
service in some other field of action.
The Anzac front mentioned In the OFF,
cal statement is that section of the AL
lies linc held by the Australian and New
Zealand army corps. The first letters of
the words were taken to form the name.
1t Is south of Ari Burnu. a place which
has figured frequently in the British and
Turkish War Office reports.
The withdrawal affects more than leo 70
600 British troops, who have HCcn vaihIy
attempting for several months to ad-
vance against the Turks in the Suvla
Bay and Anzac regions on the west shore
! of Gallipoli Peninsula. No mention was
made by the War Office of any with
! drilwals from Scdd-ul-Bahr region at the
| southern tip of Gallipoli. where French
| and British troops hold lines near Krithia.
! The withdrawal, however, may he the
! forcrunuer of abandonment of the whole
! Dardanclcs campaign in favor of Balkan
! operations or to defend Egypt against
| the expected Turco-Cicrman invasion
More than 10000 British troops, made
up largely of Australians and New Hca-
landcrs. were landed on the shores of
Suvla Bay and i'm the AnZac region sew