The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-10
BRITISH LOSS, 1924.
Another 10000 Men InSslidcd
Home From Dardauelles.

Home From Dardauel1es.
The withdrawal Of the allied troops
from the positions ut Suvla Bay and
Anzac was announced by the British
and French war offices on December 20.
The evacuation was carried out under
cover Of an attack made by British
troops aided by French artillery on De-
cember 10 with, according to the official
statements, insignificant casualties"
the Turks being unaware OF the signih- ,
canoe of the operations.
Both British and French statements
said that the troops thus withdrawn had
been transferred ito another sphere of
operations The greater part OF the
guns and material were withdrawn. No
announcement was made at the time
regarding the plans for the remainder
OF the allied troops OIL the peninsula
beyond a sentence in the British state
ment to the erect that by this contrac-
ton Of the front operations at other
points of the line Will be more effectively
carried out"
The evacuation OF the remaining po-
sition on the tip of the peninsula means
the final abandonment as "A complete
failure of operations begun nearly "a
year ago by the British and French
fleets. in which land forces later Joined.
In an effort to force the Dardanelles,
capture Constantinople. cut the Turkish
Empire in two and open the way for
Russia's grain to be sent from her Black
Sea ports to the other allies and for
arms and munitions to reach Russia.
The operations now abandoned have cost
the British navy five battleships and
the French navy one. Up to December
IL the casualties In the British army
werc ll2.s2l. including 1909 officers and
23.670 men killed. The French casual
tlna haya mt h.ap announced In aAii-
ton TO the British casualties as officially
announced. about %. 900 men were in
valioed home.
Winston Spencer Churchill, then First
Lord Of the Admiralty. was popularity
held responsible for the first naval at
tempts to force the strait. although he
later disclaimed Die responsibility. The
Turkish forts at Sedd-el-Bahr. on the
0allipoli side of the entrance to the
strait. and at Kun kaie, on the Asiatio
side. were slenced in t early sea at
tacks last February and the work Of
sweeping the mines from the channel
was u dertaken, while landing parties
succeeded to a greater or less extent In
completing the demolition of the en-
trance forts.
land Forces Summoned.
II was found. however. that troops
would be necessary for cooperation By
land and these were summoned. Before
they arrived a gre naval attack was
launched ON March Is. After a pro-
tracted bombardment at long range the
fleets tried to force "A passage. The
British battleships Irresistible and Ocean
and the French battlesh.p Bouvet were
sunk by mines. while the British battle
ship lnfiexible and the French Gaulois
were badly damaged and we're lowed
from the scene.
After n long delay. during whiCb tho
Turks made the most Of the oppor-
tunity, the British and French troops.
tOtalling some 10000 men, under COM
mand Of Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton. began
landing at Sedd-el-Bahr on April ?5.
men OF the Australian and New Zealand
Army Corps being the iIrst ashore. The
landing was effected in the face Of
stubborn and thoroughly prepared Turks
tsh resistance, against which the British
troops had to force their way up a steep
cliff through barbed wire arrangements
while snrapnel sprayed the boats and the
landing beach.
Twelve thousand men, with mountain
artillery. had been landed by night, with
10000 Turks in tIencnments opposing
them. The following day the landin-
operRtiong were sumed under cover OF
the guns Of the fleet, while the Aus
t~ralians and New Zealanders chung to
the hillsides in which they had gained
ooNil'I ttlllOiNtiIltsllS
were rushed to the peninsula. one
landing detachment. made up OF Scottish
Border rs and marines, held a position
on an exposed beach for a day and
night. only to be forced to withc raw
under cover OF the naval guns after 1t
had lost half its men.
Altogether four beaches in the general
vicinity of the tip OF the peninsula
were used for LANDING purposes, AT all of
which the allied troops met with the
same almost insupefable obstacles. The
landing Of one large boiy of men was
effected by running the collier River
Clyde ashore just west OF Sedd-.l-Bihr.
the troops aboard landing over lighters.
Many were Killed and injured by the
Turkish shells which burst In the
crowded collier Other troops in ships
boats which sought to max a landing
~ the same beach were wiped out before
they reached shore.
Meanwhile French troops. largely ma
rines and colonials, had made "A landing
At Kun kals, across thv entrance to
the strait, but after two days IL htins
were unable to hold their positions and
were withdrawn and seat across to join
the British forces.
Turks In strong Positions.
In practically continuous hghting the
allied troops forced their way to "A line
drawn across the tip of the peninsula
just south Of the kr!th.a heights, Here
the Turks had entreHChed themselves in
positions of tremendous natural s,r, ngtn.
Attack after attack of the most costly
kind was made by the British, Aus
t~ralians and French against these
heights. Triting gains were made at
the cost OF terrific losses, but even these
could seldom be held long under the
FIRE of the Turkish heavy batteries on
the Krithia aud Achi Baba hei hts and