Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

33 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

CASE OF THE BARALONG.

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THE BRITISH STAND AT KUT.

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THE BRITISH STAND AT KUT. OVERWHELMING DIFFI- CULTIES FOUGHT. A l'eport of the recent opera- ti_ ons in Mesopotamia- reads:—The Turkish main position was situated on both sides of the river at Ctosiphon, though they had other minor entrenchments farther down the river toward ? K.iUAe General Towm- hend'? force a.n t?'ese hend's force advanoed northwards all th ese much diH.ouitv, t.h? Turks ret-?mg Jn most smaller positions wci-e captured without C66 too precipitately to allow us to get to clORe quarters. AribE hung shout the Hanks and sniped from A ?a.fe distance, but wo knew that this was only their way of showing the Turks tbA<. thay l'Mllv wee ?? eir bMt, and we aJso krt?w that t?. hardest nm "vc have had to crack wcuM be found in the errtrenohmevnts at. Cittsiphon. The areli at Ctesiphon, ail that remains of the Takht-a-Kasra. the winter pa-laoe of ancient Parthian kings, stands out well above the plain, the. only pmminerut land- mark for many miles. Built some 2,000 years atro, 120to. high, it remains one of the wonders of tlie world and a lastcng t-eafeiraony to the skill of ancient engineers. Bound this bJia Turks had constructed their position on t-he, right bank of the river as well as on the leit. The foreground for miles was As flat as a billiard table and devoid of cover of ahv description. A network of deep and narrow trenches stretche d back almost to the river Dialah, six miles in rear, vhich flows from the Bast into the Tigris at this point. The earth from the trenches had been carried far to the roar. Thev had no parapets as such things a,re understood in military text- books, and the only thing visible to the at- tacking force Was a thick fence of barbed wire which ran along the entire front. romingof the 22nd found the troops in readiness for attack, stretched out on the wide plain facing the Ctesiphon position, the troops detailed for the frontal attack nearest the river. The left of the columns march- ing against the enemy's flank were faintly visible on the horizon. The gunboats opened the battle against the enemy's trenches close to the left bank. The Field Artillery drew in and pounded the ground wher e they (imagined the trenches must be, but there was no reply, nor any sign of movement at Ctevphon until the lines of advancing infantry got within 2,000 yards of the wire entanglements. Then, by signal, the wnoie or Ille Turkisn lIe broKe into 0. rop.r 01 fire, and v,-e knew that the struggle had commenced. Under heavy artillery fire t.he attack pushed in towards the enemy with a steadi- ness which could not have been beaten on parade until effective iifle range was reached, where a pause was made to baild up the strength. Die fight for the trenches from now on until the British succeeded in reaching the first, line baffles description. The gallant advance across the open grourd, the building up of th firing line, the long paime andei, murderous rifle fire while devoted bodies of men we.nt forward to cut the wire, the final rush, and the hand to hand lighting in the trenches are t-borico which have been told before. No descrip- tion could do justice to the gallantry of the men -who carried it out Meanwhile t,he flank attack bad already crushed the enemy's left and driven it h-ick OD to its second line a mile or so in rear. Courage and determination carried the day and. by the afternoon the whole of tht front Turkish pusltion. szdik-art of the second line, was in the hands of the British. Tiio intensity of the fighting, however, did not abate. The Turks. Numerically greatly superior, t i ftressed in counter-attacks at several points from their second position on which they had fallen back. Twelve Turkish guns were captured, ti'ren aC,, iiii by the enemy, re- captured again by tJ, and retaken finalh* by the Turks, and so the fighting went on until a, merciful darkness fell a-tid as if by mutual agreement, the fire of bClth sides, too weary for rni'id, died away. The r-old of the night, want crt water, the. collecting of the wounded gave little rest to the men, though Snanv snatched a few hours of sleep in the trenches among the dead. Dawn of the 23ord broke with a tear- ing wind and a dnst stortn whioh obscured the landscape for some houri; and allowed us time to take in the soene of the light. Whatever loss we suffered, the Turks must have suffered more severely. They had fought stubbornly to the and, knowing that to attempt to escape over the open ground was to court instant death. The trenches were full of therir dead, and every here and there a little pile of men showed where a lucky shell had fallen. Ctesiphon Joomed through tlie dust behind n: still intact for ali the stream of shell wlich ha.d passed it, j for our gunners had been asked to avoid J hitting this ancient monument. The early part of the morning wae occii pied in clearing to tbe rear the transport! which had come up to the first line diiritic the night. At about if o'clock the air cleared and the enemy's artillery began to boom fitfully. Their trudz from across the riwr began to throw heavy shells over us. and as tho light grew better this developed into an artillery duel, wbieb lasted throughout the day. General Townshend during the atter- noon parked his transport two miles to the rear, and while hoidinf the front- line of the Turkish position swung his right back to ¡ -over his nark. In the, late afternoon the artillery fire brisk^ned. and long lines of Turkish infantry conld be seen in the balf light adva'!cin? &?ain&t the Bntish. The first attack was delivered against our left I just after fittrk with a heavy buret of fire, ind from then until 4 o'clock next morning (tie Turkish force, leinforced by Fresh troops from Baghdad, I Hung tnemseivci) agiiinst ns m tneir a-iempt to break the line. 01) three separate, ooca- ions during the night we-e intautry columns ■hrown right iip ago-inst the position at different, points, and ea-ell effort her- aided by wild storms ot artillery a.nd infantry I Are. The line held, ami before d&wn had 'iroken t-hr Tnyhp ha? jthrlrawn. ?Mb?o- -»«erit.h' to reform on their third position on o .n tiieir fhi, ihe hanks of -"he Dialah River. By the 24th the casualties had been evaou- itffl to the Ships t'gbt miles iu .rear. The fore remained on the position which hey bad won for another day, then vitbdrewy to Kut-el-Amara to await rein- ?oreemeuts. The troops, t,b..)ivh wearied with uuoh fighting, turned to hay 011 December Mat, and repulsed with heavy loss a. Turkish force which, a. forced march, had suc- I •eedod in etching them up. In v ie,- of the reinforcements rccHTcd by he Tn~!sf< before end during the battle, he British advance cu Baghdad had to be ban Jon ft! for the time. A ya'Iant attpm^t ,ad been made to c-nsh Kur-fid-Din's Army before the reinforceUJents, known to be com- tng fro-fl the north, could reach it. Bvt t-he •Jelars oaused by the difficulties of navigation JUjc to the ahporrnol low-ns&s of the rivrr were just too gj", for the succ-gsf of this bold strategic plan, and the small British force, which throngbo"t the past, year baa hoe a '.ttccc&stuily ?trusglir.? against ditSenitiee in one of the most trying climates of the world, *.«■• Ifrst to re'eogfl^ that the edde ajain^t :t v, ere too great.

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I -88 SUBMARINE* SUNK." j

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