Evening star., 1915-12-05
FIGHT FOR BAGDAD
FUT|LEFOR BRITISH
Forces Driven Far Back From
Objective by Strong Turk
ish Army.
MOSLEMS SEIZE TWO
GUNBOATS, 1T is CLAIMED
Pair of Supply Ships Also Taken,
Constantinople Reports-London
Admits Heavy Losses.

LONDON, December 4.-The British,
German and Turkish accounts of the
recent fighting in Mesopotamia, while
containing minor disparities respecting
the casualties and character of the
British retreat on the Tigris, clearly
establish the fact that without fur
ther reinforcements. to equal the over
powering odds against which they have
been struggling, the British troops
under Gen. Townshend have little pros
pect of continuing the march to Bag
dad, which city appeared few weeks
ago to be almost within their grasp.
Having advanced during October and
November through the desert of Irak
to the very environments of Bagdad,
the British force is now retiring upon
Kut- Ell -Amara, eighty miles southeast
of Ctesiphon, the scene of the battle
fought in the latter part of November
in which the British troops met their
first serious check.
British Outnumbered.
The position, therefore, of Gen.
Townshends force is much the same as
in September after the battle of kut-
El-Amara According to a recent ac-
count large Turkish reinforcements,
supplementing the forces which al
ready outnumbered the British forces
four to one. were flung against the
British troops retiring down the Tigris,
and made a British stand out of the
question.
Gen. Townshend remained in occu-
patton of the battlefield at Ctesiphon.
beating off all counter attacks. till he
had completed the removal of his
wounded and of 1900 prisoners taken
from the enemy, but in view of our
heavy losses and arrival of Turkish re-
Inducements he then withdrew.
Losses Placed at 4,567.
ut is reported that our total casual
ties in these actions amounted to 1867.
No report Is made of any political Off
Ger being wounded, as was alleged in
the Turkish official statement.
"On the night of November 80 to De-
cember / Gen. Townshend fought a
! rear-guard action against greatly su-
perior Turkish forces. Our casualties
in this action are estimated to have
been $50 of all ranks.
1.-TWO river boats were disabled by
shell fire and had to be abandoned.
Their guns and engines were rendered
useless.
Gen. Townshend remarks of the
steadiness of the troops and states the
retirement was carried out in perfect
order. BY the latest reports Gen.
Townshend was within a few miles of
Kut- l-Amara. upon which position he
| is retiring With reference to the Turk
ish official statement and the German
wireless reports, it may be stated that
British troops never take their colors
into the field"
Four Vessels Reported Taken.
BERLIN, December 4, by wireless to
| Sayville-An official Turkish report,
| as given out here today by the Over
Rseas News Agency. states that pursuit
of the defeated British army in Meso-
potamia is still being carried on ener-
getically, and that four British river
vessels have been captured. The state
ment follows:
Pursuit of the defeated British is
| going on with energy. On December l
| the British attempted to make stand.
| and lost several hundred men who were
taken prisoner, among them one major,
one captain, one lieutenant and an avia-
| tor
Two supply ships loaded with provi-
| sions and two gunboats were cap
tured. One gunboat was armed with
| ten cannon, the other with four cam
non and three machine guns. The can
non for the most part were in good con-
ditfon. One of the gunboats already
has been used against the enemy"