A self-firing rifle improvised by the Anzacs during their evacuation from Gallipoli, used to deceive the Ottomans into thinking that the Anzacs still occupied their trenches; ca. 1915

Fire was maintained from the trenches after the withdrawal of the last men, by rifles arranged to fire automatically. This was done by a weight being released which pulled the trigger. Two kerosene tins were placed one above the other, the top one full of water and the bottom one with the trigger string attached to it, empty. At the last minute, small holes would be punched in the upper tin; water would trickle into the lower one, and the rifle would fire as soon as the lower tin had become sufficiently heavy. Another device ran a string, holding back the trigger, through a candle, which slowly burnt down, severed the string, and released the trigger.

Such devices provided sporadic firing which helped convince the Turks that the Anzac front line was occupied long after thousands of men had crept down to the beaches and escaped. British generals estimated that half the force would be lost in any attempt to withdraw because the Turks could not fail to notice as the trenches were so close. In the event, the Turks were so deceived that 80,000 men were evacuated with only about half a dozen casualties.

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June 21, 2014 | Categories: History, Human History, Images of History, Lost the Battle, Won The War, Military History, Modern Warfare, Photography, Pursuit of Happiness, The Drama Of It All, The Politics of Cultural Destruction, Trench Warfare, Weird, World War One | Tags: Anzacs, black and white photography, British, Death, England, Gallipoli, human history, Military, Military history, Ottoman, Ottoman empire, Photo, Photography, Politics, Power, Society, War, Warfare, World History, World War 1, World War i, World War One, WW1, WWI, WWI history | Leave a comment