Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-11-11
IN A RAIN OF FIRE
Australian Tells of Landing on
GaIIipoIi Peninsula.
Turkish Soldiers Tested the Metal of
Colonial Troops Who Sought to
Press Forward to the Sui
tan's Capital.

tan's Capital.
"a sea, smooth as a mirror, covered
with a light mist so relates an Aus
t%ralian, and beyond great hills and
faint outlines of battleships and trans
ports, overhead a h%ydroplane lurking
about the Turkish position, such was
the spectacle presented to us on April
25, when we approached the Gallipoli
peninsula. Our run was straight for
ward to the shore toward the foot of
Gaba Tepe hill, but the destroyer, it
must be understood, was unable to
bring us close to the beach. There
we lay in an open boat, looking at
each other in a puzzled way, while
bullets anne whizzing past right and
left and over us. At last the barges
were advanced as much as possible.
We quickly jumped into the water, al
most to our armpits, and arrived, half
swimming, half wading, at the shore.
In former times l have often been in
a desperate position. Now l have
found that out. ! felt as if someone
had delivered a terrible blow at my
chest with the fiat part of a spade.
I'VE passed the first-aid stations,
which already were ove%rburdened with
stretchers bearing wounded. Then
came a toilsome, firing climb over
great sand dunes to the firing line.
Shippers lay concealed everywhere in
ambush and bullets struck all around
in the rocks and bushes. In this way,
surrounded by a thousand dangers,
we reached the line of fire, where |
was detached from my company for
duty TO ascertain the shooting ranges
for an Australian regiment. Through
the excellent telescope of my range-
finder l could observe the Turkish re-
treat and had even a tiny picture of a
bayonet charge Of our own men. Still
came the wounded in seemingly I'M
ending streams; then our trench
awoke to life. One Of the sharpshoot-
ers seemed to have a grudge against
the r%angefinder, as two bullets struck
the immediate breastworks; the man
leXt to me suddenly reared up high
ind fell to my feet. AT an end he
cried, and then added, family hesitat-
ing, money in belt-wife and chill
dren- The Turks had evidently got
our range, then the situation became
more and more uncomfortable, and
those Of us who were left had to shift
our positions several hundred yards to
the ear, until it was finally possible
to silence this dangerous marksman.
O the following afternoon di-
rected again my glass on this tragic
group and saw that the sailor now lay
on his back, his face pointing toward
heaven. Without a doubt yesterday
he was alive and may have been even
now after 36 hours still living. And
now it shot more violently through my
being. In the midst of the group /
observed a movement and saw plainly
a man extricating himself and slowly
hobbling along the bank. With four
other | set out to rescue the unfor-
tunate, who in the meantime had col
lapsed. We found yet -four others liv-
ing and heard from them that last
night there had still been eight of
them.
ITO our right ratified a hostile ma
chine gun like a motor cycle and came
gradually nearer. A navalplane from
it's mothership, Arck Royal, anchored
in the nearby bay, lowered over our
heads encircled by white shrapnel
cloudlets, coming from the Turks.
Soon thereafter the flyer turned about
and flew back to make a report. The
effect OF this was not long in waiting,
it came in shape of a ships shell,
which with ear-benumbing screech flew
over our heads. Far from US rose a
cloud of smoke and earth, r~ssadually
dispensing. Now the guns from the
ships began in earnest. From the bay
came an uninterrupted laundering,
and the whizzing Of the heavy pro.
j~ectiles, as a s. battery fired one
salvo after another. Brown smoke
assembled from the hostile bulwarks
and for a long time thereafter the hills
trcnbled with the long-drawn-out
thunder of the explosions.
Now, annon OF the enemy began to
reply, shrapnel burst over us, and the
whistling Of the flying bullets seemed
to be all about US. For three hours
lasted this violent cannonade. We
were now solidly intrenched, however,
with very heavy sacrifices. Behind
Us on the beach were brought up grad
ually supplies; horses and mules came
to land, and the reserve ammunition
steadily accommodated. Men carried
water, munitions and Oil for the ma
chine guns to the firing line. On ali
paths moved the stretcher-bearers
with their sad burdens and wounded