The uncensored Dardanelles

THE LANDING AT CAPE HELLES

THE LANDING AT CAPE HELLES

FOREWORD 14

continue to believe that our disasters in the field were due to the faulty tactics and still more faulty strategy of Sir Ian Hamilton and his advisers, who from first to last persisted in hammering away at the Turkish entrenchments at Cape Helles and Anzac, in a series of costly frontal attacks which never led to a single victory and very rarely to the gain of any ground.

FIRST VIEW OF GALLIPOLI 31

From aloft the enemy’s position stood out clearly—the Castle of Seddel Bahr, Cape Helles, Kum Kali, and other points, which have become famous since the bombardments and naval engagement on March 18th, but I could not discover, through the powerful ship’s glasses, a single Turk moving anywhere. Both the Asiatic and Gallipoli shores seemed to be deserted. We cruised up the coast as far north as the little pro- montory of Gaba Tepe, but although we kept a sharp look-out we only saw one Turkish soldier, or maybe a peasant the whole day. Gaba Tepe appeared strongly fortified and I could distinguish the enemy’s trenches, and the field of barbed wire entanglements covering the front. We then turned and steamed slowly down the coast again. It being Sunday morning, a service was held on the quarter-deck. It was incongruous but moving to listen to hundreds of bluejackets and marines bawling out at the top of their voices ‘‘ Abide with Me” and * Onward, Christian Soldiers,’ which were wafted across the waters to the waiting Infidel only a short mile away.

A GIGANTIC SHIPWRECK 54

At four o’clock a destroyer came alongside and I said good-bye, with great regret,to Captain Armstrong,and my many friends on the London, with whom I have spent three such crowded and exciting weeks. The commander of the destroyer gave me a few details of the fighting at Cape Helles, and I learnt that my surmises on what would happen had turned out to be correct, namely, our men, having got ashore with incredible difficulty, were immediately held up when they attempted to advance inland and seize Krithia and Achi Baba.

THE ALBION 109

Kephalos is a small open bay on the island of Imbros, about ten miles from Cape Helles, nine from Anzac, and twelve from Suvla Bay. It offers little or no protection when the wind is in the east or north, but it does keep off the “ sou-’westers.”’ ‘The entrance is as wide as the bay itself, and is, therefore, difficult to protect against submarine

LORD KITCHENER 131

I replied that I had never heard any other spoken of except, of course, Suvla Bay, which offered many advantages, and which many experts considered should have been chosen as the site of our original landing on the Peninsula, but that now it was probably occupied in force, and might present great difficulties.

THE SUVLA BAY OFFENSIVE

CHAPTER X THE SUVLA BAY OFFENSIVE

CASUALTIES 231

Thirdly, came the utterly futile frontal attack on the Nek made by the 8th Victorian and roth West Australian Regiments of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. In this murderous attempt, which the merest tyro could perceive had no possible chance of succeeding, 435 men out of 600 were sacrificed, including twenty officers. In fact, of the assaulting parties, hardly a man regained the trenches. Of the frontal attacks made by Godley’s Corps it is unnecessary to speak again. ‘They all failed, and nearly brought disaster on the Anzac Army. Once the landing had been effected, the fighting at Suvla Bay from August 6th to August 21st consisted of nothing but a series of frontal attacks, all of which were repulsed by the enemy.