Gallipoli campaign

Gallipoli campaign (World War I) (25 Apr. 1915–9 Jan. 1916) A failed military offensive on the southernmost peninsula on the European side of the Dardanelles. Following the failure of a naval advance through the Dardanelles, British and ANZAC forces decided to land at Gallipoli, and from there attack the forts guarding the Dardanelles and the entrance to Constantinople. On 25 April a French corps attacked the Turkish positions at Gallipoli from land bases in Asia Minor. British and Australian troops under General Ian Hamilton landed at Cape Helles, at the tip of the Gallipoli peninsula, while Australian and New Zealand troops, under General William Birdwood, landed at Ari Burnu (later renamed Anzac Cove). Security had been so lax that the Turks under the German General Liman von Sanders were expecting them, and offered strong resistance. British and ANZAC troops desperately tried to advance up the steep hillsides, despite heavy casualties. On 6 August a further landing was made at Suvla Bay, to the west. This was a much more suitable site, but the Allies did not press their advantage, enabling Turkish troops to move into the hills above them. Trench warfare ensued until an evacuation was finally ordered. Some 36,000 Allied troops were killed, including 8,587 Australians. A further 82,000 were wounded or taken prisoner. Its failure was caused by inadequate and confused planning, while the offensive had been controversial from the start. Many had argued that it merely deflected efforts from the war's main and decisive theatre of operations, the Western Front.