Interesting at Anzac

[stevenbecker]

Mates,

 

I notice this inquiry about this account from Gallipoli

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov. ... 8bc06719da
Reference: AGDT/2
Title: Volume 2.

 

You will find some interest.

 

But one part had me looking?

 

""Ms. report written by Lieutenant H Pirie-Gordon RNVR, Naval Intelligence Officer on the staff of GOC, Anzac, concerning an attack on the Anzac positions by the Turkish 26th and 42nd Regiments on 27 April 1915. 2pp April/May 1915"
 

Now I don't know who Lt Gordon RNVR is, or where he picked up his intelligence of the attack at Anzac?

 

Ottoman records of cause don't give the same details, as these Regts were no where near Anzac (26th Regt was fighting for its life at Helles and the 42nd Regt was hundreds of miles away and didn't arrive at Helles untill July 1915)?

 

But why should we believe Ottoman records?

 

Away enjoy the Naval diary.

 

S.B

[seaJane]

Here is something on Lt-Cdr Pirie-Gordon: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02684520601046382?scroll=top&needAccess=true

 

[michaeldr]

On 23/07/2019 at 00:25, stevebecker said:

where he picked up his intelligence of the attack at Anzac?

 

Where is intelligence usually picked up?

From enemy PoWs I suspect - There wasn't a lot of scampering behind enemy lines, or cloak & dagger work, as far as I can tell

What was the quality of the inteligence contained in the Ottoman reports at this time? 

 

 

 

[michaeldr]

On 23/07/2019 at 00:25, stevebecker said:

 

Now I don't know who Lt Gordon RNVR is

 

I bet you do.

See The Advance of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force...etc...

by February 1919 he was a Lt-Col and Military Editor, working from The Plaestine News, GHQ, EEF

[Guest]

Mate,

 

Sorry, are you sure michael?

"Where is intelligence usually picked up?

From enemy PoWs I suspect "

 

One does wonder where he gained his Intell?

 

If prisoners that seam strange, as stated the 26th Regt was at Helles and had been there since the landings?

 

Did the odd soldier from the 26th find there way to the 27th Regt which was fighting at Anzac, possibly?

 

But the 42nd Regt (14th Div) was no where near Gallipoli, and as part of the 5th Corps was with the 13th Div were around Thrace for the protection of Constantinople 

 

This Corps didn't get committed to the fighting untill July 1915.

 

So to find a soldier from the 42nd Regt in the ranks of either the 27th Regt or 57th Regt (and possibly the Arab 72nd and 77th Regts) at Anzac seams strange, when at that time the mass reinforcement of the Gallipoli front had not began in April and not until after the May attacks 1915?

 

But I refer to your greater knowage here.

 

S.B

 

Edited 24 July , 2019 by stevebecker

[michaeldr]

Name, rank & number - no more

Are PoWs permitted to give away info on the id of their unit? I think not

Perhaps someone lied a little bit and made something up

Such are the dangers of relying on Pows for Intel

 

18 hours ago, michaeldr said:

What was the quality of the inteligence contained in the Ottoman reports at this time? 

Do you have examples?

[Guest]

Mate,

 

From what I read in Erickson, they were suffering from the same problems?

 

And at the time mistakes were made on both sides.

 

So why not acknowledge that.

 

Why say, because he said such and such, that its set in stone, why not say, he said that, so why did he say it?

 

Clearly he named the wrong Ottoman Regts, and would (I hope) have been corrected in later verions?

 

Cheers

 

S.B

[Robert Dunlop]

Quite possibly a misprint of 27th and 72nd Infantry Regiments, either in the original transcript or more likely in the blurb describing the contents, especially if the original was hand- rather than type-written.

 

Robert

[michaeldr]

8 hours ago, Robert Dunlop said:

Quite possibly a misprint of 27th and 72nd Infantry Regiments, either in the original transcript or more likely in the blurb describing the contents, especially if the original was hand- rather than type-written.

Robert,

That's sounds like a very probable explanation

 

Steve,

Do get back to us when you've read the file

and let us know what it's all really about