The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-06-11
STORY OF THE BRITISH DEFENSE
OF BELEAGURED KUT-EL-AMARA

claimed the capture OF over 1900
troops There are no official figures
available to show the number Of the
troops under General Townahend's
command when he took up the de
Tense Of Kut-cl-Amara. From $4,000
to $1,000 Is likely to prove a correct
estimate. for II Is believed the Turk
ish announcement Of capture includ-
cd the camp followers OF the Indian
troops.
Attack from Three Sides.
With the return OF Nur ed Din's
nag OF truce the fighting began. The
heavy Turkish batteries commanding
the British trenches opened immc-
diately upon the town from the west.
north and southeast. All day a hur-
ricane OF shells raIncd upon kut.
stopping only when the Turkish col
umns OF infantry swept to tho assault.
Tho British ~hridgohead detaCh-
ment was beaten back by these front
al attacks. hut the second line held
hrm. and when night came Sapper
Lieutenant Matthews destroyed the
bridge, which n no longer tenab.p.
Tho flrst days fighting showed il
gain for the Turks. Supremacy con
hdent OF their ability to take Kut by
storm. they renewed their infantry
assaults at dRybreak on December 10.
Through that day and the next fight
ing was continuous. Attack followed
attack. Fighting behind protecting
works and the British lost 100 men
on the tenth and 2O2 on the elev-
enth.
During these two days the Turks
advanced their trenches until they
were within 600 yards OF the British
lines. On the twelfth and thirteenth
the Turks kept up their artillery iro
without cessation. but devoted their
infantry to strengthening their works
with sandbags and timber. The
fourteenth was marked by several as
saults in repellinG which the British
lost scVenty-scyen men. and the fol-
lowing day sIIty-two. The Turks
losses In the attacks on the eleventh
n twelfth are estimated to have
been at least 1000,
On the fourteenth the British be.
gan trcir sorttcs. a small force sal
He'd from the works around the If
quoriCe factory and drove the cne-
my from trenches $50 yards distant.
On the seventeenth. in two small sor-
ties. thirty Turks were b]ayoncttcd,
tn" only British casualty being one
man slightly wounded.
The Famous "EHfty.SCCond."
IN" Turkish commanders had al-
r""dv proved TO their entire satisfnc-
ton that Kut.cl-Amara was a touch
MI. TO crack, They appealed for re-
Inducements, and to their aid was
sent the famous nfty-second division
from the Caucasus front.
This division was given several
days for rest and "rccupcra.ion A
grand attack was planned for Christ
mas eve. and Il was assigned the post
OF honor-thC vanguard OF the as
saul'inG column. The attack was
preceded by tho usual intensive hon
bardmcut. The heavy calfbrc guns
smashed huge breaches In the walls
Then IN" storminE columns led
by the ttfty-sccond. SWEET forward to
tn" charge. Line after line rolled nm
In quick succession against tho Prit-
ish trenches. Tho nftv-sccond drove
tho British from the first line trench
es, stormed through TO tho fort IT.
self. and in h~ard-to-hand fighting
captured tho fertilization. The nrif-
ish, however. were not through. Driy
en- from thor fort within an hour
they had launched n counter attack
which took Il back at the b]ayoncf's
point.
Again tho remnants Of the Afiy-
second rallied. Again they rushed 10
N" attack. In hand-to-hand fighting
OF the most desperate sort thcy drove
N" English from n portion Of tho
northern bastion and held il. but not
'or long: In another counter attack
IN" british drove them out OF this
baE'ion again.
At midnight tho Turks charged tho
fort arain and once moro gained n
!odCm"nt, only 10 be driven out by
fresh counter attacks. In the early
hours Of the morning. the nEh,ing
grow even intense. In wave"
attacks the Turks stormed tho
breaches In the walls. their bombers
leading the way. But when dav.
break came tho British har was float
'nE over British hrst line trenches
and III" Turks we're once moro in tho
trenches from which they had
started, 500 Yards distant.
General Townshcnd lost 325 men
IN This night NJ nEhring. while. ac-
cording to 4 Turkish prisoner. the
htty-sccond division had been ami
Inflated. tho prisoner describing the
tort as a cemetery for Turkish dead.
On Christmas day Turkish assaults
were rcpulsed. This practically end
ed the first phase Of the sicEe-a
phase devoted To III" capture OF the
kut ny frontal attack.
The StnrvinG-Out Phase.
With January !. the second phase
had begun. The enemy now turned
his s!oge into a blockade investment
aud settled down TO the slow process
OF starvation. centering efforts to
hasten the end in heavy night bonn
bardments OF the helcaRuered town.
The diary Of the siege from Jan
uary J on is the hcart-breakinC story
OF starvation by degrees. II appears
certain that General T]ownshend re-
lied greatly upon General Lakes ex-
petition ightinF its way through.
Reports dropped to him by ~aviatorS
and received by wireless encouraged
this belief. In fact the relief army
was making rapid Roadway. mile by
mile It was hghtinE It's way through.
I'M