Gallipoli Diary Volume II Part 29

howitzer batteries, now at Anzac, during the day following your initial disembarkation.

6. In order that you may be able to arrange for the disembarkation of your force to agree, so far as Naval exigencies will admit, with the plan of operations on which you decide, the allocation of troops to the s.h.i.+ps and boats to be provided by the Navy is left to your decision.

With this object, tables have been drawn up, and are enclosed with these instructions, showing the craft which can be placed at your disposal by the Navy, their capacity, and the points at which the troops can be disembarked. The tables also show what numbers of troops, animals, vehicles, and stores can be landed simultaneously.

The beaches available for your landing on the first night are (1) a frontage of 600 yards in Suvla Bay (sq. 117 Q.V.); (2) a frontage of 1,800 yards S. of Kuchuk Kemikli (sq. 9, 103 z, 104 V; 91 A.B.), called "New Beach" in the tables. It will not be possible in the first instance to land more than one brigade of your force in Suvla Bay, though other vessels can simultaneously be discharging their pa.s.sengers on New Beach.

7. As regards the time at which the disembarkation may be expected to commence, no craft will be allowed to leave Kephalos Harbour till after dark, and the pa.s.sage across will take from one and a half to two hours.

It is unsafe, therefore, to count on any troops being ash.o.r.e before 10.30 p.m., and in no case must your approach be disclosed to the enemy till 10 p.m., the hour at which the outposts on the left flank of the Anzac position are to be rushed.

8. No allowance has been made in the tables for the disembarkation of your headquarters, as it is not known at what period of the operations you will wish them to land.

9. Special attention is directed to paragraph 8 of my letter G.S.R. Z.

18, dated 22nd July.

10. The infantry of the 53rd Division will be available as Army Reserve, and will be at the disposal of the General Commanding.

11. Special instructions regarding signal communications will be issued later. In general terms the arrangements will be as follows:--

There is a submarine cable between Imbros and Anzac, and a cable will be laid as soon as practicable from Imbros to Suvla Bay. A submarine cable and a land cable will also be laid between Anzac and Suvla Bay as soon as circ.u.mstances permit, probably before dawn. Pending the completion of this work inter-communication between Anzac and Suvla Bay will be carried out by lamp, and, subject to Naval approval, between Suvla Bay and Imbros by wireless telegraphy.

Two[18] military pack W.T. stations and one R.N. Base W.T. station will be provided at Suvla Bay, four naval ratings will be attached to each station as visual signalling personnel. One of these military pack W.T.

stations will be disembarked with the second brigade to land, and will act as a base station pending the arrival of the R.N. Base wireless station. The second military pack W.T. station will be disembarked with the third brigade to land; it will be placed on a flank and used mainly for fire control under the B.G.R.A.

A wagon wireless station at G.H.Q., Imbros, will be in communication with both these pack W.T. stations.

One officer and 23 other ranks, with two pack animals from the Brigade Signal Section, will be landed with each Infantry Brigade.

These parties will lay their cable by hand and establish telephone and vibrator communication from the beach forward. No vehicles will be landed in the first instance, all necessary stores being man-handled.

Three officers, 74 other ranks, 28 animals and five vehicles will be landed with Divisional Headquarters.

The advance parties will release the brigade sections from the beach and be prepared to lay cable lines by hand.

Two cable wagons will be included in the five vehicles, and should be the first of those vehicles to be disembarked.

----------------------+----------------------+--------------------+ Time of Arrival | | | off Coast. | Craft. | Capacity. | ----------------------+----------------------+--------------------+ In time to disembark |10 motor lighters |500 infantry | all troops, |(10 steamboats |each (and | vehicles, horses, |accompanying) |400,000 rds. | stores, etc., by | |S.A.A. if necessary)| night | | | | | | |10 destroyers |530 infantry | | |each | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1 sloop, towing |600 men | |1 motor lighter |88 horses | |and 4 horseboats |8 mtn. guns | |(1 steamboat |30 bicycles | |accompanying) | | | | | | | | | | | |1 sloop, towing |500 men | |4 horseboats (1 |24 horses | |steamboat |4 18-pr. guns | |accompanying) |or wagons | | | | |1 trawler, towing |250 men | |4 horseboats |24 horses | |(1 steamboat |4 18-pr. guns | |accompanying) |or wagons | | | | | | | | | | |H.M.S. |1,000 men | |_Endymion_ | | | | | |H.M.S. |1,000 men | |_Theseus_ | |

-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------- | Method of | Landing Place. | Disembarkation. | Remarks.

-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------- 7 lighters at |Land direct on beach |Ammunition if necessary New Beach, | |may be left on motor 3 lighters at | |lighters until convenient Suvla Bay | |to land it, according to | |circ.u.mstances.

| | One attending |Motor lighters take |The disembarkation from each motor |off troops and land |the destroyers cannot lighter |them on beach |begin until the 10 motor | |lighters have landed | |their complement and | |returned.

| | New Beach |Motor lighters and |The sloops and trawler, |horseboats loaded |after casting off their |with guns, horses of |tows, will return to |mountain and 18-pr. |Kephalos. Other |batteries. Sloop |horseboats |loaded with men and |boats will be there, |bicycles |ready filled with the | |remainder of the horses New Beach |Horseboats loaded |required in the first |with guns, vehicles, |instance for the two |and horses of 18-pr. |Mountain Batteries, |battery. Sloop |the 18-pr. Battery, and |loaded with men |the Signal Company.

|and bicycles |They will pick up these New Beach |Horseboats loaded |horseboats and tow |with guns, vehicles, |them over to the beach |and horses of 18-pr. |immediately.

|battery. Trawler | |available to carry men | | | New Beach |Landed either from | -- or Suvla |cutters towed by | Bay, as may |steamboats, or from | -- be convenient |motor lighters | | | -------------------+-----------------------+-------------------------

The above would admit of the disembarkation before dawn at and in the neighbourhood of Suvla Bay of:--

Divisional Headquarters.

Signal Co. with 40 horses.

1 W.T. Section and 2 W.T. Stations.

H.Q. F.A. Bde. (18-pr.) with 10 horses.

1 F.A. Battery (18-pr.) with 82 horses.

2 Mountain Batteries with 80 horses.

3 Field Companies R.E.

3 Infantry Brigades and part of remainder of F.A. Bde. (personnel).

1 Pioneer Battalion.

2 Battalions for Beach parties and part of Ammn. Park personnel.

2 Platoons Divl. Cyclist Co. and part of Tent Sub-divisions of Field Ambulances.

Bearer Subdivisions of 3 Field Ambulances and part of Casualty Clearing Stations.

The 10 motor lighters will land their complements first, and then the troops from the 10 Destroyers, the two sloops and their tows, and the trawler and her tows, can proceed simultaneously on a front of about 600 yards in Suvla Bay and 1,800 on the beach south of Suvla Bay, directly beach secured. The two landing places are about 2 miles apart. The landing of the troops from H.M.S.

_Endymion_ and _Theseus_ may be able to take place simultaneously, or may have to be deferred until the motor lighters have cleared the destroyers.

----------------------+----------------------+---------------------+ Time of Arrival | | | off Coast. | Craft. | Capacity. | ----------------------+----------------------+---------------------+ At or immediately |1 horse transport |All horses enumerated| after dawn | |in Table C appended | | |to letter G.S.R. Z. | | |18 of 23rd July, | | |except those already | | |provided for. Water | | |bags and pumps | | | | |1 mule transport |All mules and mule | | |carts provided for in| | |Tables C and E | | |appended to G.S.R. Z.| | |18 of 23rd July | | | | |6 small transports |5,000 Infantry | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Called up from |1 supply s.h.i.+p |7 days' supplies for | Kephalos as soon after| |troops and animals | dawn as circ.u.mstances | |in Tables C and E | permit | |appended appended to | | |G.S.R. Z. 18 of 23rd | | |July | | | | Called up from |4 small transports |2,700 Infantry | Kephalos as soon after| | | dawn as circ.u.mstances | | | permit | | | | | | |1 horse transport |All horses and | | |vehicles enumerated | | |in Table E, appended | | |to G.S.R. Z. 18 of | | |23rd July | | | | ----------------------+----------------------+---------------------+

-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------- | Method of | Landing Place. | Disembarkation. | Remarks.

-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------- Suvla Bay |Six of the horseboats |Transport comes from |from which the 18-pr. |Mudros.

|and mountain batteries | |will previously have | |been landed | | | | | | | Suvla Bay |Six of the horseboats |Transport comes from |from which 18-pr. and |Alexandria.

|mountain bateries will | |previously have been | |landed | | | _Suvla Bay_or |Landed from motor |Six battalions 10th _New Beach_ if |lighters as soon as |Division coming from necessary) |they have finished |Port Iero.

|clearing the destroyers| |and (if necessary) | |H.M.S. _Endymion_ and | |_Theseus_ | | | Suvla Bay |Landed from motor | |lighters as soon as | |the Port Iero troops | |are cleared | | | | | | | _Suvla Bay_ (or |Landed from motor |Three battalions 10th _New Beach_ if |lighters as soon as |Division from Mudros.

necessary) |the Port Iero troops | |are cleared. | | | Suvla Bay |Landed from horseboats | |brought up on second | |trip by the trawler and| |two sloops, as soon as | |the horseboats have | |been emptied | -------------------+-----------------------+-------------------------

The above will provide for the disembarkation of the remainder of the troops, etc., enumerated in Tables C and E, appended to letter G.S.R. Z.

18 of 23rd July, that is those not already detailed to be landed before dawn, viz.:--

Remainder of F.A. Brigade (18 pr.).

Remainder of Ammunition Park Personnel.

15th Heavy Battery R.G.A.

Brigade Ammunition Column.

Remainder of Casualty Clearing Stations.

Mule Corps.

Also 4,000,000 rds. S.A.A. Reserve Gun Ammunition (by special trawlers from Mudros) 7 days' supplies for the above troops and animals.

As soon as possible after Corps Headquarters go ash.o.r.e, the personnel of the Divisional Signal Companies will be released from work at the beach.

Arrangements will be made subsequently to disembark an air line detachment and a cable section to provide and pole local lines.

The remainder of the Corps Headquarters Signal Company will be kept in readiness to be forwarded as soon as Corps Headquarters reports that circ.u.mstances admit of its disembarkation.

12. Two Military Landing Officers and their a.s.sistant military landing officers will be placed at your disposal from units other than those under your command.

13. In addition to the units mentioned in Tables A-E forwarded to you with my letter G.S.R. Z. 18, dated 23rd July, the following are being dispatched from Alexandria in this order:--

Three Squadrons Armoured Car Division R.N.A.S. (These will be available to land on the morning after your disembarkation begins, if you so desire.)