On This Day ... in 1915 & Others
On 19 May 1915, the German commander, Field Marshal Liman Von Sanders, had sent the first of 42 000 Turkish troops to attack the 12 500 Anzacs then at Anzac Cove. The intention was to drive all Anzac forces on to the beach and kill them there. In places the combatants were only metres apart but it was one assault for which the Anzacs and their British commanders were prepared. British pilots had noticed a build up in the Turkish line, confirming observations by those on the ground, including Charles Bean, that Turkish firing patterns had changed and that heavier artillery was being used. In the resulting six-hour battle, the Allies were to incur around 10 000 casualties as repeated lines of Turkish troops were sent out of their trenches, to be gunned down almost immediately by the Anzac forces. The Anzacs suffered 628 casualties, among them John Kirkpatrick, known as Simpson, who had carried wounded men from battle on a donkey.
A short truce was agreed at Gallipoli to allow the dead of both sides to be buried.
A truce was arranged between 7.00 am and 4.30 pm on 24 May to allow both sides to bury their dead. Prominent in the organisation of the truce was a British officer, Captain Aubrey Herbert, attached to the staff of the Australian and New Zealand Division. On the morning of 24 May, Herbert met and accompanied Turkish officers up the ridge from the beach to 400 Plateau. He found the sight between the trenches and in the gullies ‘indescribable’. So awful was the stench that a Turkish ‘Red Crescent’ official gave him antiseptic wool with scent to put over his nose. The scent was ‘renewed frequently’
1941: The newly completed battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Hood intercepted the German battleship Bismarck and her consort, the cruiser Prinz Eugen, in the Denmark Straits. The two German ships attempted to evade, but the ships were well matched in speed and the British enjoyed a slight positional advantage which allowed them to close the range.
Hood opened fire on Prinz Eugen, the leading ship, at 0552 at about 25,000 yards range, whilst Prince of Wales engaged Bismarck. As the range closed, the German ships responded, and Prinz Eugen hit Hood, causing a fire amongst anti-aircraft ammunition lockers on the upper decks.
At about 0600, Bismarck's fifth salvo struck Hood, and she exploded in a vast sheet of flame. Of her crew of 1,418, only three survived.
Prince of Wales continued the fight alone, but at 0609, Captain Leach decided to break off the engagement: both sides were trading hits, but Prince of Wales seemed to be suffering more, and, with Royal Navy reinforcements headed for the scene, there was no advantage to be gained from further risking the ship.
In the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, the submarine HMS Upholder, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Wanklyn, managed at immense risk to penetrate a heavily escorted Axis convoy and sink a large troopship - the 18,000 ton liner Conte Rosso - bound for North Africa. The attack was made even more difficult by a defect with the submarine's listening gear, forcing her to remain at periscope depth for the entire penetration of the convoy. Upholder then had to endure a heavy depth charge retaliation from the escorts, but survived to sink some 100,000 tons of shipping before being lost the following year. Wanklyn received the Victoria Cross.
1943: In Burma, Havildar Gaje Ghale commanded a platoon of Gurkhas in a desperate attack to clear Japanese from a position threatening the safety of the 17th Indian Division's defensive line. Two previous assaults had failed, with heavy casualties. The Havildar led his men through mortar and machine-gun fire up a path only 5 yards wide, with steep drops to either side. A grenade wounded Gaje in the arms, legs and chest, but he ignored his injuries and, covered in blood, led the way in clearing the hill in a series of vicious close-quarter fights. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.
1944: In Italy, Major Mahoney of the Canadian Westminster Regiment led his company in an attack across the Melfi River. Mahoney was wounded in the head and legs, but nevertheless secured a bridgehead, which he then defended for five hours against fierce German counter-attacks. He received the Victoria Cross.
1969: In Vietnam, Warrant Officer Payne of the Australian Army Training Team showed outstanding leadership during an attack by overwhelming numbers of Viet Cong. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.
1982: In the Falklands, the fires on HMS Antelope continued to burn through the night. Shortly after dawn another major explosion occurred, the ship's back broke and she sank with her bows and stern sticking out of the water. Her survivors were transferred to the Norland during the day.
The morning was clear in San Carlos Water and loading continued. HMS Coventry and Broadsword took up a 'missile trap' station off Pebble Island. However, the Argentine Air Force Commanders changed their patterns of approach which would allow them to benefit from the surrounding terrain.
The first wave of A-4Bs scored three direct hits on the Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot and Sir Bedivere positioned off Ajax Bay and near-missed Fort Austin; Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot had been hit by two 1,000lb bombs which had failed to explode, but started firesand the Sir Bedivere by a bomb which glanced off the crane forward of the bridge, through a bulwark and on into the sea where it exploded.
A wave of Daggers followed but the ships were now alert to the danger and engaged the aircraft with Seacat, Rapier and automatic weapons. The Daggers strafed HMS Fearless and the Sir Galahad and another bomb hit Sir Lancelot but once again this failed to explode.
Another Dagger division had been tracked by HMS Coventry and Broadsword and a Sea Harrier CAP had been vectored to intercept. Three of the Daggers were shot down with Teniente C. J. Castillo losing his life.
Three A-4Cs made an attack on San Carlos Water at about the same time. They too ran into fierce gun and missile fire.
The weather deteriorated in the afternoon giving the ships their first natural cover. The fires on Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot had been put out and Sir Galahad's bomb was removed during the night. Sir Lancelot's proved more difficult and had to be cut free before it could be removed.
The Carrier Battle Group launched additional aircraft on CAP to guard against any possible dusk strikes.
Eight EEC nations voted to continue trade boycott of Argentina (whoopie!)