The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-01

HEAVY TOLL Of
LIFE FOR VICTORY
IN DARDANElLES
Allied Armies. However. Drive
Turks Out and Are Now
Strongly Entrenched
Colonial Soldiers
Are Under Fire
Australian and New Zealand
Contingent Show Their Met
tle-General Napier Loses
His Life

London. April SOFA an ofAciai
statement issued today the British
admiralty gives the first detailed
story of the landing of the British
aad French trcSps for the reduce
ton of the Dardanelles' forts.
The Turks msde desperate resis-
tance at several places, but. ac-
cording to the ofHcaai account, the
British troops now hold strongly
entrenched positions ON the Gaili-
poll peninsula as tar inward M
krithia. about Ave miles from the
tip. 1.
Il is admitted that the landing
operations cost the army a heavy toll
Of lives. II Is announced that the
casualties in the feet, which sup
ported the landing parties. are small
but on the other ha1d, official state
ments issued In Constantinopie as
sert that a British destroyer was sunk
In the Narrows and that the French
cruiser Jeanne dare was struck by
shells from the batteries and set adre-
The Official press bureau issued to-
night the following account of the
landing of the expeditionary force at
the Dardanelles:
Fleet Covers landing.
THE disc mbarkatlcn of the army
began before sunrise on April Is. six
different beaches were used. the opera
ton being covered by the entire feet
The landing was Immediately success
full on five of the beaches, although 1t
was opposed by strongly entrenched
forces of the enemy. supported by ar
tillery On the sixth beach, near sssd
ell Bahr, the troops were unable to
advance until the eveISng when fine
attack by British infantry from the
direction of Cape TeNeh relieved the
pressure on their fry s
.tArrsngements To- We landing had
been prepared with the utmost detail
on the part of both the feet and the
AMY The result OF the first days
operations was the esta biishment OF
strong British. Australasian and
French forces at three main points.
namely. on the lower slopes of Sari
Bair, to the north of Gaia Tepeh.
at Cape Tekeh and Cape Helles. near
Morto Bay. and finally on the Asiatic
shore at Kun Kaleh. after a gallant
attack toward Yeni Shahr.
During the afternoon of April Is
strong counter-attacks were delivered
by the enemy and violent fighting fol-
lowed. Meanwhile. the disembarka-
ton of the artillery proceeded con-
tfnuously.
BFtttSH ttpEWt k'OSAlDu.
AT daybreak on April 26 the en-
envy was still holding two villages
near Sedd Ell Bahr in labyrinth of
ruins of trenches. pits and entangle-
ments. Aided ny the gun fire of the
fleet the British stormed this posi-
ton in a frontal attack through I'M
damaged barbed wire acknowledgements
and Sedd ell Bahr was taken at about
= p Al. Four pompoms were cap-
tureyf in this sstfon and the position
ut this end of the peninsula was thus
definitely secured and the disembark-
alton OF the French and British
forces proce eded.
'|On the morning OF April 27 after
repulsing a Turkish attack on the left
toward Cape Helles. the allied forces
advanced and at r. NJ. had estab~
lished an entrenched line running
from Il point about two miles north Of
Cape Teken. to a small plateau above
De Totts battery. From this line an
advance has since been made to the
neighborhood of Krithia-
Colonial Troops Under Fire.
Meanwhile. the Australian and
New, Zealand troops landed at Sari
Bair pushed on with the utmost bold
ness. After the landing they were en-
gagged almost constantly. They re-
peatedIy repulsed strong counter-at-
tacks. The Australian and New Zea-
land troops fought with fine spirit
and determination. Early on the
morning of April 81 the Turks made a
/ fresh advance against Sari Bair and
hot engagement followed. The enemy
came on boldly. time after time The
Australian and New Zealand troops
defeated them and resumed the Of
fensive In the course OF tfe counter
attacks 500 Turks were cut off by the
fire OF the feet and were made prison
ers.