Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-08
THURSDAY
March 8, 1917
GALLIPOLI PROBE
HITS KITCHENER
Late Chiefs Delay Vital
Factor in Failure, Re-
port Asserts
WAR COUNCIL CENSURED

LONDON, March s.
Upon the late Lord Kitchener. England s
idol, and the early war council was fixed
the blame today for England's Dardanelles
expedition.
A special investigating committee ap-
pointed in response to parliamentary in
quiries and complaints as TO the costly ex-
pertinent against Turkey, made this report
today.
although the main object Of the expe-
dition was not attained" the report con-
cluded, certain important political advan-
tages were secured by the expedition
whether these were worth the loss of life
a matter of opinion
Discussing the responsibility for the step
the report adjudged Lord Kitchener respon-
sble for three weeks delay In dispatching
troops TO the Dardanelles. thereby ''gravey
compromising the probability Of success"
The commission held also that Kitchener
did not sufficiently utilize the services of
the general staff, resulting in confusion and
lack Of efficiency"
Censure was expressed Mt the war coun-
ellis failure to hold meeting between
March 10 and May IA, 1915, and discussed
winston Churchills advocacy. as First
Lord Of the Admiralty, for purely naval ex-
peuitionary forces.
Lord Kitchener" the report continued,
favored a purely naval attack. The COM
missioners think the First Lord Of the Ad-
miralty (then ChurchilD, the Premier (then
Asquith) and other councillors should have
required the naval advisers TO submit
clearly expressed views regarding the prac-
tcability of the plan
The report concludes they were not justi-
fed in reaching a decision on the Darda-
nelles plan without much fuller investi-
CATION"
The Dardanelles campaign was England's
greatest blunder in the war, II not the great
est b'under by any of the Allies. The total
cost in lives and materials has never been
told, but II was staggering.
The ambitious scheme of carrying the war
into Turkey and of capturing Constanti-
NOBLE permitting Russia free exit from
the Black Sea started with an Entente bonn
bardment by Anglo-French fleets on Febru-
ary 10. 1915. That bombardment continued
on and off up until April.
1t was on April 25 that the Allied expe-
dtionary forces made their first landing on
Turkish soil. attacking from the air. the
land and the sea the Turkish positions on
the peninsula. They quickly enlarged their
positions But after the first initial rush
the invaders were stopped. Advances OF
several hundred yards were made in sue
ceeding months, but no great gain as had
been expected. Meanwhile the men broled
in the desert aridity OF the peninsula. The
situation continued almost without change
for three months. The British advanced
considerably but they made no sweep of the
Turkish positions. The fighting was of the
most desperate character. Australian and
New Zealand troops achieved brilliant rec
ords, but at tremendous cost
The fighting continued day after day all
through the summer of 1915 and into the
fall. Then suddenly on December 81. 1916
the evacuation of Suvla and Anzac was ac-
complshed. By January the complete
evacuation of all the British forces was ac-
complshed from the Galipoli positions.
The evacuation was the most brilliantly
executed military move of the whole cam
paign and the one thing that stands out
as creditable to the strategy of England's
military chiefs 1t was accomplished with
no loss and in the most comprehensive and
complete fashion.
The Gallipoli peninsula was the grave of
countless thousands Of British soldiers
whose sacrifice was totally useless aprar-
emily. The important political advantages"
mentioned by the commission as having been
achieved are not clear.