The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-12
Could Have Taken
COnstantinople

In an article entitled Threads by Which Ma
tons Hang in Harper's Monthly, George Abel
Schreiner, late representative Of the Associated
Press with the armies of the central powers,
declares that If the allies had realized the short
age Of Turkish ammunition in the shore defenses
Of the Dardeneles on March 10, 1915. Constan-
tinople would have been theirs within the next
week
Mr. Schreiner, who was at Turko-German
headquarters on the peninsula during the opera
tons Of March 1S, gives a graphic description
of the attempt OF the allied fleet to force the
straits. He describes the loss of the BoUVet
in Erenkoi Bay, destroyed by the fire from the
shore batteries, and the subsequent damaging
of the Queen Elizabeth and the sinking Of the
Irresistible and Ocean In the latter connection
he makes no reference to the famous Canou-
fIaged dreadnoughts Of the British fleet said
to have been used in these operations He as
serts, furthermore that the Turkish batteries
were not directed, as alleged. by German off,
GERS.
Turks Gloomy.
There Is no doubt" says Mr. Schreiner, that
the day had been against the allied fleet I"
The total casualties in killed and wounded in
the Turkish emplacements were less than one
hundred and only one gun had been put out Of
action, while three others were slightly dam
aged" The writer says he verified this. And
yet" he continues, There was gloom in Tchanak
Kale that evening l suspected what the rea-
was, but had no confirmation until about
midnight, when 1 was obliged to drive Mertens
Pasha, the German coast artillery expert, out OF
his bed in order to get one of my dispatches
censored and authorized"
The writer found the German officer exceed
1ngly pessinmstic as to the morrow and it was not
until an hour so later he discovered that there
was virtually no more ammunition TT had been
decided he writes, that If the allied fleet re-
turned in the morning the coast batteries werU
to hold out to the last shell and then the
gun crews were to take to the hills"
That very night the archives and the treasure
Of the sultan and the Ottoman government were
packed, and during the succeeding day they
would be taken to Eslzi Shehirt in Anatolia an
ctent capital Of the Osnanl The sultan and
the government would go there during the night
Of March 1920 If the allies came back in the
th&t the British and French ships would lie be-
fore Constantnople by sunset of March 30.
Fort Anadolu Hamidieh had only seven
teen shells Of the armour piercing variety and
the batteries at Kilid-tl-Bahr had together ten.
Allied Ships Leave.
During the next forty-elght hours, when the
fate of Constantinople was hanging in the bal
ance the rnystified Turks received first the re-
port that the allied fleets were lying quietly at
anchor behind the Island Of Tenedos and in
the Bay Of Mudros, and then that the vessels had
steamed away for parts unknown, probably
Malta 1.-THE defense Of the straits" says the
writer, was at this 1uncture "a mere stage mat
ter" The allies had Constanunople and her
waterways in the hollow Of their hand and did
not know It," ..e.
"A few weeks later" Mr.. schreiner continues,
beginning with April 25, Constantinople was
once more within reach Of the allies. This time
her land forces could have done it--would have
done it-had they cut off the peninsula Of Gal
lpoH in the Isthnus of Bulair. Instead of do
verv end of the peninsula. It may be
OF interest to know that Lman Won Sanders
Pasha (head OF the German military mission in
Turkey and in charge of the defense of Gal
lipolll and the men in the ministry Of war,
at stamboul had made up their minds to
uate the entire peninsula in case the allies got
possession Of the Bulatr Isthmus. No other way
wa open. =
II have been unable to find in history a single
incident that is at all comparable with the one
I have described here. Another hours work on
March 49, or within any reasonable time there
after, would have saved the lives Of millions Of
men, and would have preserved the physical fit
ness of other millions and made unnecessary the
spending Of scores OF billions"
The reason? Mr. Schreiner points to the re-
fusal Of the allied strategsts to ignore q report
proven false, that the Turks were receiving Ger
man arnor piercing ammunition through Fhl-
mania. Allied agents chung to this rumor and
shown that mot a single shell" from Germany
was going over the Balkans This rumor, It APP
pears, was one Of the threads by which nations
hang"