The Washington herald., 1916-02-06

-
for month, and by September
against a successful attack. This ex-
plains why the raw troops of the new
armies, which did not arrive until
August and 5, were flung into ac-
tion from their transports and given
no chance to get used to fire or even
get back their land legs. The fault
for this, 1t would seem, does not lie
at Gen. Hamilton's door.
Most Desperate Battle.
The great battle which began Au-
gust and lasted a week was the
most desperate in British history.
with possible exception of the first
about $4,000. a figure approximately
representing the losses at the first
Ypres and at Loos. Gen. Hamilton has
described from his own point Of view
what took place, and the date for pre-
senting the opposition views are not
yet at hand. The Eighth Army Corps
in the south made a great frontal at
tack as a diversion, the Australian
corps attacked at AnZac, after being
reinforced to a strength of $1,000 men
and guns, with eight war ships. bonn
harding the Turkish positions, and
while all this was going on the new
troops landed at Suvla bay. on the
night of August 81. The Suvla ex-
pedition, under command of Lieut..
Gen. the Hon. Frederick ]. Stopford,
consisted of the new Ninth Corps,
composed of the eleventh division
under Mai. Gen. Hammersley and the
Tenth Irish division under Brigadier
Gen. Hill, with the exception of this
divisions Twenty-ninth brigade, which
was helping the Anzaca.
terrible muddle took place at
Suvla on the 7th and Sth. Lack of wa
ter drove men insane, all discipline
was lost and the value of the complete
surprise effected was lost. Meanwhile,
the Australians fought like demigods,
and although deprived of the aid ex-
pected from Suvla the heroic Auck-
landers and men 'of Wellington, with
the Seventh battalion Gloucestershire
regiment, at dawn on the 7th carried
the topmost summit of Chunk Bair,
from which artillery could isolate the
whole Turkish army from land and
uon have been held. the fate of the
Turkish army was sealed and the
cross would have waved again over
st. Sophia, but 1t could not be held,
although the men who won II died
where they stood. The next day the
attack on the ridge was renewed, but
Gen. Baldwin's thirty-eighth brigade
too late to support the Sixth Ghurkas,
who had carried again the vital ridge
in another spot and looked down upon
the straits. They were driven back,
and Baldwin and his belated column
met them. rallied them and perished
with them, the ill-fated general atom
ing for one of the most terrible mis-
takes OF the war by dying among his
men.
Attention has been so focused upon
the muddle of the new divisions at
Suvla that the fact is often overlooked
that this attack from AnZac was the
decisive one; the Suvla operation was
subsidiary. although had II been car
ried out successfully and aid extend
ed to Anzac victory was probable. Gen.
Hamilton himself went to Suvla, found
great confusion. ordered on the even
ing of the 7th the only brigade he
could get in hand. the Thirty-second
OF the eleventh division, to charge the
heights alone. but by the time the
movement was made. at o'clock the
next morning, the Turks had recover
ed from their surprise and the attack
was beaten back and the whole fruits
Of the surprise landing lost Gen.
Hamilton brought up his general re-
serve, the Fifty-third Territorial DIvi-
sion. to Suvla, but these troops were
unable to accomplish anything when
brought Into action, and the battle
was lost The Fifty-fourth division
did not arrive until August IL
The blame for what happened at
Suvla is placed by Gen. Hamilton on
the shoulders of Lieut.. Gen. Stopford,
who has asked for an inquiry, 1t is
understood that Gen. Stopford and the
divisional generals who are blamed
by Hamilton contend that no clear in
structions were given them, that they
did not understand what they were
to do and that the supreme import
ance OF pushing on from Suvla to help
the attackers at Anzac was never
made clear by the supreme command.
Gen. Hamilton, when he deposed
Stopford and handed over the Ninth
Corps to Maj. Gen. De Lisle. on Au-
gust 15, found that the whole corps
the Irish division less one brigade,
the Eleventh division, and the Fifty
third and Fifty fourth divisions, had
been reduced from q normal compile
ment of about $4,000 men to less than
$4,000. At this time there were $4,000
unwounded fighters left at Anzac,
$4,000 British in the south under
Lieut. Gen. Davies and 1900 French,
total Of $4,000 effcients The Turks,
too, had suffered terribly, and their ef-
fectives at the moment were about
10000. Gen. Hamilton the next day
asked Lord Kitchener for immediate
and large reinforcements, saying that
his British divisions alone were $4,000
under their proper strength. He ask
ed for $4,000 men and said that with
these he could win and clear a way
for the fleet to Constantinopls.
No Men to Spare.
Lord Kitchener replied that not
man could be spared because all avail
able troops were being sent to Sir
John French for the big push" that
was to take place in Flanders in Sep
tember. Gen. Hamilton, despite this
refusal decided to attack again.
brought the second mounted division
from Egypt, organized as infantry
and summoned the immortal Twenty
ninth division. whose Eighty-sixth,
Eighty-seventh and Eighty-eighth
brigades had won in the preceding
four months honors second to none in
the British army to Suvla. A general
attack Of all the troops at Suvla on
August Fl failed. The Eighty-seventh
brigade carried Hill IN hut +ba