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[Page 73]
designed to gain ground to the north and join hands with the new offensive, coincided with the arrival of the transports and the disembarkation at Suvla Bay. The new divisions, supported by the fire of the ships, quickly advanced towards the high ground which encircles the bay on the north, east, and south; and there appears to have been no delay in landing and sending forward reinforcements.
THE HITCH.
Thus all the preliminary arrangements went like clock-work, and everything seems to have been in favour of complete success. The Australasian Corps, after desperate fighting, gained the commanding ridges of Sari Bahr and Chunuk Bahr, and it only remained for the advance from Suvla Bay to gain the heights of Anafarta, east and southeast of the Salt Lake, in order to dominate the entire region. At this stage, for some reason not yet fully explained, a hitch occurred in the proceedings. The advance of the newly-landed force was held up in the low ground east of the Salt Lake, and on the 7th and the following day was unable to make any further material progress towards the main position on the Anafarta ridge, which had meanwhile been strongly occupied by the Turks. In consequence the Australians and New Zealanders were obliged to withdraw from the advanced positions they had gained on the ridges to a line in rear of the crest, where they established themselves firmly. The renewed attack, which was made on the 21st with the aid of reinforcements which had become available in the meantime, was unable to make material progress except on the left of the Australasian line, where a strong position was established about three-quarters of a mile in advance of the original front. The net result of the operations thus far has been that the position gained above Gaba Tepe at the end of April has been extended northwards as far as the shore of the Gulf of Saros beyond Suvla Bay, the total length of the front exceeding twelve miles, while the Turks continue to hold the dominating ridges which command the country towards the open sea on the west and the Dardanelles on the east. But while the new offensive has not achieved the complete success hoped for, the advantage gained by the increased scope for action offered by the