Honolulu star-bulletin., 1917-12-31
DESPERATE FIGHTING PRECEDEs
TURKS SURRENDER or HOLY CITY
Moses Suffer Enormous Losses When British Garry by the
Bayonet Defenders Last Line Ridge Overlooking Holy City

LONDON.-ln attacks preceding
the surrender of jerusalem the Turks
employed storming troops IN success
siye assaults on Nebi Samuel. noftn
west of the Holy City, then held BY
| London troops, according to Reuter-
despatch from British headquarters
in Palestine. Tho despatch, which
was sent by airplane, gives details ol
| the capture and. the entry into Jeru
| salem.
The final Turkish attack was pre-
| ceded by such a heavy shelling that
It appeared the enemy was conhden'
the British would be blown OF tns
summit; but all their attacks we're re-
/ pulsed sanguinarily. The Turks had
| q strong line west, south and north,
east of Jerusalem. They, were wei
provided with machine guns and their
artillery dominated the crests over
which the British should have to ad'
vance. Some Turkish guns were
placed Just outside the city walls
making it impossible to reply to the
fire without endangering the town.
Weather Conditions BAD.
"A. torrential rain made the roads
impassable," the correspondent con-
tinues, while q chilly east wind
pferced the sodden soldiers to the
bone, The problems of supply and
transport almost drove US to despair.
The camels were unable to keep
foothold on the slippery paths. Never
theless the food and ammunition sup
ply was maintained fully.
ION the night Of December I, when
our attack began, the men moved up
under cover of darkness, the attack
uiyoting on Nebi Samuel, from which
the Londoners advanced eastward
toward Jerusalem, while other troops
ascended the Hebron road, threaten
ing the town from the south.
"They found Hebron evacuated, but
encountered resistance around Beth
lehem, where the Turks also had post
ed guns, so that counter battery WORK
would endanger the sacred village
Hence our troops had the disagree
able experience of being shelled with
out the ability to reply. But they
pressed forward and by noon, OF the
Sth were two miles north Of Bethle'
ham: = -" - .s. :.
'aThe. Londoners had hard task on
the steep slopes Of the Judean hills,
where it was. impossible to bring field
suns to their support, but some noun.
tain batteries and 'howitzers rendered
magnificent serytce and by: Z In. tae
morning the Londoners had stormed
| and captured all the enemy works
west of the, town: The Turks still
held the last line on the ridge over
looking Jerusalem, having posted nu-
merous machine guns in the houses OF
the Jewish and German colonists- in
the furtherest outskirts OF the town.
The position was, charged late in the
afternoon of the Sth. The magnificent
feat was crowned with complete sue
cess and, thes Turks were driven out
at the point Of. the bayonet. The sur
yiyors bolted to either side OF the
town. Their losses were enormous.
;. Turks Fight to the Last. \ i.
throughout the whole fighting
around Jerusalem the Turks showed
a more desperate spirit and a. greater
tenacity than In almost any previous
fighting. They stood their ground to
the last. ..,
During the night. the Turks with
drew to the north and east: OF the city.
and at 8 o'clock on the morning on
the 9Th the mayor and chief OF police
came out with a flag Of truce and
surrendered the town.
Acceptance Of the surrender was
made formally at neon without actual
" entering the city, only. .pickets be
fng posted to prevent surprise. Mean
time our troops swept through the
suburbs northvard, being subjected to
I,achine gun fire from the Mount OF
olives and Mount Scopus. The ridge
of Mount Seorus, north of the city,
was stormed With the bayonet and
the Turks were cleared from the
Mount Of Olives. .->
big demonstrations Of joy broke
out when the general advanced to
take the surrender of the city. Flow
ers were showered on the troops and
the populace clapped their hands to
testify to the Joy Of deliverance from
the hands of the oppressors.
Further north the Turks were es'
tablish /, in a long series of trenches
around the village of Beiteikes. These
trenches were carried with rush
and the British line advanced beyond
the village. Welsh troops advancing
from the south pushed across the
road east of Jerusalem leading to
Jericho and thrust hack Turkish re-
inforcements advancing along this
road to succor Jerusalem. In the
course of all these operations they
captured nearly, 1000 prisoners, in ad.
dition to 700 wounded Turks in hos
pitals in Jerusalem.
Suffer From Hunger.
The wonderful coordination of all
our movements in itself speaks praise
for the admirable staff work. OF con,
ditions in Jerusalem i learned that
in the early days of the war and the
abortiye Turkish attacks against the
Suez canal, the Turkish losses in pack
animals exceeded $4,000 dead from
neglect, lack of food and oyerwork.
The people we're so .famished from
hunger. that. they used to fight for the
~ -ANAsKA