The evening world., 1917-04-16
BRITISH WENT TO
CERTAIN DEATHIN
FIGHT FOR BAGDAD
Crossing Of the Diala River
One of the Most Heroic
FeatS Of the War.

BAGDAD, Mesopotamla. March 12
Correspondence of the Associated
Press) The dust OF tho Tlgris Valley
was an important factor in the taking
Of Bagdad by tho British army. T..
was a dust storm 30 thick that one
could not see four feet in front OF
him that enabled the engineers TO
bridge the Dlala River. where the
Turks made their last stand.
Tho last battle before Bagdad Ia
likely 70 become historic mainly on
account OF the fighting at tho cross.
Ing OF the Diala. about eleven miles
from Bagdad. IL was necessary to
cross opposite the village OF Dlnla.
where the stream is about 100 yards
wide, in the face OF an enemy shell
tered behind thick houses, walls and
gardens. armed with machine guns
and rifles. There were two DAYS of
desperate fighting before the crossing
was effected.
The attack on the night OF March z
was checked, but the quality OF cour-
ago shown has never been surpassed
In war. Immediately tho first pom
toon was lowered over tho ramp, the
whole launching party was shot down
In a few seconds. 1t was bright
moonlight and the Turks had concen-
trated their machine guns In the
houses on the opposite bank. A Sec
ond pontoon reached the middle OF
the stream when n terrific fuslllade
was opened on II. The crew OF five
rowers and ten Tiflemen was killed
and tho boat roated down stream.
A third boat got nearly across the
river. but was bombed and sunk. All
tho crew was killed. but there was
no holding back.
The orders stlll held TO secure the
passage. Crew after crew pushed off
to an obvious and certain death. The
second and third groups OF pontoon
crews were exterminated In the same
way, and their pontoons drlfted out
into the Tlgris to float past the
British camp in the daylight with
the freight of dead. The pontoon
parties were volunteers. so chosen
that all battalions OF tho brigade
would share the honors OF tho night.
The loss of all tho available pontoons
finally stopped the efforts TO cross
the river.
on the second night the attempt
was resumed with equal gallantry.
But this time the attack was preceded
by a bombardment. Registering by
first day in the speed of pursuit. 1t
was the artillery barrage that finally
secured the troops their footing-not
the shells themselves, but the dust
raised by them. The dust. fine parti-
cles OF dried Tigrls mud. was 80 thick
that 1t formed II curtain behind which
ten boats were able to cross.
Afterwards. in tho clear moonlight,
when the guns we're waiting for am
munition and the dust curtain had
lifted, the conditions of the preceding
night were re-established. Succeeding
crossing parties were exterminated
and pontoons drlfted away. but a
footing had been secured. The crew
OF one pontoon which lost its way
In the dust cloud failed to make the
bank in time. Directly the air cleared
machine gun was opened on them
and the rowers were shot down and
A sergeant called for volunteers to
get the wounded men out OF the boat
and a party OF twelve men went over
the river bank. Every man of them,
az well as the crew OF the boat, was
killed.
sixty men had gained u foothold on
the other bank OF the Diala. They
got together and started bombing
along the bank. They were soon
| heavily pressed by the Turks on both
tanks. and found themselves between
two clumps OF woods. Here they dis
covered providential natural posi-
ton. A break in the river levee had
been repaired by a new levee built in
half moon on the iandward side.
This formed a perfect lunette. The
sixty soldiers, surrounded on all sides
but the water, held II through the
night, all the next day ana the next
night against repeated and deter
mined attacks.
On the morning OF tho 10th. British
troops upstream had begun TO turn
the Turkish flank, and general re-
tlrement began. by $50 A. NJ, in the
morning the whole brigade had
crossed and tho fato Of Bagdad Was