French Artillery Support for 8th Corps. 1. One Brigade of 75's will be placed at the disposal of the 8th Corps for the attack on 4th-5th August. Of these (a) One battery will be moved to support closely the attack on Krithia. (b) One battery will fire up the Nullah E. of Krithia. 2. In addition, six French howitzers will be so disposed as to open fire upon Turkish artillery north of the ridge 150—Achi Baba peak. Instructions for G.O.C. A. and N.Z. Army Corps.Reference Map Anafarta Sagir Gallipoli Map 1/20,000. 1. The General Commanding has decided to mass the whole of his reinforcements in and immediately north of the area occupied by the corps under your command, with a view to securing Suvla Bay as a base of operations, driving the enemy off the Sari Bair, and eventually securing a position astride the Gallipoli Peninsula from the neighbourhood of Gaba Tepe to the straits north of Maidos. 2. The general outline for your proposals for the action of the A. and N.Z. Army Corps contained in your G a 89 of 1st July are approved. 3. (a) The General Commanding wishes your operations to begin on August 6th with a strong and sustained attack on Hill 125 (Plateau 400), every effort being made to deceive the enemy as to the locality against which our main effort is to be made, and to induce him to believe that it will be directed against his lines opposite the southern portion of your position. In pursuance of this object the Vice-Admiral has arranged that H.M. ships shall in the meantime display
4. (a) For the above operations the following troops will be at your disposal:— A. and N.Z. Army Corps. 13th Division, less all artillery except 69th F.A. (Howitzer) Brigade. 29th Brigade (10th Division). 29th Indian Brigade. (b) At the date of commencement of the operations the following troops belonging to or attached to the 9th Army Corps will be at Anzac, but will not, except so far as is stated hereunder, be at your disposal:—
5. The operations carried out by the Corps under your command will form part of a general combined offensive undertaken by the whole of the forces of the Gallipoli Peninsula (a) The 8th Army Corps, in conjunction with the Corps ExpÉditionnaire, will attack the Turkish lines south of Krithia on August 4th and 5th. The attack will be made on a large scale, and will be vigorously pressed, and it is hoped that by its means the enemy will be induced to move part of his central reserves southward into the Cape Helles zone during the 5th and 6th, so that they may not be available in the northern zone on the 6th and 7th. (b) The 9th Army Corps will begin landing in and close to Suvla Bay during the night of August 6th-7th. Three infantry brigades, with one field and two mountain batteries, engineers and medical services, should be ashore before dawn, and will be closely followed by two more infantry brigades and additional artillery and engineers. The G.O.C. 9th Army Corps has been informed:—
(c) At the commencement of these operations the infantry of the 53rd Division will be available as Army Reserve and will be at the disposal of the General Commanding. 6. The Vice-Admiral has agreed provisionally to the following allotment of ships affording naval support to the operations:— In Suvla Bay: One 6-in. monitor. South of Kuchuk: H.M.S. Endymion. Kemliki (Nibrunesi Point): H.M.S. Edgar, H.M.S. Talbot, one 6-in. monitor, one 9.2-in. monitor.
These ships would be in position at 3 p.m. on August 6th, except H.M.S. Havelock, which would be in position at daylight on August 7th. They would be detailed for support of the right flank of the A. and N.Z. Army Corps. Off Kum Tepe: One 6-in. monitor. A separate communication is being sent to you with regard to the final settlement of details as to the support of the operations by naval guns, allocation of targets, etc. 7. Special instructions regarding signal communication will be issued later. In general terms the arrangements will be as follows:— A submarine cable and a land cable will be laid between Anzac and Suvla Bay as soon as circumstances permit. A submarine cable will also be laid as soon as practicable between Imbros and Suvla Bay. Pending the completion of connection between Anzac and Suvla Bay, inter-communication will be carried out by lamp. Two military pack W/T stations and a R.N. Base W/T station will be established in the vicinity of Suvla Bay. The W/T station at Anzac will be able to intercept messages from seaplanes, but must not attempt to reply. W/T via the ships will be an alternative means of communication between G.H.Q. and the troops ashore in case of interruption of cable communication. A system of flares will be arranged for employment on the left flank of your position at dawn on August 7th to indicate to the ships the positions reached by the troops. 8. G.H.Q. will in the first instance be at Imbros. (Signed) W. P. Braithwaite, G.H.Q., 30th July, 1915. FORCE ORDER No. 25.1. The total forces of the enemy in the Gallipoli Peninsula are estimated at 100,000. Of these, 27,000 are in the neighbourhood of Anzac (5th, 19th, 16th Divisions, and 18th and 64th Regiments); 36,000 are in the Southern zone (1st, 4th, 6th Division less one regiment, 7th Division, 11th Division less one regiment, and one regiment each of the 12th, 25th and 3rd Divisions); and 37,000 are in Reserve (9th Division less one regiment, 12th less one regiment, 13th, 14th, and 25th less one regiment, and 10th Divisions). Of this reserve force two Divisions are in the Bulair district and one Division in the Eyerli Tepe zone. There are 12,000 on the Asiatic shore of the Dardanelles (2nd Division and 8th Division less one regiment). There are believed to be five Divisions (45,000 men) in the Keshan area belonging to the 5th and 6th Corps. All reports tend to show that though the enemy may be expected to fight well in trenches, their moral has suffered considerably as a result of their recent heavy casualties, and that their stock of ammunition is low. 2. The General Commanding intends to carry out a combined and simultaneous attack on the enemy in the northern and southern zone commencing on 6th August, in accordance with the special instructions already issued to the Corps Commanders concerned. During the first phase of these operations the 13th Division (less three 18-pdr. Bdes. R.F.A.), the 29th Infantry Brigade will be attached to the A. and N.Z. Army Corps. Three squadrons R.N. Armoured Car Division and two batteries Highland Mounted Artillery will be attached to 9th Corps. 86th Brigade R.F.A. and 91st Heavy Battery R.G.A. will be attached to 8th Corps. 3. Special instructions regarding embarkation and disembarkation are issued to G.O.C. 9th Corps, G.O.C., A. and N.Z. Corps, and I.G.C., as appended to this order. 4. The 53rd Division will remain at the disposal of the General Commanding as general reserve. 5. G.H.Q. will remain in the first instance in its present situation. (Signed) W. P. Braithwaite,
Appendix to Force Order No. 25.Embarkations.1. The embarkation of units of the 9th Corps concentrated at Imbros will be carried out under the orders of G.O.C. 9th Corps, commencing for personnel on 6th August, for vehicles and stores at such earlier date as may be convenient. The necessary ships and boats (lists of which have already been handed to the G.O.C. Corps) will be assembled in the harbour beforehand; and the embarkation programme will be worked out in consultation with Commander Ashby, R.N., who has been detailed by the Vice-Admiral for this purpose, and who will arrange for the various vessels to be in their allotted positions at the hours arranged. G.O.C. 9th Corps will also be responsible for the allocation to ships or lighters, and for the embarkation of the following units:—
Units and formations concentrated at Mudros and Mitylene will be embarked for their various destinations under the orders of I.G.C. in accordance with the programme already issued to that officer. Military Transport Officers.2. G.O.C. 9th Corps and I.G.C. respectively will ensure that an officer is appointed Military Transport Officer on every ship for the embarkation of which they are severally responsible (vide paragraph 1). Landing Places.3. The landings of the 9th Corps will be referred to as "A," "B," and "C" Beaches. "A" Beach—Square 117.q. and v. "C" Beach—Square 103.u.z. "B" Beach—Square 91.b, i, o. "C" and "B" Beaches are practically contiguous. Beach Control Personnel.4. The following naval and military beach control personnel have been appointed for the landing places of the 9th Corps:—
The allocation of the above military officers to the various landing places will be detailed by the P.M.L.O. in consultation with the P.B.M. Special instructions with regard to beach fatigue parties have already been issued to the G.O.C. 9th Corps. G.O.C., A. and N.Z. Army Corps will detail such military landing officers, assistant military landing officers, and beach parties for A.N.Z.A.C. as he may consider necessary. The names of officers so appointed will be reported as early as possible to V.A. and to G.H.Q. The following special service officers are attached to H.Q., A. and N.Z. Army Corps, for such duties in connection with the landing as the G.O.C. may direct:— Major P. R. Bruce, S. Notts Hussars. Captain C. R. Higgens, County of London Yeomanry. Captain Sir E. Pauncefort Duncombe, Royal Bucks Hussars. General Instructions for Landing.5. All troops will land with two iron rations (one day's meat only in case of troops disembarking at Anzac). Infantry will carry 200 rounds of S.A.A., machine-gun sections 3,500 rounds. Packs will not be worn. A proportion of heavy entrenching tools, signalling and medical gear will be carried by hand. Camp kettles will be handed to the Ordnance Officer of the camp at which units concentrate before embarkation. They will be forwarded and reissued at the first opportunity. 6. Horses will be landed harnessed, and with nosebags filled to their full capacity. Poles of G.S. wagons will be removed before slinging and made fast to the body of the wagon. Poles of carts, limbers, and limbered wagons will not be removed; these vehicles should be so placed in the boats that they can be landed pole leading. Ammunition.7. The G.O.C. 9th Corps will depute an officer to arrange, in consultation with the P.M.L.O., for the storing of reserve ammunition in convenient localities near the beach. Guards for these stores may be found from the beach fatigue parties. Water.8. The strictest economy must be exercised with regard to drinking water. Under arrangements already made by G.H.Q., receptacles filled with water will be landed as early as possible from the ships carrying the mule corps, and will Transport.9. Transport to supplement that in possession of units will be provided for the 9th Corps and the A.N.Z. Corps by the Indian Mule Corps. The amount of transport for each formation has been calculated to carry rations, water, and S.A.A., making one or two trips a day, according to the anticipated distance of the various units from the beach. This transport will be handed over, as it is landed, by an officer appointed by the D.S.T., to transport officers of Brigades and divisional troops for allotment as circumstances may require. Senior transport officers of Divisions will be ordered to report to the following representatives of the D.S.T. immediately on landing:—
Supplies.10. A supply depÔt has been formed at Anzac, and it is in charge of Major Izod, A.S.C. A supply depot will be formed by D.S.T. at "A" Beach as soon as supplies can be landed, and will be in charge of Major Huskisson, A.S.C. Senior supply officers of Divisions will be ordered to place themselves in communication with the officer in charge of the nearest supply depÔt and to keep him informed of their daily requirements. Supplies will, so far as possible, be handed over to them in bulk at the depÔt. Owing to the difficulty in landing sufficient animals in the first instance it is possible that only half rations may be available on the third and fourth days after the operations begin. All units should be specially ordered to husband their rations. Medical.11. Arrangements have been made to establish on the beach at Anzac two casualty clearing stations, which will (Signed) C. F. Aspinall, |