Evening star., 1915-06-24
TURK FORCES FAIL
TO CHECK FRENCH
Paris Announces Continued
Successes After Sharp Fight
ing Along DardanelIes.
RUSSIANS Defeated,
SAYS CONSTANTINOPLE
Moslems Claim to Have Captured Po-
sitions Over Two-Mile Front
in Caucasus.

PARIS, June 24-French forces. after
severe fighting, continue to make ma
terial advances against the Turks de-
Tending the Gallipoli peninsula, ac-
cording to latest official communica-
tions
The Turkish forces in the Caucasus.
which recently have undertaken new
offensive movement. are said to nave
won fresh victory. An announcement
from Constantinople says the Turks
captured positions along a front Of
nearly two miles in the fighting in the
direction of Olti, the Russians fleeing
eastward.
The first French official communica-
ton regarding the Dardanelles' fighting
says:
Tuesday the expeditfonary corps In
the orient attacked the Turkish lines
on two-thirds of the front. After an ar
tillery preparation the infantry sailed
from the trenches with superb spirit
Our left, in a single bound. carried two
lines of the enemy's trenches. and
these they held Notwithstanding Vio-
lent and numerous counter attacks.
Turks Make Temporary Gain.
ITO the right. on more difficult
ground. the struggle continued
throughout the day on the ruins OF
the Turkish works which had been
razed by the artillery. The enemy.
bringing up without cessation fresh
troops. had succeeded in retaking these
entrenchments when a battalion OF the
Foreign Legion and a battalion of
Zouaves, In a bayonet assault, carried
~,
This brilliant charge decided the
issue and finished for the day the eff
forts of the Turks to regain the
ground lost.
Enemy Is Decimated.
TN counter offensive on our right
Wednesday morning the enemy was
decimated without having achieved any
gain.
Summing up, the day ended with
success along the whole line, despite
the desperate nature of the struggle.
We took some prisoners, among whom
were several officers.
THE battleship Saint Louis has ef-
fectively bombarded the batteries on
the Asiatic side. At our left the Brit
ish army gave US efficaciouS support.
Everything confirms that the enemy's
losses were very heavy.
THE important point is that we have
occupied the ground which commands
the head of the ravine of kereves
Dere, which the Turks had defended
with the utmost determination for sew
era1 months, using all their resources
to hold it,
Reviews Land Operations.
A second official note made public
in Paris today gives details of land
operations on the north side of the
Dardanelles between June l and s and
recites that as result of attacks by
the French and the British a gain of
from $50 to 500 yards along a front
of over a mile was made. British
troops took over 500 prisoners.
The text of the communication fol-
lows:
Our offensive movement during the
last two weeks of the month of May
had been gradual, the line moving for
ward in small sections and making its
way from one vantage point to the next
point of support.
But. June 4, the whole line was Or
dered to attack. The idea was to keep
the enemy occupied at all points sim
ultaneously, thus preventing him from
bringing up reserves at any one point,
and at the same time giving our men
further opportunity to organize the po-
sitions already captured by them.
Bombardment Begun.
AT about II o'clock in the morning
the bomba rdment of the enemy posi-
tions was begun Owing to long
period of dry weather huge clouds of
dust were thrown up by the shells and
were blotn back to-our lines by
north wind. a condition which made
our firing difficult. The enemy made
only an occasional reply to the hail of
our IS guns. Toward noon our aero
planes reported that all of the enemys
batteries had been silenced. Our in
fantry, at a given signal, rushed from
the trenches and from the cliffs which
dominat te the Gulf of Saros in the di-
rection of the deep ravine at kereves
Dere.
British Troops Charge.
"As the allies advanced the bayonets
of the men and the swords Of their
officers cleaned under the bright sun. The
principal attack was made upon the Turk
ish position located opposite the British
trenches British soldiers charged these
trenches of the enemy. and found that a
majority of the Turkish defenders had
been killed by the melinite shells.
Without stopping at their first sue
cess, our allies charged again and we're
successful in occupying the second line
of trenches. At this point they were
given support, which permitted them to
turn about and attack and capture a
Turkish redoubt which still held out They
took. also, further position situated on
the right and the left of the first line Of
trenches, and gained ground approx
mately 500 yards in depth.
Simultaneous Charge.
THE French charged simuftane ously
with the British against the Turkish
positions situated in front of kereves
Dere. The first line was soon taken, as
was also a Turkish fortress. which
with the bitches surrounding 1t was
heavily fortified by barb wire entangle-
ments. We called this fort 'Haricot.'
THE result of our attacks gave US
an advance ranging from $50 to 500
yards along a lateral front of two
kilometers "a mile and one-f1fth). Brit
ish troops took 500 prisoners. includ-
ing ten officers and seven German
marines, who had formerly belonged to
the German warships Goeben and
Rreslau. vessels which since the war
have been under the Turkish flag"
Prisoners to Harvest English Crops.
LONDON, June 24.-The government