Once the Australians had infiltrated the Turkish trenches, a short but fierce battle ensued. Fighting through a maze of trenches, the leading officers and men reached the area of their objectives within half an hour of the opening assault. The Australians established a line of defence, with a long communication trench on either flank and seven or eight isolated posts in the centre.
At each post, soldiers worked quickly to build barricades, filling the empty sandbags each carried with him and blocking saps and communication trenches. Fire steps were cut into the walls and parapets built on the edge of trenches facing the enemy. Often this work was carried out under heavy rifle and bomb attacks from the Turks.
With defensive positions established, the battalions made contact with each other in the trenches of the old Turkish front line. Requests went out for more ammunition, particularly bombs (hand-grenades) and, in some cases, new trenches were dug to connect posts and provide cover.
