25 



Turkey by hampering her operations in Yemen. On January 7, 1912, owing to reports 

 of an intended raid on Eritrea, some Italian destroyers searched the channels among the 

 Farsan Islands and put seven Turkish gun boats out of action, while two cruisers bom- 

 barded Jebel Tahr and Loheia. A blockade was then declared of the coast between 

 14 30' N. and 15 n' N. This limit was afterwards extended to 15.15 N. so as to include 

 Kamaran Island. On various occasions Turkish camps and forts at Akaba, Hodeidah, 

 Mocha, Djebana, and Sheikh Said were shelled by Italian warships. 



Operations in the Spring of 1912. An attempt at mediation having failed early in 

 March, steps were taken by Italy for more active operations. The next phase of the 

 war consisted in the strengthening of the Italian hold on the Mediterranean littoral, and 

 the extension of naval operations to the Aegean. 



The town of Zuara, near the Tunisian frontier, served the Turks as a collecting centre 

 for contraband of war, smuggled in over the Tunisian frontier On April loth a force 

 of about 10,000 men from Italy, Tripoli and Horns, were landed on the Macabez Penin- 

 sula, under cover of a demonstration by the fleet against Zuara. Forwa, on the main- 

 land, which is accessible by a ford from Macabez, was occupied next day. The enemy 

 still retained Sidi Said at the neck of the peninsula and could use the caravan route 

 through Regdalin, 10 miles further inland. 



The dirigibles " P2 " and " ?3," which had now returned from Italy, flew over from 

 Tripoli during these operations, and subsequently carried out reconnaissances, and 

 dropped bombs into hostile camps and entrenchments. 



On May 2d the garrison of Horns captured Lebda, two miles further east along the 

 coast, and retained it in spite of determined attacks on May 3oth, and June 8th and i2th. 

 On the latter occasion the Turco-Arabs captured two forts, but were finally repulsed 

 with a loss of 400 killed. 



Admiral Aubry died on March 4th and was succeeded by Admiral Viale. On. April 

 1 5th, the First Squadron left Taranto and a concentration with part of.the Second- 

 Squadron and the Duke of Abruzzi's flotilla took. place in the southern Aegean. On 

 the i8th, after cutting the cables between Lemmos and Imbros r the fleet (less the 3d 

 Division) under Admiral Viale approached the Dardanelles, preceded by two cruisers 

 which tried to lure the Turkish ships out of the channel. Failing in this object the fleet 

 bombarded the outer forts. Meanwhile the 3d Naval Division destroyed some wireless 

 telegraph stations in the Southern Aegean, and sank a Turkish gunboat at Vathy (Sam- 

 os). Under cover of these operations the Italians occupied the island of Stampalia, 

 where they established a naval station; the Turks replied by closing the Dardanelles to 

 all traffic, an action which involved them, as was perhaps foreseen by the Italians, in 

 difficulties with, neutrals. The straits were reopened for traffic on May loth. 



Early on May 4th a force consisting of about 10,000 troops from Benghazi, Tripoli 

 and Tobruk, in 7 transports, arrived off the island of Rhodes, A disembarkation was 

 effected in Kalithea Bay on the south coast of the island, while a portion of the fleet 

 demonstrated against the town; 8000 troops were disembarked in two hours and the 

 whole force within eight hours. The town of Rhodes was occupied next morning, but 

 the majority. of the garrison withdrew to Psithos, twelve miles inland. .On May rsth, 

 by a skillfully combined movement with two columns, which landed by night on oppo- 

 site sides of the island, and a third which moved inland from the town of Rhodes, the 

 Turkish force, about 1000 strong, was forced to surrender. By the end of May the 

 Italians had occupied the islands of .Stampalia, Neros, Piscopos, Kharki, Rhodes, Scar- 

 panto, Casos, Karpathos, Patmos, Kalminos, Lipsos, Kos and Simi. 



Meanwhile, at Tripoli, it had been decided to crush a Turco-Arab force which was 

 entrenched at the oasis of Zanzur. The total force employed was 13,000 men. At day- 

 break on June 8th, the attacking force (2 brigades ist Division) advanced eastwards 

 from Gargaresch, keeping touch with the fleet on its right. The remaining troops were 

 held in reserve in two bodies, at Gargaresjh and Bu Mellian, to protect the left flank 

 and rear of the attack. After severe fighting the ist Division captured the position, 

 but other bodies of Arabs hurried up from the south and intervened between the ist 



