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History > Early 21st century, 20th century > UK, British empire, England
WW1 (1914-1918) > UK / British empire > Turkey
Battle of Gallipoli February 1915 - January 1916
February 1915 - January 1916
Turkey's western coast Gallipoli / Dardanelles
By 1915 the Western Front was clearly deadlocked.
Allied strategy was under scrutiny, with strong arguments mounted for an offensive through the Balkans or even a landing on Germany's Baltic coast, instead of more costly attacks in France and Belgium.
These ideas were initially sidelined, but in early 1915 the Russians found themselves threatened by the Turks in the Caucasus and appealed for some relief.
The British decided to mount a naval expedition to bombard and take the Gallipoli Peninsula on the western shore of the Dardanelles, with Constantinople as its objective.
By capturing Constantinople, the British hoped to link up with the Russians, knock Turkey out of the war and possibly persuade the Balkan states to join the Allies. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_gallipoli.shtml
When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 14 years and was keen to make its mark on the international stage.
For most Australians, the war was seen as a joint cause to uphold and defend civilisation in which they would fight not as Queenslanders or Victorians, but as Australians.
In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers - the ANZACs - formed part of the Allied expedition to capture the Gallipoli peninsula which was supposed to knock Turkey out of the war.
Rather than the intended knockout blow, the campaign became one of the war’s great, if heroic, defeats.
Turkish forces put up unexpectedly stiff resistance and a costly slog followed, ending in the evacuation of Allied troops eight months later.
Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, with British forces losing 30,000 killed, French 10,000, Indian 1,500 (.)
Over 11,000 ANZACs also died - c.8,000 Australians and c.3,000 New Zealanders. http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/pdf/Additional_Resources_Activity_2_Shaping_National_Identities.pdf
In nine months of bloody slaughter, about 58,000 allied soldiers – including 29,000 British and Irish soldiers and 11,000 Australians and New Zealanders – lost their lives during the ill-starred operation to take the Gallipoli peninsula;
a further 87,000 Ottoman Turkish troops died fiercely defending their homeland, and at least 300,000 more on both sides were seriously wounded.
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/24/
had reached a stalemate on the Western Front just months into World War One
Britain and France thought they could help Russia on the Eastern Front by defeating Germany's Turkish allies - the Ottoman Empire
After a failed naval attack, the Allies tried to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul) via the Gallipoli Peninsula by land assault
British, French and their dominions' troops - including soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, India and Newfoundland - took part
They faced months of shelling, sniper fire and dysentery, before abandoning the campaign
55,000 Allied troops died for no material gain, although the Turkish Army was tied down for eight months
86,000 Turkish troops died.
Commander Mustafa Kemal survived and went on to found modern Turkey http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32432725
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_gallipoli.shtml http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/203383.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8234000/8234106.stm
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/24/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02pt6q5
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/20/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/27/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/24/
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32432725 - 23 April 2015
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02plvtr - 20 April 2015
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/24/
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/24/
http://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2015/apr/23/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-32281865
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/22/
http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/oct/31/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/12/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4479843.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/1915/dec/20/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/1915/apr/28/
29 October 1914
Turkey (then known as the Ottoman Empire) enters the war in alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary
The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) enters the war on the side of the Germans as three warships shell the Russian port of Odessa.
Three days later, Russia declares war on Turkey.
Russian and Turkish troops then prepare for battle along the common border of the Russian Caucasus and the Ottoman Empire. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/index-1914.html
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/index-1914.html
A Short History Of The Dardanelles Campaign
Imperial War Museums By Nigel Steel, Principal Historian
A narrow 60-mile-long strip of water that divides Europe from Asia, the Dardanelles has been of great strategic significance for centuries.
Carefully secured by international treaty, it was the closing of the Dardanelles that eventually brought the Ottoman Empire into the war as a German ally at the end of October 1914.
By late 1914, movement on the Western Front had ground to a halt.
Some Allied leaders suggested opening new fronts to break the deadlock, shorten the war and avoid heavier loss of life.
Soon after the start of the new year, Great Britain and France attempted to force the Dardanelles and attack Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Many in Britain, notably the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, believed that knocking the Ottomans out of the war would undermine Germany.
They theorised that as a result of this attack, Britain and France would be able to help their weakest partner, Russia;
that the Suez Canal and Britain’s Middle Eastern oil interests would be secured; and that undecided Balkan states, including Bulgaria and Greece, would join the Allied side.
It was an exciting and alluring proposition.
But it was based on the mistaken belief that the Ottomans were weak and could easily be overcome.
On 19 February 1915, British and French ships began a naval assault on the Dardanelles.
The fighting culminated in a heavy setback for the Allies on 18 March due to large losses from Turkish mines.
Military landings on the Gallipoli peninsula followed on 25 April.
Contained by the Ottoman defenders, a new assault began on 6 August.
Each fresh attempt was defeated, and by mid-January 1916, all Allied troops had been evacuated and the attack on the Dardanelles abandoned.
For the Ottomans, it was a major achievement.
The Allies succeeded only in attrition, killing thousands of Ottoman soldiers.
Even this exacted a high price; total casualties for the campaign were more than half a million.
The Dardanelles campaign remains one of the First World War’s most controversial episodes. http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-dardanelles-campaign added 27 April 2015
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-dardanelles-campaign
Related > Anglonautes > History > 17th - early 21st century
England, United Kingdom, British Empire
20th century > Northern Ireland
British mandate in Palestine (1920-1948)
Related > Anglonautes > Vocapedia
Related
The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallipoli https://www.theguardian.com/news/anzac-day
The Guardian > Special report > First world war https://www.theguardian.com/world/firstworldwar
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/23/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/nov/08/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/oct/07/
The Guardian A global guide to the first world war - interactive documentary 23 July 2014
Ten historians from 10 countries give a brief history of the first world war through a global lens.
Using original news reports, interactive maps and rarely-seen footage, including extraordinary scenes of troops crossing Mesopotamia on camels and Italian soldiers fighting high up in the Alps, the half-hour film explores the war and its effects from many different perspectives.
You can watch the documentary in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic or Hindi thanks to our partnership with the British Academy.
Warning: contains images some viewers may find disturbing
http://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2014/jul/23/
Le Canada et la Première Guerre mondiale http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/premiereguerre/025005-5000-f.html http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/whats-new/013-285-f.html http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/premiereguerre/index-f.html
Le Monde > Centenaire 14-18 http://www.lemonde.fr/centenaire-14-18/
Série documentaire en huit épisodes > 1914 : des armes et des mots 2014
Une bouleversante saga documentaire en huit épisodes qui restitue le cataclysme de la Grande Guerre à travers quatorze destins singuliers, racontés par des lettres et des journaux intimes. Ces points de vue subjectifs de "héros du quotidien" sont complétés par des archives rares, clichés d’époque ou actualités filmées. http://www.arte.tv/guide/fr/044397-001/1914-des-armes-et-des-mots-1-8 http://www.arte.tv/sites/fr/pages/premiere-guerre-mondiale/
Le dessous des cartes 1914 : LES ÉTINCELLES DE LA GUERRE Cette émission a été diffusée la première fois en janvier 2014 http://ddc.arte.tv/emission/1914-les-etincelles-de-la-guerre
From The Trenches To The Web: British WWI Diaries Digitized
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/01/23/ http://nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/
New! More unseen photographs from the First World War
A treasure trove of pictures showing the unknown soldiers of the Somme caused a sensation when it was published here last May. But that was only the beginning of the story... By John Lichfield The Independent Saturday, 29 May 2010
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/
Exclusive: The unseen photographs
that throw new light on the First World War A treasure trove of First World War photographs was discovered recently in France. Published here for the first time, they show British soldiers on their way to the Somme. But who took them? And who were these Tommies marching off to die? By John Lichfield The Independent Friday, 22 May 2009
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/
The Guardian > First world war: share your letters, photographs and stories https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/52751e38e4b01fc33230d4aa
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/
The New York Times > The Great War A 100-year legacy of World War I
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/27/
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