August 10- Loss of Chunuk Bair

[christine liava'a]

During the night of 9/10 August the Turks amassed behind Sari Bair, and well before dawn overran the 6th Loyal North Lancashire Battalion and 5th Wiltshire Battalion holding Chunuk Bair. Up to 900 British soldiers were cut down by a wall of fanatical Turks. It was all over for the inexperienced troops in a few minutes... Only about 40 Lancashires are known to have survived.

Chunuk Bair was now lost forever

The Turks paused till after dawn of 10 August, before charging over the western brow of Chunuk Bair at the Allies, angling towards the British battalions to the north of the Apex on Cheshire Ridge and the Farm. A whole division plus 3 extra battalions came over the skyline in 22 parallel lines with about 300 men in each. The hillside turned brown wioth charging Turkish troops.

10 NZ machine guns had been strategicaly deployed the previous day. 4 guns fired over the heads of the men at the Apex. It was a harvest of death for the machine gunners, who cut great swathes through the Turks. In less than 30 minutes they were all shot down. The firing ceased and a silence fell over the Anzac line. The wounded were allowed to crawk back up the hill unmolested- such was the admiration for their courage. At this late stage the Royal Navy destroyers and Field Artillery joined the battle and rained shrapnel shells over the wounded and dead Turks.

Soon after the counter-attack, about 7 am, unbeknownst to the men at the Apex, masses of Turks worked their way along the gully to the left...the first the NZers knew oftheir presence was when they commenced firing on the Apex from just 25 yards away. More Turks kept appering from the gully every minute, firing as they came.

At the sight of the screaming oncoming Turks, a battalion of Lancashires in the front trenches behind the crest of the Apex and to the left of it jumped their trenches and bolted to the rear, many dropping their rifles in the process, The regiment, at that time composed mainly of raw recruits, ran right through a battalion of Wiltshires in a support position.

The Wiltshires were under orders to leave their positions and drive the Turks back, but the shrapnel exploding on the slopes of the Apex made them stay put.

It fell to the NZers to act quickly to save the situation. Every available NZEr at the time behind the Apex rushed forward to intercept the Turks, including the new men of the 5th Reinforcements.

"In about 3 minutes we were marching in single file throgh the Wiltshires in their dugouts... I quite forgot all fear as we charged for the crest. The Turkswere charging up it from the other side but we got there first and then 'what ho she bumped' There were only 55 of us in one place (all Aucklanders) and we gave them Turks something to remember."

This impromptu show of NZ strength seemed to satisfy the Turks that they had no immediate chance against the Apex, at least until the NZ troops were relieved

The August Offensive refers to the 5 days (from Friday 6 August to Tuesday 10 August) of offensive operations by the Allies, predominantly the Anzacs, to break out of the sector they had held since the opening days of the campaign. By 10 August operations had slowed to a stalemate and all hope for a successful operation had vanished. Both sides were left consolidating their new positions, removing the wounded and counting the dead.

The end of the August Offensive spelt an end to all serious attacks by the NZ Infantry Brigade and the Turks for the remainder of their service at Anzac. For the next 4 months they would settle down to trench warfare.

Total NZ deaths over the August Offensive were 880;

Auckland Infantry Battalion- 100;

Wellington Infantry Battalion - 313;

Canterbury Infantry Battalion- 93;

Otago Infantry Battalion- 124;

Auckland Mounted Rifles- 90'

Wellington Mounted Rifles- 64;

Canterbury Mounted Rifles- 31

Otago Mounted Rifles- 34

Maori Contingent- 21;

Others- 10

Allied casualties over the 5 day period amounted to 12,500 men out of a total of 37,000 present, more than 33 % of the Allied force at Anzac.

22 New Zealanders were taken prisoner.

Bloody Gallipoli- Richard Stowers

[PhilB]

I assume that the Lancs Bn that bolted to the rear was the 6LNL that was overwhelmed in the front trench? If only 40ish Lancs men survived, how could the battalion have bolted en bloc? The LNL history gives 494 casualties on the day, inc 11 officers and 211 men killed. Or was it some other Lancs Bn? Phil B

[christine liava'a]

I don't know. I just copied!

Christine

[PhilB]

It`s always the messenger that gets it in the neck! I`d really like to know though. It`s my local battalion and it`s either a heroic stand against overwhelming odds or a panicked run? Phil B

[christine liava'a]

I have carefully read the entire chapter, and there is no further detail about exactly who they were or the numbers involved. The only other numbers given are;

the total - 37,000 casualties comprised 5,880 Australians and New Zealanders, 5,500 of the 13th (New Army) Division, 1,200of the Indian Brigade and the 29th Battalion of the 10th Division.

You will have to read their war diary to find out.

[The Plummed Goose]

Dear Phil,

"Of the actual incidents of this famous assault few are recorded" ... These are the words a Charles Bean, a war historian with an eye for detail. (he wrote 1500 pages on the Anzac campaign in Gallipoli)

This must be true because :

1. The situation was very chaotic that morning.

2. There are not that many who survived to tell the story.

The LNL (they were in the front trench) were attacked with bombs (as from 3.30 am) and -as the LNL did not have any bombs themselves- they could only shoot at the bomb-throwers.

Then wave after wave of Turks came over the crest and Bean mentiones that the 6th LNL line at Chunuk Bair and the Pinnacle "broke".

Looking at the map (please PM me with your e-mail addrress for a copy) I don't think they had a chance to run away ...

cheers

eric

[PhilB]

I`d like to think it happened that way, Eric. Unfortunately the "bolted to the rear, dropping their weapons" bit does give a different impression. Perhaps a bit of both?

Who knows? Phil B

[PhilB]

Thanks for the map, Eric. Would you be in a position to say what the Turkish account of that action says? Phil B

[The Plummed Goose]

Dear Phil,

I have not started in detail on the Turkish side yet ...

eric

[michaeldr]

If I am not mistaken I think that that we discussed this topic last year

See

If so then it is useful to have Christine’s quote to add to our knowledge of this very complicated and intricate story

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Guest gumbirsingpun]

i recommend you should look into the book " military operations" written by Aspinal Oglander if you really wanna get the low down on the aggust defansive at gallipoli,

[PhilB]

I think most of these people have found that the Official History may, at times, not quite give all the facts, especially about British reverses! Phil B

[Guest gumbirsingpun]

i definitely hold with you in what you said,

phil,,

[Guest gumbirsingpun]

i red in that book that some of the new zellanders had been blown out by afew high-explosive british shells which were hurled at the Turks by the Royal Navy dreadnought battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth,

the book is really good,

tuna

[Jack Wyatt]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2005 at 07:59, PhilB said:

d think most of these people have found that the Official History may, at times, not quite give all the facts, especially about British reverses! Phil B

 

I recommend the excellent book by Christopher Pugsley "Gallipoli - The New Zealand Story".  This book provides an indication of the chaotic situation at the Pinnacle and Chunuk Bair.  Pugsley quotes from the NZ Brigade Major Temperley (a British regular officer) as follows -

 

Page 312 - "On August 10th I saw 300 or 400 of them running forward to the Turks with their hands up   To save a disaster of the first magnitude and to prevent the whole front collapsing I gave orders to the machine guns of our Brigade to open fire upon them and at some cost in life the movement was checked and they ran back to their lines"

 

Page 312 - records that "the Pinnacle was lost and the Apex threatened, and panic spread.  Men - New Zealand, British and Indian - ran down the track from the line.  Wallingford, always the man for the crisis, stood pistol in hand, firing at those that fled, rallying them and turning them back".  Captain Wallingford was the Machine Gun Officer for NZ Infantry Brigade and British regular officer,

 

Page 306 - Sgt Allen of No 1 Platoon Otago Battalion was on his way to Chunuk Bair together with the Wellington Mounted Rifles to relieve the Wellington Battalion.  He notes the wounded on their way back to the Apex telling Allen "how badly help was needed in the firing line".  Allen notes "we passed a donga where 200 men were crowded together with their sergeant (most likely the Gloucesters and Welsh) sheltering like a flock of sheep".  

 

 

Edited 1 December , 2018 by Jack Wyatt

[PhilB]

Jack, does page 312 (300 - 400 surrendering) refer to the NZ Brigade?

[Jack Wyatt]

17 hours ago, PhilB said:

Jack, does page 312 (300 - 400 surrendering) refer to the NZ Brigade?

No.  

 

The Brigade Major states New Army.  Bean in the Australian Official History is specific and names the Battalion which broke both at Chunuk Bair and the Pinnacle.  

 

 

Edited 2 December , 2018 by Jack Wyatt