Over the three days prior to the infantry assault, there was a preliminary artillery bombardment of Johnston's Jolly, Lone Pine and German Officer's Trench. Field guns, howitzers and navy guns, loaded with high explosives and shrapnel rounds, slowly pounded the Turkish positions, destroying barbed wire entanglements and head cover.
An intensive bombardment of Lone Pine was carried out an hour before the infantry assault. This was key to the success of the attack, as it created many casualties among the Turkish troops, destroyed remaining barbed-wire defences and forced the Turks to shelter in mine tunnels which ran from their front line in the direction of the Australian line.
During the trench fighting after the opening assault, allied artillery assisted in breaking up the Turkish counter-attacks. In particular, the 1st New Zealand Field Battery, located on Russell's Top (north-west) and the Australian 7th Battery on Bolton's Ridge (south-west) hampered Turkish efforts to bring in reinforcements and establish new positions.
