The Arizona copper camp., 1918-09-14

tue rOaQ were NUMBERS OK troops
scoffing and among them Indian troops
on sentry duty. They looked like a
bunch Of frozen turnips, cool and un-
comfortable. We were close enough to
make the roar Of the cannonading
seem intolerably loud and could see
the bursting shells, particularly those
from the British ships.
Then we came across some Turkish
prisoners who were sheltering in an
old barn, I guess it was, and we
stopped for shelter and rest. They
told us that their troops were very
tired from long fighting but that they
had plenty Of men. They said couple
OF shells had dropped about hum
dred yards from the barn just before
we came, so we knew the batteries
were trying to get our range and we
did not stay any longer, but went
away from there and on our road.
About 500 yards farther on we came
to ruins, and when we went inside
we found so or 60 Of our boys cooking
and sleeping and not giving thought
to the shells or shrapnel. The mules
outside were banging away at the hay,
as though there never had been a war
in the world. There was no shell made
that could bulge them away from
that hay unless it hit them.
Then along came a cart making g.
lot of racket. One Of the fellows in it
had half of his face shot away and
was all bandaged up, but he was try
ing to sing and laugh just the same
as the rest were doing. They were
Anzacs, and were pretty badly shot up.
The'word "Anzac," as you probably
know, is made from the initials of the
Australian and New Zealand army
corps. They had regular town, called
Anzac, on the peninsula. At Suvla
bay and around Gaba Tepe the Anzacs
got further into the Turkish lines than
any other unit in the allied armies.
They were wonderful fighters.
By this time the Turks were making
an attack, and all you could see to
the front was one long line of smoke
and spouting earth. Then our guns
started and the noise was deafening.
1t was worse than in the turrets
aboard ship during an engagement.
My head rang for days after we left
the Dardanelles.
The Turks were getting better idea
of our range now and the shells were
falling pretty close to us, but finally
we tore in with the 14-inch navals
and ripped up three of their batteries.
In the lull that followed we made good
time and reached our front line posi-
tions at Sedd-el-Bahr during the after
noon.
The next morning we made our first
attack. had had a bad night Of it,
thinking about Murray, and when the
time came there never was a chap
more glad to charge and get a chance
at the enemy with the bayonet than
I was.
We attacked according to program.
Time cards were issued to the officer
Of each section, so that we would work
exactly with the barrage. To be ahead
of, or behind the time card, would
mean walking into our own barrage.
The time Of attack is called zero
that is, the minute when you leave
the trench. Some of the Anzacs said it
meant when your feet got the coolest,
but do not think they suffered very
much with trouble in the feet-not
when they were advancing, anyway.
The time card might read something
like this: First wave, zero, advance,
rapid walk, barrage 25 in 10 seconds,
take first trench, 0:20; second wave,
same as the first, pass first trench,
0:23; take second trench, OBS. The
third wave is ordered to take the third
trench, and SO on, for as many lines
as the enemy is entrenched. The other
waves might be instructed to occupy
Hill Z, 2:0S, or dig in behind rock,
II :45. Here, zero is understood, the
first figures standing for minutes and
the others for seconds. 1t might take
several hours to carry out the pro-
gram, but everything is laid out to
an exact schedule.
1 was in the sixth line of the third
wave of attack and zero was 4 80
a. m. Whistles were to be the signal
for zero and we were to walk to the
first line Turkish trench. AS we came
out our barrage fire would be burst
ing so yards ahead of us and would
lift 25 yards every 10 seconds. Our
stunt was to take advantage of it
without walking into it.
No one man can see all of an attack,
which may extend over miles of
ground, but during the three weeks
[ was in the trenches on the Gallipoli
peninsula we made four grand attacks
and many minor ones, so know in a
general way what they are like. Each
wave is organized like the others.
First come three lines Of what you
might call grenadiers, though they are
not picked for Size as the old kings
grenadiers used to be. They are de-
ployed in skirmiSh formation, which
means that every man is three yards
E,.1