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Begin of The Battle of Gallipoli
Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli or the Battle of Canakkale took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire (in modern day Turkey). -
Landing at Anzac Cove and Cape Helles
The invasion plan of was for the 29th Division to land at Helles on the tip of the peninsula and then advance upon the forts at Kilitbahir. The Anzacs were to land north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast, from where they could advance across the peninsula, cutting off retreat from or reinforcement of Kilitbahir. -
Early attcak to drive the Anzacs back to the Beach
On the afternoon of 27 April Mustafa Kemal launched a concerted attack to drive the Anzacs back to the beach. With the support of naval gunfire, the Ottomans were held off throughout the night. -
The Ottokmans Launch a major battle.
The Ottomans launched a major assault at Anzac on 19 May—42,000 Ottomans attacked 17,000 Australians and New Zealanders—but the attack miscarried. Lacking sufficient artillery and ammunition, the Ottomans relied on surprise and weight of numbers for success but their preparations were detected and the defenders were ready. When it was over the Ottomans had suffered about 13,000 casualties, of which 3,000 were killed. In comparison, the Australian casualties were 160 killed and 468 wounded. -
A Fresh Division Arrivies
In June, a fresh division, the 52nd Division, began to land at Helles in time to participate in the last of the major Helles battles, the Battle of Gully Ravine which was launched on 28 June. This battle advanced the British line along the left (Aegean) flank of the battlefield which resulted in a rare but limited victory for the Allies. Between 1 July and 5 July the Ottomans launched a series of desperate counter-attacks against the new British line but failed to regain the lost ground. -
Fresh landing of two infantry divisions was to be made at Suvla
The repeated failure of the Allies to capture Krithia or make any progress on the Helles front led Hamilton to pursue a new plan for the campaign which resulted in what is now called the Battle of Sari Bair. On the night of 6 August a fresh landing of two infantry divisions was to be made at Suvla, five miles (8 km) north of Anzac. Meanwhile at Anzac a strong assault would be made on the Sari Bair range by breaking out into the rough and thinly defended terrain north of the Anzac perimeter. -
The final British attempt to resuscitate the offensive
The Suvla landing was reinforced by the arrival of the British 53rd and 54th Divisions along with the 10th Division from New Army Divisions plus the yeomanry of the 2nd Mounted Division. The final British attempt to resuscitate the offensive came on 21 August with attacks at Scimitar Hill and Hill 60. Control of these hills would have united the Anzac and Suvla fronts but neither attack succeeded.Fighting at Hill ended on 29 August and indeed the battle for the peninsula, was effectively over. -
Evactuation is Discussed
Following the failure of the August Offensive, the Gallipoli campaign entered a hiatus while its future direction was debated.The prospect of evacuation was raised on 11 October 1915 but Hamilton resisted the suggestion, fearing the damage to British prestige. He was dismissed as commander shortly afterwards and replaced by Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Monro. -
The Last Suvla and Anzac Troops Depart
Ironically the evacuation was the greatest Allied success of the campaign. Suvla and Anzac were to be evacuated in late December, the last troops leaving before dawn on 20 December 1915. Troop numbers had been progressively reduced since 7 December 1915 and cunning ruses, such as William Scurry's self-firing rifle (described below), were used to fool the Ottomans and prevent them discovering that the Allies were departing. -
End of The Battle of Gallipoli
A joint British and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople and secure a sea route to Russia. The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. The campaign was considered one of the greatest victories of the Turks and was reflected on as a major failure by the Allies.
