The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-12-29
The WAR LAST week
DARDANELLES ATTACK WORST
FAILURE In HISTORY
TURKS Hold OFF FOES

the DarQanelleS OpefaetoIo, Div"
-. -
ing Why British and French Aaah
doned All Efforts and Turn to the
Balkans for Action.
f|z. son OCTOBER esse19i4, German in
trigue, substantially backed with Ger
man gold and ably assisted by the Ell.
forts of a few Turks under the leader
ship Of Enver Bey, drew Turkey into
the war and forced a declaration OF
hostiities against Russia. This move
was a painful one for the Allies to
contemplate.
The strength of the British empire
lies in the Orient and in Egypt, the
gate way to the Far East. The Turk
ish empire has a poplation of many
millions, the vast majority OF whom
are in Asia. The Turks, if left free
to operate in Mesopotamia, Palestine
and in the Sinai peninsula, would
threaten the very heart of Great Bri-
tain, not alone through their own ef-
forts, but through the disaffectlon
they would endeavor to create
throughout the British colonial pos
sessions.
TO meet such a move and preserve
British prestige it was necessary to
deflect to the threatened points
troops that were much needed in 9TH
er fields. This applied also with equal
force to Russia, and developed in con-
sequence an entirely new theatre OF
war-that Of the Caucasus. The con-
sequences to Russia, however, were
more serious than those involved in
the mere diversion of troons, and
were incident to Russia's geoGraphi-
cal situation.
For the greater part Of the year
Russia is practically an inland ma
ton. With the Black Sea closed by
the forts of the Bosporus, her only
outlet is through her northern ports,
the chief of which is Archangel. But
only for a few months of the year can
this port be used; the remainder OF
the year it is entirely closed by ice.
Russia, moreover, is not a manu-
featuring countcc, and while there
are, of course, ammunition plants,
their output in no degree is equal to
tn e6emand placed on them by the
undreamed-of use Of artillery. More
over, much of Russia's wealth, and
the situation demanded money, lies
in her expectation Of grain.
The country along the Black Sea
Is the richest wheat belt of the world,
and Russia needed to exchange her
wheat, directly or indirectly, for the
ammunition of her allies and OF neu-
trails. To do so through Archangel
was impossible, both because Of
weather conditions and ocause of lack
of Transportation facilities. There was
but one solution to the eastern politi-
cal problem of Great Britain, and to
The financial problem Of Russia-Con-
stantinople.
If the Allies could take CONSTANT
nople, the Turkish empire would be
shaken to it's foundation, and not
only the Turk but the colonials of
India and Egypt would tremble at
the thought of British power. Russia
then would have a seaport in the
south, not merely for war purposes
and druing the war. but port over
which she could exercise suzerainty
until it was wrested from her in the
distant future by military conquest.
From a strictly military point Of
view, putting aside the question OF
opening an avenue o. munition sup
ply, the effect would be to cut Tur-
key off completely from al commu-
nication with the central powers and
to change thereby the whole face OF
the war. The stakes therefore was
tremendous. And just as the British
answer to Napoleon was the guns OF
Trafalgar, so on February G0, 1915,
more than a century later, the answer
to the two kaisers and their Moslem
ally was the roar Of the guns OF the
British dreadnoughts as their high
explosive shells were thrown into the
fort at Sedd-el-Bahr.
The battle for the control Of the
strait with Constantinople as the
prize was on; and it was on that
day, February 25, that England
made the greatest, the most colos-
sal blunder of all that she has been
guilty of since, at the beginning of
the war, her failure to send promls-
ed aid to Belgium threw open the
gate to the TeutGnic invasion by
leaving exposed the entire left
flank of the defending army.
The reason for this is plain. The
objective in the Dardanelles IS mar
row channel Of water with its crltlcal
point at the Narrows between the
forts of Kilid Bahr and kale ! Sui
TAME, the former on the European
side, the latter on the Asiatic. The
distance between these points is Dut
a mile, so that from either one any
point on the other can be efficiently
reached by shell fire. Both OF these
forts are defended by powerful mod
ern guns, so that within radius OF
half mile are established permanent
works that control the military des.
TIMES Of the entire thirty miles OF
strait. There may, of course, be IN
troduced other factors. Temporary
batteries, for example, might De
established, unexpected forms OF at
tack might behave been, indeed
devised against ships advancing along
the waterway.
But the crux Of the situation is and
will remain the control fthe forts al
the Narrows. With these taken, the
temporary batteries and other means
of attack might for a time harass.
hostile fleet, but it would be Tor. a
time only, and for a short time al
that. With the Narrows in then
hands a hostl force would soon oe
able to clear both banks and thelI
fleet would be able to go through.
This is the military problem Of the
Dardanelles reduced to its simples'
terms, problem thoroughly under,
stood and recognized by the British
military and naval authorities before
the first move was made. They kne"
that actual physical possession by
military force of the fortress OF hlne
Bahr was necessary. With it in thell
hands, it's vis-a-vis, Kale | Sultan1e
could be neutralized and the way t'
the Golden Horn opened wide.
They knew, or should have known
as if is common knowledge to ever!