"Grenades - - More!

This is coolbert:

More on grenades as used by both sides during the Gallipoli campaign [1915].

Hand grenades [called "bombs" by the British forces} were used extensively in warfare for the first time by all combatants during World War One [WW1].

At Gallipoli, because of the terrain [?], trench lines of the adversaries were often quite close to one another. Yards [??] in some cases. There WERE frenzied hand grenade exchanges between Australian and Turkish troops.

"Johnnie Turk" having the advantage in the case of grenade exchanges as they had an almost super-abundance of the weapons on hand, whereas the Aussies did not??!! Australians would pick the grenades up and try to throw them back before they exploded.

Cruising the web, came across the wiki and other sites devoted to the Battle of Lone Pine. Caveman warfare of the most desperate and brutal type. Battle to seize a stretch of roofed-over Turkish trenches. GRENADES, BAYONETS [on the end of a SMLE rifle], HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT!!

As for the use of grenades:

"Hand grenades were the weapon of choice and the close quarters meant that some of them would travel back and forth up to three times before exploding."

"Seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross at Lone Pine"

MOST VICTORIA CROSSES WON IN ONE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OR ROARKE'S DRIFT DURING THE ZULU WAR!!!!! Such was the nature of the fighting at Lone Pine!

Go to the Australian War Museum web site to see an interesting diorama on the Lone Pine Battle. The flash version is outstanding, zoom OUT when you start to see the entire diorama, including the roofed-over Turkish trenches!

As I have said before, Gallipoli represents a "coming of age" rite for the Australian nation. NO LONGER merely a colony or dominion of the British Empire. NOW, after Gallipoli, a nation-state producing soldiers of the highest quality, possessing formidable elan'. As seen at Lone Pine.

coolbert.