Gallipoli campaign
Gallipoli Peninsula, Sanjak of Gelibolu, Adrianople Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (modern-day
What happened
Allied forces under General Ian Hamilton, including Australian, New Zealand, British, French, Indian and Newfoundland troops, fought the Ottoman army led by Otto Liman von Sanders and commanders including Mustafa Kemal. The Allies wanted to knock the Ottoman Empire out of World War I by capturing the narrow sea passage called the Dardanelles, which would open a route to Constantinople and to Russia. In March 1915 an Allied naval attack failed when mines sank several battleships, so on 25 April soldiers landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The fighting soon turned into trench warfare in heat, disease and dirt, and in January 1916 the Allies gave up and left.
Why it matters
Result: Ottoman victory. Why it matters: The campaign was an Ottoman victory. In Turkey it is remembered as a defining moment, and in Australia and New Zealand it is linked to the emergence of a national identity.
What came next
Mustafa Kemal became famous through the campaign and in 1923 founded the Republic of Turkey. Australians and New Zealanders remember the landings every year on Anzac Day, 25 April.
Did you know?
Anzac Day dawn services are held around the time of the original landing on 25 April 1915.
Timeline
- 19 February 1915Allied warships begin attacking the Dardanelles forts.
- March 1915The naval attack fails after mines sink several battleships.
- 25 April 1915Allied troops land on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
- 9 January 1916The last Allied troops leave Gallipoli.