The Battle of GallipoliBy: Alex Fleming, Ben Wolters, Devin Kang, Sanket Katta

1/16/15

Thesis

• The Allies’ failed offensive to break the western stalemates, forced them to create a new battlefront to mobilize the war; they hoped to diminish the forces of the Central Powers by attacking Turkish support. The Allies essentially gained no territory and many of their forces died in the Battle of Gallipoli. This war effort was a fatal blow to the power of the Allies—it left Britain in a stage of chaos—and only strengthened the Central Powers.

Background

• In 1915 the western front was a complete stalemate• Russia needed help from the Turkish threats• Allies needed a new plan of attack• British wanted to control the Dardanelles strait in order to

connect with the Russians and hopefully push Turkey out of the war

• If Turkey was pushed out of the war, the Allies planned to ally with the Balkans

• Russia’s Grand Duke Nicholas

appealed for British aid from

a Turkish invasion

in the Caucasus• This led to the naval

expedition that would

attempt to connect the

Aegean Sea to the Black Sea in the northwestern Turkey

How it Began

• Under General Ian Hamilton (commander of the British forces), troops from Australia, New Zealand, and France were assembled in the Greek Islands for attack

• The Turks understood what was coming and under General Liman von Sanders, the Turks added defenses along the shores of the strait

• On April 25, 1915, the Dardanelles strait was invaded by the Allies, officially starting the battle

During the Battle

• The Allies established two beach heads on the peninsula, despite the fact of the heavy casualties.

• There were two stages: • Naval stage- Began with long range attacks by the British

and the French, leading to Turkey abandoning their coastal forts

• As the battleships entered the straits further and further, Turkey had the upper hand, and sank multiple British ships through mines and heavy fire

Cont.

• Land Stage-With the failed naval attack, general Ian Hamilton, on April 25th 1915, allies invaded the Gallipoli peninsula

• Took control of two beachheads with the support of Australia and New Zealand

• With small amounts of success in the south, the Allies made a surprise attack at Suvla Bay (August 6th)

• Even though the British had good tactics, their indecision/lack of speed allowed the Ottomans to regroup

• This would subsequently lead to the failure of the Battle of Gallipoli

Effects

• Diverted Ottoman forces away from other Middle Eastern fronts

• Since the battle was an Ottoman victory, they remained in the war and Russia was not supplied with the arms they needed• The diversion did help them though

• Lead to the resignation of First Sea Admiral John Fisher and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill

• Moral loss lead to further criticism of British leaders

Significance

• The significance of the campaign is strongly felt in both New Zealand and Australia

• It linked to their emergence as independent nations• It is referred to both nations as the “Baptism of fire”• The campaign has proved significant in the emergence of

an Australian identity

Works Cited

• http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/battle-of-gallipoli

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/battle_gallipoli.shtml

• http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari/p/gallipoli.htm

• http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/maps_gallipoli.html