Battle+of+Gallipoli

** ﻿ **
 * The Campaign of **
 * Gallipoli **
 * 1915-1916 **

The Gallipoli Campaign is generally thought of as one of the most spectacular failures of WWI. If this is in fact true, why did a seemingly more powerful allied force, fall to a much weaker Turkish force? What sparked this campaign to take place? Who instigated it?….

LOCATION:

The Gallipoli Campaign took place in Turkey, at the Gallipoli Peninsula. It began on April 15th 1915 and came to a close on January 9th 1916. The campaign was lead by British and French forces who desired to control the Dardanelles Straits as well as to take control of the Ottoman capital, Constantinople.

The central powers had, at this point in the war, effectively blocked many Russian land trade routes to Europe and as of yet no sea routes existed. The solution to this problem according to the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was to seize control of the Turkish controlled Dardanelles Straits. The straits were of extreme strategic value seeing how they were the link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Control of the Sea of Marmara would give the British and French a supply route to their allies, Russia. This would solve the Russian problem of scarce supply routes.

Control of the Straits also gave the allies easy access to the Ottoman capital of Constantinople. Seizing control of the capital of an opposing power would be extremely beneficial to the allies. The Straits were also a link to the Black Sea.

Another factor which affected the decision to put the operation into affect, was that the losses on the Western Front in the early months of war in 1914 and 1915 were far higher than each warring nation had anticipated. After early German advances in Flanders, a virtually stationary Western Front ran from the English Channel to the Alps and thousands of lives were required for advances measured in yards. An alternative way of waging war against Germany and Austria-Hungary seemed highly desirable to the AlliesIts seemed perpetual on the Western Front. An attack such as this would open up a desperately needed new front which may bring an end to the stalemate and end the war fast.. The allies also hoped that an attack on the Ottomans would entice Bulgaria and Greece in to the war, of course on the side of the allies, while Turkey and Bulgaria sided with the central powers.

Although there was a dispute between First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, John Fisher, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill regarding whether or not the operation should in fact take place, Churchill came out the victor, and on February 19th 1915, British and French battleships began their attempt to take the Dardanelles. The Gallipoli Campaign had begun.

Battles/ Tactics
** 1915 –Febuary 19 First and second naval **** bombardment of the Dardenelles ** - Britain planned to bombard the straits, but to undertake the straits was recognized, in professional naval circles, as a difficult undertaking. Some eight years earlier, in 1907, a British study had concluded that an attack upon the Straits was feasible only so long as the operation was a combined naval/ground attack. **Geographic difficulties**-The Straits - 65km in length and 7km in width ( aside from 'The Narrows' where the banks were as little as 1,600 m apart) - were bordered by steep and heavily fortified cliffs that over looked shipping lanes. Navigation through the wildly varying current was additionally problematic. The north was protected by Gallipoli Peninsula and the south by the Ottoman Asia. -**Carden’s plan** had 3 folds, (believed that artillery will not be adequate to do much damage with the steep trajectory) -He proposed instead that the forts' outer guns should first be neutralized via long-range gunfire from the battleships out of effective range of the fortress guns. This accomplished an Allied fleet would progress further up the Straits (to The Narrows) to enable medium-range artillery to destroy shore batteries while minesweepers wiped out probable minefields blocking their path. The final phase envisaged the destruction of the inner forts. Success would provide a path to Constantinople, thus taking out turkey out of the war, and - importantly - open a supply lane to the Sea of Marmara and Britain's ally Russia. **Flaws-**Grave problems remained. Even if the naval bombardment prove successful the absence of ground troops would prevent the British from gaining command of the shorelines - and in the absence of supplies from the shore the naval fleet would necessarily have to return home to refuel and restock Failed even with the French force combined, ineffective ** Reasons why the Allies wanted the straits ** - The straights are very strategically important, it links the Mediterranean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. This not only gave ready access to the Turkish capital Constantinople and much of the Turkish Empire's industrial powerhouse, but also provided a lane to the Black Sea. Just as importantly, if not more so, access to the Sea of Marmara was bound to give Britain and France supply route access to their eastern ally, Russia. Therefore it was quite feasible that should Britain and France gain the Straits they could succeed in not only eliminating Turkey from the war, but in also drawing Greece and Bulgaria into the war against the central powers (Triple Alliance) **Support of the Greeks** **-**The Entente power, especially Britain, believed that without the ground support, undertaking the straits was impossible. As WW1 began, Greece, having the same opinion as Britain, offered Britain help and sent 60 000 troops to assist the Entente’s Land assault to the Straits. - Also offered old Battleships to aid the naval assault as well. ** Preparation for Ground Assault March 27 1915 ** -Hamilton, unsure of the strategy sought advice from De Robeck, and agreed to the straight forward invasion to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Preparations for the Allied landings were not successful, it was done with lots of hesitation, indecision and confusion. Troops were deployed with inadequate supplies and maps, there was not enough reconnaissance done in preparation and the army was caught off guard by the terrain. Meanwhile Turkish defenses were further boosted by the arrival of ground forces around the Straits. To extend the German influence over Turkish policy regional command, Liman Von Sanders was put in charge. Liman brought with him approximately 84,000 troops which he dispersed to strategic locations around Gallipoli. Liman’s tactic, and his placement of his troop, was troubled as Hamilton attacked from the Southern Peninsula: Hamilton chose to attack where the Turkish concentration was as its weakest. **Landings at Helles and Anzac Cove, 25 April 1915 ** The landings were initiated on 25 April but were largely mismanaged, but the relative weakness of Turkish strength on the southern peninsula made the operation possible. There were heavy casualties at those locations where Turkish defenders were available in any force. Still, two beachheads were established by Hamilton's force, at Helles on Gallipoli's southernmost tip (led by Sir Alymer Hunter-Weston), and further up the coast near Gaba Tepe - the latter soon to be renamed Anzac Cove in honor of the Australian and New Zealand corps who bore the brunt of operations in the area (led by the rather more competent Sir William Birdwood). **Three Failed Attacks at Krithia, 28 April-4 June 1915 ** Having established two beachheads at great cost, Hamilton was determined to extend the Allied position in the south, with attacks directed towards Krithia. Three, thought to be, successive operations were launched upon Krithia by Hunter-Weston in April, May and June 1915 but all were thrown back by Liman's effective Turkish defence force. **Interesting Fact:***Meanwhile British First Sea Lord ‘Admiral Fisher's’ dramatic resignation on 15 May 1915 over Churchill's handling of the Gallipoli campaign led to the latter's own downfall as Churchill too resigned. Churchill had earlier, on 23 March, reluctantly admitted the failure of the naval bombardment to the War Cabinet, damaging his already frail political credibility. **Landings at Suvla Bay, 6 August 1915 ** It was clear that operations in Gallipoli were going badly to the Entente. The newly formed Dardanelles Committee in London met on 7 June to consider the next steps; they decided to send additional force to Hamilton, which greatly reinforced the Allied presence on the peninsula by three divisions. For the Allies, their Turkish opponents were bringing forward additional reserves at a greater pace than they could manage, with forces dispatched from both Palestine and Caucasian Fronts. The additional Allied resources signaled another major offensive. When ‘ Put into effect Agust 6, 1915 ’ it took the form of a three-pronged attack: a diversionary action at Helles; movement northward from Anzac Cove towards Sari Bair; and the centerpiece of the offensive, a landing in force at Suvla Bay by freshly arrived divisions operating under General Sir Fredrick Stopford. The ideas was for Stopford’s forces to link with the troops at Anzac Cove and make a clean sweep across the Gallipoli peninsula. In the interim Hunter-Weston pressed on with further attacks directed towards Achi Baba in Helles. These were uniformly unsuccessful, maintaining Hunter-Weston's particular record of poor results since arriving on the peninsula. To Hamilton's credit the landings at Suvla Bay achieved total surprise, and Stopford made initial progress unopposed. However the wider offensive rapidly lost momentum by 10 August as local command indecision - Stopford was particularly at fault - and lack of firm decision from Hamilton's headquarters. Still, the battle continued at Sari Bair until 12 August. **Three Indefensible Beachheads: A Move South ** Hamilton had command of three beachheads - at Helles, Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay - but each was overlooked by high ground commanded by Turkish forces. These high ground advantages/tactics were the major factor of the Turkish forces to hold off the Entente. Progress was not only infeasible, but his forces were under constant heavy fire. Hamilton, in his attempt to regain his credibility, was determined to try and make a break south from Suvla Bay to link up with Anzac Cove, a distance of some 5km. Consequently he provided additional resources to Suvla Bay, including a new set of commanders to replace the discredited structure already in place. In spite of additional men and materials, Hamilton's attack against Hill 60 and Scimitar Hill in August 1915 was a failure. With Allied casualties running at around 40,000 an especially uncomfortable form of trench warfare settled in, which greatly iscouraged the Entente troops. Hamilton, feeling the pressure, requested a further 95,000 reinforcements from Kitchener in London. He was offered barely a quarter, 25,000. **Interesting Fact:*** Confidence in the operation in London and Paris was disappearing. Nevertheless Churchill pressed both governments to provide continued support. French General Maurice Sarrail suggested a combined offensive against the Asian coast, a proposal rapidly over-turned by his Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre, who insisted upon retaining French focus on the Western Front. **Salonika ** Affairs outside of Gallipoli began to intrude upon strategy in the region. The invasion of Serbia and plans for an extensive landing at Salonika exhausted resources from both French and British governments, with offering to provide up to 125,000 troops. The force from Hamilton in Gallipoli was diverted as men were sent to Salonika. Furthermore, Hamilton’s criticism from London increased greatly for his mismanaged campaign. **Evacuation ** Without further reinforcements, Hamilton received word on 11 October 1915 of a proposal to evacuate the peninsula. He responded in anger by estimating that casualties of such an evacuation would run at up to 50%: a startlingly high figure. **Interesting Fact***The tide was clearly moving against Hamilton. His belief in what was widely viewed as an unacceptable casualty rate in the event of evacuation, which happened to be untrue, resulted in his removal as Commander-in-Chief and recall to London at a meeting of the Dardanelles Committee on 14 October. Hamilton was replaced by Sir Charles Monro. Monro lost no time in touring Helles, Suvla Bay and Anzac Cove upon his arrival on the peninsula on 28 October and concluded that evacuation was neccessary. This did not however meet with Kitchener's approval and he travelled to the region to see the state of affairs for himself. Upon his arrival however, he quickly reversed his thinking upon seeing the conditions facing the Allied force and recommended evacuation on 15 November 1915, overriding arguments by senior naval figures Sir Roger Keyes and Rosslyn Wemyss for their attempt for a naval seizure. The British government, being at loggerheads for a few weeks, finally sanctioned an evacuation on 7 December. Unfortunately by this stage a heavy blizzard had set in making such an operation hazardous. Nevertheless, the evacuation of 105,000 men and 300 guns from Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay was successful from 10-20 December 1915. The evacuation of Helles was done, 35,000 men, from late December until 9 January 1916. The evacuation operation was easily the most successful element of the entire campaign, with casualty figures significantly lower than Hamilton had predicted. Painstaking efforts had been made to deceive the 100,000 watching Turkish troops into believing that the movement of Allied forces did not constitute a withdrawal. (part of a tactic)

   
 * [[image:https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4jaPbRUAVX2mavmWdms6TjsNLGKu4Rad1ZTT0UqyeFcC1lqefmmRwK-OpmhzTxyDhjTOrGnCSzQ-kO-ldFONrr1MXnwIdoUJNDtjW9FD-9PK98LP1Q]] * ||
 * Sedd-el-Bahr, Turkey. 1915-05-06. Scene from the beached ship SS River Clyde showing British Army troops landing at V Beach across a path of barges and pontoons from the ship. This landing led to an Allied drive up the end of the Gallipoli Peninsula. ||

 IMPORTANT FIGURES  **Winston Churchil** was the one who really encouraged this campaign. He thought he could reinforce the eastern front without too much difficulty, this was a mistake in judgment.  <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> **General-Major Sir Ian Hamilton,** //head of the British Army stationed at Gallipolli.// Poorly communicated his orders and intents to both the Royal Navy and his subordinate officers, however determined to at least try to obtain Gallipoli. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> **Admiral 'Jackie' Fishe**r returned to the Admiralty as First Sea Lord at the invitation of the responsible minister, Winston Churchill, who believed that Fisher still had 'fire in his belly'. Fisher initially supported the Dardanelles concept but soon became its fiercest critic at the very time strong support was needed for it to have a real chance of success. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**General Birdwood**: Commander of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) during Gallipoli Campaign.//(Interesting fact: Described British Marine reinforcement as 'nearly useless ... special children of Winston Churchill, immature boys with no proper training', but they proved him wrong and won Anzac respect by scaling and re-capturing Dead Man's Ridge on the night of 2-3 May after the Australians had been forced to retreat//

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Sir Charles Monro:** responsible for the overseeing of the evacuation of Gallipoli. He did not take long to decide that the Gallipoli positions could not be held, let alone extended to threaten the Straits and Constantinople, without massiveinjections of men, artillery and ships which were not going to be made availabl **Interesting Fact:** Winston Churchill however viewed Monro's achievement with a somewhat jaundiced eye: "he came, he saw, he capitulated" he wrote of Monro, and the sneer has remained through the years to blight Monro's correct decision and remarkable follow-through. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Lt-Col Skeen,** a scholarly Scottish migrant who lectured at Quetta Staff College before the war. Developer of the best military plan at Gallipoli. It revolved on the capture of Sari Bair Ridge and Chanuk Bair, the heart of the Turkish position, and heavily influenced the August offensive which nearly ended the campaign in victory.

Poor British leadership severely crippled the August offensive. Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stopford is probably to blame. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
 * [[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/UID20lna6LEt-Kna4b4OkJumWC6DdX7KrIXXPB-TKG9sS-6kD1yA55M0sWIBqnbz00HWso3caVkbJRtkbJZ1JoE7qb48EipUlJlsbxargf-g_IPlog width="124" height="188"]] || **Lieutenant-General**

**Sir Frederick Stopford: his generalship at Suvla was disastrous and he**

**became the scapegoat for the failure of the August offensive. He was** **elderly beyond his years and had never commanded men in battle before.**

**His specialty was ceremonial duties. His Who's Who entry for 1920 did**

**not mention his time as a corps commander at Gallipoli. In his mind it**

**never happened.** || <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> **The Australian division was considered the boldest of the bunch. The British were the most disciplined, while the New Zealand division seemed to possess traits from both the Australians and the British** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notable figures of ANZAC include <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Lance-Corporal Beech**, the inventor of the periscope rifle, which enabled gunners to fire without even putting their heads above the trench. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Albert Jacka,** the man who killed seven Turks in a single skirmish, was awarded the V.C for bravery on the front.

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
 * Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Freyberg,** credited for swimming two miles starch naked in order to light the coastal flares at Bulair. Freyberg later earned the V.C and became the Governor-General of New Zealand.
 * [[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/mmJGw5MKkiByAs2LXt3jXN7czUUMi-Q8QdBhATRGyt39Hrjxl6N4I_ecP0K7kWoWMzjomzHYEIN-HAqCnLweOEYx8TUATCgB5IsKZmtX20bNTJ4CkQ]] || [[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/wkxcxxE48F0COLXCxzVdXo7xyKm8iiPoB_Szy37hf2mGtarHkFdyGHbSZD21FIkwqMTzfXyHvzP1Fhlt3w0aFvbxAHVgsGbsi03vb3O0u-alUWPR-w]] ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bernard Cyril Freyberg, Victoria Cross recipient || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Albert Jacka, Victoria Cross recipient ||

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">**Major General Godley**, of the New Zealand Division, recommended that ANZAC beach be evacuated due to Turkish counterattack. However, him and his troops were ordered to dig in, and they did, maintaining their positions with heavy casualties. He later criticized Churchill in a letter: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">//Major General Godley;// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (in a letter to the NZ Minster of Interior, Ronald Graham, July 1915, Boyack p. 59) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"I hear that Winston [Churchill] has arrived, and suppose we shall see him within the next few days. He certainly is a plucky fellow, and I think he ought to be given a V.C. and then taken out and shot. I wonder what sort of reception he will get if he comes among the troops, whether they will cheer, or shoot him. I think the former."

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">**//ON THE TURKISH SIDE://** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Hamilton communicated poorly, and didn’t always see his orders through to the end, General von Sanders forced his decisions upon subordinates and was well known for his zeal. Kemal and Sanders saved the day for the Ottomans, repelling the allies and eventually forcing them to retreat. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
 * [[image:https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/oQLCZobWbkLU6PYrG5U3avGWUC-ezzR3L5sQ9YL6OiaYihSR7iCkmLdjrgokOU4iDNYpAqzCHuzklCKoB4yXdds2m-zYg9hWmTYvxexMmN1PqGzxVQ]] || **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mustapha Kemal ended the Gallipoli Campaign as Turkey's greatest war hero. The German General Liman von Sanders was somewhat pushed aside even though Kemal was responsible for some of the bloodiest Turkish losses and, had the Allies prevailed, might well have been denounced for unnecessary deaths, since the Turks had only to hold on to their hill positions to win the campaign, whereas the Allies had to attack in order to justify the entire venture. ** || [[image:https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sgxAwHqrFNmNWQFpLD7GsDQ7-9LERteQtgMaEr7uFnSVWruvIcRr-0isfD-bylPnYasz2uWodbchmkGct7cwTvFdgO_zC1a5fYxy1BnJzVCiGWtnqQ]] ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mustapha Kemal ||  || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">General von Sanders ||

Conclusions: The first evacuations out of the Gallipoli peninsula started in December of 1916, almost a year of fighting a fruitless and grueling campaign, the allied forces pulled back with little to show for their efforts. Casualties were very high, close to 150,000 allies in total were wounded/killed. Of the 44,000 allies soldiers who lost their lives, over 36,000 soldiers (naval and infantry) came from the British empires. (Irish, Australian, Canada, India and New Zea land.) The casualties among the Turkish resistance however, was more than double this figure.

The failure of the campaign could be credited to the collective effects of poor health, poor strategy and poor preparation. The men who fought at Gallipoli were fighting in very horrid ground conditions. The lack of food and clean drinking water, also the persistence of pests such as flies and lice, helped spread disease such as dysentery and typhoid around the troops. The diseases not only decreased the numbers but also the moral of the soldiers. Poor preparation by the leaders in London who were inactive and not co0mmitted wholeheartedly to the campaign as there were not enough reconnaissance done on either the geography or the enemy defense; meaning that the troops rushed into the peninsula half blind and with a half concocted plan. From the initial stages of the campaign, Gallipoli was to be a lost cause.
 * * || Dead || Wounded || Total ||
 * Total Allies. || 44,092 || 96,937 || 141,029 ||
 * United Kingdom || 21,255 || 52,230 || 73,485 ||
 * France (estimated) || 10,000 || 17,000 || 27,000 ||
 * Austailia || 8,709 || 19,441 || 28,150 ||
 * New Zealand || 2,721 || 4,752 || 7,473 ||
 * British India || 1,358 || 3,421 || 4,7789 ||
 * Newfoundland || 49 || 93 || 142 ||
 * Ottoman Empire (esitmated || )86,462 || 164,647 || 251,309 ||
 * Total (both sides) || 130,784 || 261,554 || 392,330 ||

The monument at Gallipoli. On it are the words penned by the commander of the Ottoman forces and later revolutionary founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives; You are now living in the soil of a friendly country, therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

If you are interested in gaining an understanding of how battles in ww1 and specifically this battle was fought, please give this link a look:

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__**Questions:**__

What were the reasons the allied forces had, in regards to instigating this battle? Why was the sea of Marmara important? How did the environment Gallipoli contribute to the failure of the Allied forces?. What kind of improvements could have been made to the initial preparations of the Gallipoli land campaign? What had British Prime Minister Winston Churchill hoped to do by opening up a new theater of war?

sources:

Encyclopedia: Wright, Richard. Gallipoli 'the second stage', WWI, 1986 Books: Brooman, Josh//. Twentieth Century History, the world since 1900//, New York, Longman Inc, 1987 <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> SITES: <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-position: 100% 50%; color: #000000; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-battles/ww1/anzac/gallipoli-facts.htm__] <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-position: 100% 50%; color: #000000; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; padding-right: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[|__http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gallipoli.htm__]  <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> ^* [|ANZAC Day 2010 - The Gallipoli Campaign],

http://www.dva.gov.au/news_archive/Documents/The%20Gallipoli%20Campaign.pdf

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/the-gallipoli-campaign/introduction

http://everything2.com/title/Failure+of+the+Gallipoli+Campaign

<span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #0000cc; font-family: arial,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Gallipoli_Campaign

http://www.firstworldwar.com/ battles/overview_gf.htm

http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/dardanelles.htm