The sun., 1917-03-12
Gen. Maude's Troops Enter
"City of Caliphs' After
Three Day Fight.
RUSSIANS FORGE AHEAD
Great Drive, With COnstanti-
noplc as Objective, May
Begin Soon.

LONDON, March 11,-Bagdad, chief
Turkish city OF Mesopotamia and once
capital Of the empire OF the Caliphs, has
been surrendered by the Turks British
troops marched early this morning into
the city they have fought more than
year to possess.
The fate OF the Turkish army that
tried to save Bagdad is not known. Gen.
Maude, the British commander, gave no
details in his brief despatch reporting
the victory
There is no doubt, however, that in
the operations preceding the fall OF the
city the British commander and his
troops covered themselves with glory,
A report Of the battle for Bagdad up TO
Saturday morning shows that Gen,
Naude completely outmannuvred the
Turks and that his troops performed
prodigies Of valor and endurance.
battle Lasted Three Days.
In seyenty-two hours Of wh!rlw!nd
hghting the British trorps swept the
Turks from their strong line on the River
DiaIah. six miles from Bagdad. and yes
terday morning had reached positions
only three miles west and southwest Of
the city Twenty-four hours later Bag
dad was theirs.
As revealed by the official report. the
British performance before Bagdad
stands out as one OF the most brilliant Of
the war. On Wednesday night the first
cavalry patrols found the Turks in
,reuchcd on the Dialah. on Thursday
morning infantry had arrived and the
attack was begun AT once. That night,
though the moon shone brightly and
should have revealed to the Turks every
movement, the British effected IA crossing
OF the river and dug themselves in 'on
| the right bank.
On the same morning other British
forces had built pontoon bridge across
the Tigris below it's confluence with the
Dalah and were advancing up the west
| ern hank Bagdad Is on the eastern
bank These troops found the Turks
| intrenched on the west bank six miles
southwest of Bagdad and attacked them
at once. The Turks were hurled back
| two miles
General Attack Is Ordered.
den. Maude ordered a general attack
on the Dialah position that night. In
the face of tho Turkish fire from that
part of the northern bank still In their
hands the British troops forded the
stream and set upon the Mosems with
the bayonet The Turks broke ana He'd
to within two miles Of Bagdad.
While the troops on the east bank OF
the Tigris were forcing the Dialah the
troops on the west bank had attacked
the second Turkish Ooskiop four miles
from bagdad They bvouacked Frr!ay
night in the old Turkish trenches They
awoke Saturday morning In the midst
OF one OF the devastating dust storms
thnt sweep Mesopotamla Notwitastand
ing they again attacked the Turks and
threw them back 4 mile. There cnd'
the official story thus far received.
The effect of the fall of Bagdad. ro
lltlcal, moral and military. will unde
niably he great 1t ends the German
hope OF Near Eastern empire based OF
the Berln-Ba Bagdad railway, reaching IN,
Persian Gulf and stretching out tOwnr,
the empire OF India, 1t will reverberat,
throughout the Moslem world showinl
the true believers that the Br!ton. no
; the German, Is powerful in the East,
Russians Sweeping On.
, Gen. Maude's victory appears to maxi
, only a question OF a shor. time the juno
tIon OF hie army with the Russians Il
Persia under the Grand Duke Nicholas
His army is sweeping west In Persii
toward Mesopotamia, and IL now it'll
more than l50 miles from Bagdad. Rag
3 dad was the Turkish base for operation