Item 03: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett telegrams, 1915 - Page 15

[Page 15]

might cut right across his lines of communication therefore as a preliminary measure before attempting a further offensive against our forces at the southern end of Gallipoli Von Sanders seems to have made up his mind on a final effort against [censor's deletion – the Anzac] this position stop for this movement the Germans seem to have brought up from Constantinople at least five fresh regiments including a corps d'elite of picked Gendarmes who wear a light blue uniform of much the same colour as the new French cloth stop Von Sanders himself directed the operations which have just ended so disastrously for his prestige stop

On May 18th various movements of troops were reported by aeroplane reconnaissance by ships observing at various points along the coast not only were the enemy seen to be disembarking men from steamers in the Straits but a general movement was reported from north and east of Krithia towards the west stop further evidence that some new move was meditated was the heavy bombardment opened on the [censor's deletion – the Anzac] position throughout the eighteenth not only from field guns but from twelve inch nine inch and howitzers stop therefore a warning was sent to the trenches at ten o'clock on the evening of the eighteenth for everyone to be on the qui vive stop

at midnight a heavy rifle and machine gun fire broke out from the enemy's positions at the head of the Monash Gully and from the Hill 700 which was chiefly directed on Quinns Post stop this fire was the hottest the Australians have yet known but the men lay low in their trenches and suffered but few casualties stop under cover of this fire a line of snipers crept forward from the Turkish trenches close up to our front line and attempted to snipe the defenders when they replied to this fusillade more Turks then crept forward until a thick line was established within very close range [possible censor's deletion - but the formations in the dark were not well kept there was much bunching together at various points]