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The Ottoman Turkish Empire entered the First World War on the side of the Central Powers on 31 October 1914 . The stalemate of trench warfare on the Western Front convinced the British Imperial War Cabinet that an attack on the Central Powers elsewhere , particularly Turkey , could be the best way of winning the war .... |
= = = Intention = = = |
Lieutenant @-@ General William Birdwood , commanding the inexperienced Australian and New Zealand Army Corps ( ANZAC ) , comprising the Australian Division and two brigades of the New Zealand and Australian Division , was ordered to conduct an amphibious assault on the western side of the Gallipoli Peninsula . The New... |
The location chosen for the operation was between the headland of Gaba Tepe and the Fisherman 's Hut , three miles ( 4 @.@ 8 km ) to the north . Landing at dawn after a naval gunfire bombardment , the first troops were to seize the lower crests and southern spurs of Hill 971 . The second wave would pass them to captur... |
Birdwood planned to arrive off the peninsula after the moon had set , with the first troops landing at 03 : 30 , an hour before dawn . He declined the offer of an old merchant ship , loaded with troops , being deliberately grounded at Gaba Tepe . Instead , the troops were to travel in naval and merchant ships , transf... |
First ashore would be the Australian Division , commanded by Major @-@ General William Bridges . The 3rd Australian Brigade , known as the covering force , were to capture the third ridge from Battleship Hill south along the Sari Bair mountain range to Gaba Tepe . The 2nd Australian Brigade , landing next , were to ca... |
= = = Turkish forces = = = |
The First World War Ottoman Turkish Army was modelled after the German Imperial Army , with most of its members being conscripted for two years ( infantry ) or three years ( artillery ) ; they then served in the reserve for the next twenty @-@ three years . The pre @-@ war army had 208 @,@ 000 men in thirty @-@ six di... |
The British preparations could not be made in secret , and by March 1915 , the Turks were aware that a force of fifty thousand British and thirty thousand French troops was gathering at Lemnos . They considered there were only four likely places for them to land : Cape Helles , Gaba Tepe , Bulair , or on the Asiatic (... |
On 24 March , the Turks formed the Fifth Army , a force of over 100 @,@ 000 men , in two corps of six divisions and a cavalry brigade , commanded by the German general Otto Liman von Sanders . The Fifth Army deployed the III Corps at Gallipoli and the XV Corps on the Asiatic coast . The 5th Division and a cavalry brig... |
= = Anzac Cove = = |
On 19 April orders were issued for the ANZACs to stop training , and for all ships and small boats to take on coal and stores , in preparation for a landing originally scheduled to occur on 23 April . Weather conditions delayed their departure from Lemnos until dawn on 24 April . The Royal Navy battleships Queen , Tri... |
= = = First six companies = = = |
At 01 : 00 on 25 April the British ships stopped at sea , and thirty @-@ six rowing boats towed by twelve steamers embarked the first six companies , two each from the 9th , 10th and 11th Battalions . At 02 : 00 a Turkish sentry reported seeing ships moving at sea , and at 02 : 30 the report was sent to 9th Division '... |
Around 04 : 30 Turkish sentries opened fire on the boats , but the first ANZAC troops were already ashore at Beach Z , called Ari Burnu at the time , but later known as Anzac Cove . ( It was formally renamed Anzac Cove by the Turkish government in 1985 . ) They were one mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) further north than intended ... |
On their way in , the rowing boats had become mixed up . The 11th Battalion grounded to the north of Ari Burnu point , while the 9th Battalion hit the point or just south of it , together with most of the 10th Battalion . The plan was for them to cross the open ground and assault the first ridge line , but they were f... |
Men from the 9th and 10th Battalions started up the Ari Burnu slope , grabbing the gorse branches or digging their bayonets into the soil to provide leverage . At the peak they found an abandoned trench , the Turks having withdrawn inland . Soon the Australians reached Plugge 's Plateau , the edge of which was defende... |
= = = Second six companies = = = |
The second six companies landed while it was still dark , the destroyers coming to within five hundred yards ( 460 m ) to disembark the troops , under fire . They also landed at Anzac Cove , but now as planned the 11th were in the north , 10th in the centre and the 9th in the south . The 12th Battalion landed all alon... |
In the north , the first men from the 11th and 12th Battalions started up Walker 's Ridge , under fire from a nearby Turkish trench . Around the same time Turkish artillery started bombarding the beachhead , destroying at least six boats . The Australians fought their way forward and reached Russell 's Top ; the Turks... |
= = = Turkish reaction = = = |
At 05 : 45 , Lieutenant @-@ Colonel Mehmet Sefik of the Turkish 27th Infantry Regiment received orders to move his 1st and 3rd Battalions to the west and support the 2nd Battalion around Gaba Tepe . The two battalions were already assembled , having spent that night carrying out military exercises . They could not be ... |
At 09 : 00 Sefik and his two battalions were approaching Kavak Tepe , and made contact with his 2nd Battalion that had conducted a fighting withdrawal , and an hour and a half later the regiment was deployed to stop the ANZACs advancing any further . Around 10 : 00 Kemal arrived at Scrubby Knoll and steadied some retr... |
= = Baby 700 = = |
Baby 700 is a hill in the Sari Bair range , next to Battleship Hill or Big 700 . It was named after its supposed height above sea level , though its actual height is only 590 feet ( 180 m ) . |
Maclagen sent the 11th Battalion , Captain Joseph Lalor 's company of the 12th Battalion and Major James Robertson 's of the 9th , towards Baby 700 . Brockman divided his own company , sending half up the right fork of Rest Gully , and half up the left , while Brockman and a reserve platoon headed up Monash Valley . A... |
Arriving at Baby 700 , Captain Eric Tulloch , 11th Battalion , decided to take his remaining sixty men towards Battleship Hill , leaving Lalor 's company to dig in and defend The Nek . Tulloch moved around to the right before advancing towards the summit . The 11th Battalion crossed the first rise unopposed , but at t... |
At 08 : 30 Robertson and Lalor decided to take their companies up Baby 700 . Instead of going round to the right like Tulloch , they went straight up the centre , crossed over the summit onto the northern slope and went to ground . A spur on their left , leading to Suvla Bay , was defended by a Turkish trench system .... |
= = = Second wave = = = |
The 2nd Brigade landed between 05 : 30 and 07 : 00 , and the reserve 1st Brigade landed between 09 : 00 and 12 : 00 , already putting the timetable behind schedule . The 2nd Brigade , which was supposed to be heading for Baby 700 on the left , were instead sent to the right to counter a Turkish attack building up ther... |
The 1st Brigade was on the opposite flank to the 3rd Brigade and already getting involved in battles of its own , when its commander , Colonel Percy Owen , received a request from Maclagen for reinforcements . Owen sent two companies from the 3rd Battalion and one from the 1st Battalion ( Swannell 's ) to support the ... |
Soon after , Lalor 's company had been forced back to The Nek and the Turks were threatening to recapture Russell 's Top , and at 10 : 15 Maclagen reported to Bridges his doubts over being able to hold out . In response Bridges sent part of his reserve , two companies from the 2nd Battalion ( Gordon 's and Richardson ... |
At 11 : 00 Swannell 's company arrived at the foot of Baby 700 , joining the seventy survivors of Robertson 's and Lalor 's companies . They immediately charged and chased the Turks back over the summit of Baby 700 , then stopped and dug in . The two 2nd Battalion companies arrived alongside them , but all the compani... |
By this time most of the 3rd Brigade men had been killed or wounded , and the line was held by the five depleted companies from the 1st Brigade . On the left , Gordon 's company 2nd Battalion , with the 11th and 12th Battalion 's survivors , charged five times and captured the summit of Baby 700 , but were driven back... |
= = = Third wave = = = |
The New Zealand Brigade commander had been taken ill , so Birdwood appointed Brigadier @-@ General Harold Walker , a staff officer already ashore , as commander . The Auckland Battalion had landed by 12 : 00 , and were being sent north along the beach to Walker 's Ridge on their way to Russell 's Top . Seeing that the... |
At 12 : 30 two companies of the Canterbury Battalion landed and were sent to support the Aucklands , who had now been ordered back to Plugge 's Plateau , and were forming on the left of the 3rd Brigade . The Canterbury companies moved into the line on the Aucklands ' left , waiting for the rest of their brigade to lan... |
= = = MacLaurin 's Hill = = = |
MacLaurin 's Hill is a 1 @,@ 000 yard ( 910m ) long section of the Second Ridge that connects Baby 700 to 400 Plateau , with a steep slope on the ANZAC side down to Monash Valley . In the coming days Quinn 's , Steel 's and Courtney 's Posts would be built on the slope . The first ANZAC troops to reach the hill , from... |
= = 400 Plateau = = |
The 400 Plateau , named for its height above sea level , was a wide and level plateau on the second ridge line , about six hundred by six hundred yards ( 550 by 550 m ) wide and around one thousand yards ( 910 m ) from Gun Ridge . The northern half of the plateau became known as Johnston 's Jolly , and the southern ha... |
= = = 3rd Brigade = = = |
If the landings had gone to plan , the 11th Battalion was supposed to be crossing the plateau heading north . The 10th Battalion , south of the plateau , was to capture a Turkish trench and artillery battery behind Gun Ridge . The 9th Battalion , furthest south , was to attack the artillery battery at Gaba Tepe , and ... |
After landing , some of the 9th and 10th Battalion 's men headed for 400 Plateau . The first 10th Battalion platoon to arrive was commanded by Lieutenant Noel Loutit , and accompanied by the Brigade @-@ Major , Charles Brand . They discovered the Turkish battery in the Lone Pine sector , which was preparing to move . ... |
Loutit , Lieutenant J. Haig of the 10th , and thirty @-@ two men from the 9th , 10th , and 11th Battalions crossed Legge Valley and climbed a spur of Gun Ridge , just to the south of Scrubby Knoll . As they reached the top , about four hundred yards ( 370 m ) further inland was Gun Ridge , defended by a large number o... |
= = = 2nd Brigade = = = |
As part of the second wave , the 2nd Brigade had been landing since 05 : 30 ; the 5th , 6th and 8th Battalions were supposed to cross 400 Plateau and head to Hill 971 , while the 7th Battalion on the left were to climb Plugge 's Plateau then make for Hill 971 . One 7th Battalion company , Jackson 's , landed beside th... |
Within two hours half the Australian Division was involved in the battle of 400 Plateau . However , most of the officers had misunderstood their orders . Believing the intention was to occupy Gun Ridge and not hold their present position , they still tried to advance . The 9th and 10th Battalions had started forming a... |
= = = Pine Ridge = = = |
Pine Ridge is part of the 400 Plateau , and stretches , in a curve towards the sea , for around one mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) . Beyond Pine Ridge is Legge Valley and Gun Ridge and , like the rest of the terrain , it was covered in a thick gorse scrub , but also had stunted pine trees around eleven feet ( 3 @.@ 4 m ) tall gr... |
Several groups of men eventually made their way to Pine Ridge . Among the first was Lieutenant Eric Plant 's platoon from the 9th Battalion . Captain John Whitham 's company of the 12th Battalion moved forward from Bolton 's Ridge when they saw the 6th Battalion moving up behind them . As the 6th Battalion reached the... |
= = Turkish counter @-@ attack = = |
Around 10 : 00 Kemal and the 1st Battalion , 57th Infantry were the first to arrive in the area between Scrubby Knoll and Chunuk Bair . From the knoll Kemal was able to observe the landings . He ordered the artillery battery to set up on the knoll , and the 1st Battalion to attack Baby 700 and Mortar Ridge from the No... |
At 11 : 30 Sefik told Kemal that the ANZACs had a beachhead of around 2 @,@ 200 yards ( 2 @,@ 000 m ) , and that he would attack towards Ari Burnu , in conjunction with the 19th Division . Around midday Kemal was appraised that the 9th Division was fully involved with the British landings at Cape Helles , and could no... |
= = = North = = = |
At 15 : 15 Lalor left the defence of The Nek to a platoon that had arrived as reinforcements , and moved his company to Baby 700 . There he joined a group from the 2nd Battalion , commanded by Lieutenant Leslie Morshead . Lalor was killed soon afterwards . The left flank of Baby 700 was now held by sixty men , the rem... |
At 16 : 30 the three battalions from the 72nd Infantry Regiment arrived and attacked from the north . At the same time the Australians and New Zealanders holding on at Baby 700 broke and ran back to an improvised line , from Walker 's Ridge in the north to Pope 's Hill in the south . The defence line at The Nek was no... |
Dusk was at 19 : 00 and the Turkish attack had now reached Malone 's Gulley and The Nek . The New Zealanders waited until the Turks came close , then opened fire in the darkness , stopping their advance . Seriously outnumbered , they asked for reinforcements . Instead , the supporting troops to their rear were withdra... |
= = = South = = = |
The Australians on 400 Plateau had for some time been subjected to sniping and artillery fire and could see Turkish troops digging in on Gun Ridge . Around 13 : 00 a column of Turkish reinforcements from the 27th Infantry Regiment , in at least battalion strength , were observed moving along the ridge @-@ line from th... |
Although in places there was a mixture of different companies and platoons dug in together , the Australians were deployed with the 8th Battalion in the south still centred on Bolton 's Ridge . North of them , covering the southern sector of 400 Plateau , were the mixed together 6th and 7th Battalions , both now comma... |
At 15 : 30 the two battalions of the Turkish 77th Infantry Regiment were in position , and with the 27th Infantry they counter @-@ attacked again . At 15 : 30 and at 16 : 45 McCay , now under severe pressure , requested reinforcements . The second time he was informed there was only one uninvolved battalion left , the... |
At 17 : 20 McCay signalled Bridges that large numbers of unwounded men were leaving the battlefield and heading for the beaches . This was followed by Maclagan asking for urgent artillery fire support , onto Gun Ridge , as his left was under a heavy attack and at 18 : 16 Owen reported the left flank was " rapidly " be... |
The last significant action of the day was at 22 : 00 south of Lone Pine , when the Turks charged towards Bolton 's Ridge . By now the 8th Battalion had positioned two machine @-@ guns to cover their front , which caused devastation amongst the attackers , and to their left the 4th Battalion also became involved . Whe... |
= = Aftermath = = |
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