At 3.30 a.m., April 25, 1915, battleships anchored about 3,500 yards off the coast of the Gallipoli Peninsula. The order was given to land, but as the troops approached the shoreline, it became obvious the tows had bunched together lost direction in the dark and veered to the left. The landing ended up about a mile to the north of the designated beaches in a place later known as Anzac Cove.
It was a disaster, as the troops found themsleves confronted by steeply rising ground, with units bunched and intermixed. The 3rd Brigade had failed to achieve it`s objective of the capture of Gun Ridge.
On the beaches chaos reigned. At first, the officers time was consumed sorting the men into their original units. By 10.30 a.m. the right of the small Anzac perimeter was driven in and by evening the left of the position was assaulted and the line driven back from Baby 700 and the Nek. The situation was serious. Counter-attacks by the enemy were under way.
Confussion reigned, and under such difficult conditions Bridges recommended evacuation, with Birdwood, agreeing. Hamilton, who was on the battleship "Queen Elizabeth", under naval advice, overruled his commanders and ordered the troops to dig in their positions, approx 2.25 square miles of Turkish territory.
Both the Anzac and the 29th Division was stalled. Hamilton decided to concentrate his efforts in the south. Australian and New Zealand troops were sent to Helles to spearhead a new attack on 8 May, But the Anzac force suffered 1800 casualties.
Little progress was made. With the Anzac advance stalled, on May 19, the Turks attacked with about 42, 000 men. At the end of the day 10,000 Turkish troops lay dead and wounded.
By the end of July, many of the troops had died through illness. The major problem was dysentery. Sanitary conditions were poor. The main attack was launched from Anzac on the night of 6 August. A diversionary attack at Lone Pine by the lst Brigade began on the 6th, to draw Turkish reserves away from the main battle, but turned into a disaster. Over 2000 men killed. The main attack also eventually failed.
However, one action of the August attack has burnt itself into Australian history. In the morning of August 7, the 10th and 8th Light Horse, who acted as infantry, assembled for the attack. A bombardment of Turkish positions commenced, but seven minutes before the attack was to begin, the bombardment stopped. The operation was ordered by the local commander to go ahead anyway. Three lines of Light Horsemen went over the top only to be shot down immediately. 234 died. Their sacrifice was useless.
There was a fighting around Hill 60 at the end of August, but this caused high casualties.
By now, London debated the possibility of evacuation.
In October, Hamilton was replaced with General Sir Charles Monro.
It was decided in December to withdraw the troops.
The evacuation, was largely planned by Birdwood's Chief of Staff, Brigadier-General C.B.B. White.
Troops were removed over a period of several weeks.
Ruses were employed to fool the Turks.
Eventually, on 19 and 20 December, the evacuation was complete.
Gallipoli 1915 (Battles & Campaigns)
World War One
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