Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-09-08
FLEET MISSES
CHANCE TO TAKE
TURK CAPITAL
Henry Morganthau Says That
at One Time During Siege
Constantinople Was Out
of Powder.

"'Could the allied feet really have
captured ConstantinopleT | am
constantly asked this question:" says
Henry Morgenthau cx-American am
hassador to Turkey who visited the
Dardanelles forts during the bonn
bardment. Mr.. Morgenthau gives his
answer TO this question in his
memoirs in the September Worlds
Work, just published. He says:
AS layman my own opinion can
have little value, but | quote the opin-
ions of the German generals and ad-
mirals, and OF the unexpectedly
all OF whom, excepting Enyur, be-
lieved that the enterprise would sue
coed, and | am half inclined to be-
ieve that Enver's attitude was merely
case of graveyard whistling.
"Enver had told me, in our talk on
Che deck OF the Yuruk, that he had
plenty OF guns-plenty OF ammuni-
tioa' But this statement was not true
A glimpse at the map will show
why Turkey was not receiving NUM-
tons from Germany or Austria at that
time. The fact was that Turkey was
Just as completely isolated from its
allies then as Russia was afterward
for Serbia was Germany's enemy and
Roumania was neutral,
Short of Ammunition.
Let us suppose that the allies had
returned to the attack, what would
have happenede
The one overwhelming fact is that
the Notifications were very short
OF ammunition. They had almost
reached the limit of their resisting
powers when the British fleet passed
out on the afternoon OF the 18th. j
alad secured permission for Mr..
George A. Schreilier, the we'll known
American correspondent of the AS
ISOLATED Press, to visit the Darda-
nelles on this occasion. On the night
OF the 18th, this correspondent dis
cussed the situation with General
Mertens, who was the chief technical
officer of the Straits. General Mer-
tens admitted that the outlook was
very discouraging for the defense.
"'We expect that the British will
come back early tomorrow morning,
he said, and il they do we may be
able to hold out for few hours
General Mertens did not declare
in so many words that the ammuni-
ton was practically exhausted, but
Mr.. Schreiner discovered that such
was the case. The fact was that Fort
the most powerful defense
On the Asiatic side, had just seven
cen armor piercings shells left, while
1t Klid-ul-Bahr, which was the main
defense on the European side, there
we're precisely ten.
Advised Flight to Hills.
AZ should advise you to get up at
o'clock tomorrow morning, said
General Mertens, and take to the
Anatolian hills. That's what we are
going 10 do
. "The troops at all the Notifications |
HAD their orders to man the guns I'M
til the last SELL had been fired and
then abandon the forts.
"Once these defenses became help
less, the problem OF the allied fleet
would have been simple one The
only bar to their progress would
have been the mine field, which
stretched from point about two
miles north of Erenkeui to Kilid-ul'
Bahr, But the Allied fleet had plenty
Of mine sweepers, which could have
made channel in few hours. North |
OF Tchanak, as ! have already ex-
planned, there were a few guns, but
they. were of the 1873 model, and
could not discharge projectiles that
could pierce modern :rlnor plate.
Spirit OF Revolt,
"All over Turkey ambitious chief.
tains had arisen, who were momen-
iarily expecting the fall, and who
were looking for the opportunity to
seize their parts Of the inheritance,
As previously described, Djemal had
already organized practically an in
dependent government in Syria. In
Smyrna Rahmi Bey. the governor
general had often disregarded the
authorities iii the capital In Adri-
anople Hadji Adj, one of the most
courageous Turks of the time, was
making his plans to set up an indie
pendent government Arabia was al
ready practically an independent ma
ton. Among the subject races the
spirit of revolt was rapidly spreading
The Greeks and the Armenians would
also have welcomed an opportunity
10 strengthc the hands of the allies.
The existing financial and industrial
conditions seemed to make revolu-
ton inevitable. Many farmers went
on s.si>e, they had no seeds and
would not accept them as free gift
from the government because, they
said. as soon as their crops should
be garnered the armies would i'm