The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-05-26
TURKS Fight WELL
ALLIED PROGRESS IS SLOW UN5
DER MURDEROUS FIRE
fleet uses BIG GUNS
Official Report Announces Daily I'm
provement in Ans;lo-French Posi-
ton With Heavy Enemy Losses
Terrific Bombardment Fails to
Drive Defenders From Trenches.

In his story Of the three-days' bat
tie Of Achibaba, from May 6 to May
| s, the British press representative
with the allied forces in the Dar-
danelles, after describing the battle
field and declaring that Turk nor a
Turkish trench was visible, says:
"Only the allied forces, the Eng
lish on the left, the French on the
right, the British colonials and ter
ritorials and the French foreign le-5
gion in reserve were to be seen.
Time and again long waves Of
French colonials swept forward, but
no sooner did they leave the shelter
of their trenches than the Turks,
who had been lying absolutely quiet,
opened up a tremendous fire from
concealed trenches. !.
Each days attacks were preceded
by furious shell fire from the war
ships but the Turks could not be
shaken and our infantry advances
met such an iron hail that the line
wayered and then broke
Describing the third days fighting
the correspondent says: cat SIS
denly opened from every ship afloat
and battery ashore the most stupen-s
dous bombardment ever witnessed.
Fifteen inch and twelve inch shells
charged with iddite caused the most
terrible explosions, apparently con-
suming entire hills. Smaller shells,
both liddite and shrapnei, searched
every yard Of the slopes and sprayed
the country between Achibaba and
our trenches. The noise was fright
full, the hills echoing the detonations
of thousands Of projectiles.
"The whole region did not have
the appearance of being sheHed, but
it seemed rather as if it had suddenly
been set aire. It was covered with a
solid bank of yellow, green and white
smoke whence numberless volcanoes
burst into eruption. The lombard
ment lasted quarter of an hour.
According to all pre-conceiyed no
tions the enemy should have been
wiped out and incapable of resisting
any infantry advance. Not a single
Turk was visible and their artillery
had not fired a round. Suddenly the
guns ceased fir; and as one man, the
entire line of infantry leaped to the
assault of Krithia.
'.In spite of all this artillery prep
aration, however, the enemy was
waiting and ready. No sooner had
our men emerged from cover than a
storm of rifle and machine gun fire
was opened on them But our troops
never hesitated. The New Zealand
ers and Australians particularly
charged with bayonets straight into
the Turkish line. The manner in
which these dominion troops went
forward never will be forgotten who
saw them melt away under the dread
full fusilade only to be renewed again
as reserves and supports moved for
ward to replace the fallen.
"At length a point was reached
from which no further advance was
possible and each man lay down and
dug himself in. 1t become obvious
that the attack had spent its force.
Only few hundred yards had been
won and the hope Of taking Krithia
by direct assault bad to be abandon
ed.''
London reports officially: "The fol-
lowing has been received from the
Mediterranean force: Gen. Cox's bri-
gade repulsed with heavy loss an at
tack on his position May u. The TO-
lowing day a double company Of
Ghurkas advanced over half mills
The ground thus won was consolidat>
ed during the night, in spite Of very
strong counter attacks.
"On May 16 the Lancashire terri
torial division made considerable pro-
gress and on the following night ad-
vanced further. Our howitzer bat
terry, with the aid of aeroplanes, blew
up the ammunition wagons of the
Turkish heavy howitzers and made
direct hit on one Of the guns in front
Of the Australian and New Zealand
army corps The enemy trenches and
new gun empiacement were demol-
ished by howitzer fire.
Every day sees, an improvement
in the Angio-French position. The
enemy are reported as having lost
very heavily"