SHOWING ALLIED LINES AT THE TIME OF THE EVACUATION.
Map by Australian War Museum.[ToList]
The Gallipoli Peninsula formed part of Thrace of the ancients. Through it Xerxes, the Persian king, after crossing the Dardanelles, attacked the Greeks with an army and followers estimated at over 2,000,000. This was about 480 B.C. It also lay in the route of Alexander the Great in his march on Egypt and India commenced in 334 B.C. Later on it was overrun by the Gauls, recovered by the Greeks, occupied by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D., passed into the possession of the Venetians 1,000 years later, and was finally held by the Turks as a result of their invasion of Europe in 1356. In 1807 a British naval squadron forced the passage of the Straits but suffered considerable damage, when returning, from large stone shot fired from the guns of the forts. Again, in 1853, the British and French fleets sailed into the Sea of Marmara in support of the Turks who were on the verge of war with Russia. At Bulair, in March and April, 1854, the British troops on the way to the Crimea landed, and, in conjunction with their allies, constructed across the neck of the Peninsula the fortifications known as the Bulair Lines.
Following the outbreak of the great European War, Turkey, on the 31st October, 1914, definitely threw in her lot with Germany. In order to deal with the Ottoman, and at the same time restore communication with Russia through the Black Sea route, the French and British Governments decided to force the Straits. A bombardment was opened on the 3rd November, 1914, but lasted for a few minutes only. On the 19th February following, and succeeding days, a heavy bombardment was carried out and small craft were engaged in mine-sweeping up towards the Narrows. Again, on the 18th March, the attack was renewed—some ships penetrating the Strait eight or ten miles—but the Turks loosed some large mines which floated down and sunk three of the battleships. Now it became obvious that the aid of land forces must be sought in order to deal with the enemy defences. That task was committed to an army already assembling in Egypt and on Lemnos Island. This army was under the command of General Sir Ian Hamilton and was composed of a French Division, the 29th British Division, the Royal Naval Division, and the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps; the last-named formation being commanded by Major-General Sir William Birdwood.
Very early in the morning of the 25th April, 1915, the attack was commenced. The French troops landed at Kum Kale—on the Asiatic side of the Strait; the 29th Division, and part of the R.N. Division, at five places at the southern end of the Peninsula; the Anzac Corps at a cove about 3,000 yards north of Gaba Tepe; whilst the major portion of the R.N. Division was sent under convoy to make a feint in the Gulf of Xeros near to the Bulair Lines.
The Australian attack was led by the 3rd Brigade (including the 11th Battalion). After a week's heroic fighting (in which the 16th Battalion took a prominent part) under conditions never before experienced in warfare, and the loss of 9,000 killed, wounded, and missing, a position was made good which extended in an arc from the foot of Walker's Ridge, on the north, up to Russell's Top, across the head of Monash Gully, to MacLaurin's Hill, continuing to Bolton's Ridge and resecting the beach about 2,000 yards north of Gaba Tepe. The base of this arc measured about 2,700 yards and the enclosed area did not exceed three-quarters of a square mile.
During the next three months the Corps was reinforced by various drafts, and four brigades of Light Horse dismounted. Attempts were made from time to time to improve and extend the Australian position, but little progress was made. At the same time the Turks were by no means idle for, apart from fortifying their positions, they frequently attacked in endeavours to drive us off their soil. The heaviest assault was on the 18th May when 30,000 fresh troops were flung at the 1st Division and the New Zealanders. So effectually were they repulsed that the Turks begged for an armistice for the purpose of collecting and burying the dead.
Sir Ian Hamilton, who had been strengthened by several new divisions, planned a fresh attack for early in August. On the 6th of that month the 1st (N.S.W.) Brigade stormed Lone Pine. On the following morning attacks were made from Steel's Post, Quinn's Post, Pope's Hill, and Russell's Top, but all of these were unfruitful and caused heavy losses. The main attack in the Anzac sector was, however, delivered from the left. This commenced on the night of the 6th August and swept up the Sazli Beit and Chailak Deres,[J] over Big Table Top, Bauchop Hill, and Rhododendron Spur, to a position—afterwards called "The Apex"—within 400 yards of the summit of Chunuk Bair.[K] A portion of the force detailed for this advance moved up the Aghyl Dere and endeavoured to take Koja Chemin Tepe from the west side but, after many casualties, had to entrench on some of the under-features (Cheshire Ridge-Warwick Castle).
During the progress of this fighting the IX. Corps made a fresh landing at Suvla Bay (6th-7th August). The combat was heavy and eventually a junction was effected with the Australian left, but not one of the real objectives was gained. ×××× The operations were continued until the 29th August, on which date the 10th Light Horse, sent north to reinforce there, stormed Hill 60. This was the last Australian attack on the Peninsula. Henceforth attention was given solely to holding and strengthening the positions gained. The 2nd Australian Division took no part in any of these operations, but one of its battalions—the 18th—arrived in time to join in the fighting for the hill feature just mentioned.
The net result of the August fighting gave to the Anzac and IX. Corps a continuous line of about 12 miles. This ran from the Brighton Beach to the Gulf of Xeros. Behind this the depth did not average more than 1¼ miles but the Anzac area was enlarged from 300 acres to 8 square miles. This gain cost the Australasians 18,000 casualties. The exhausted troops remaining were gradually relieved by the 2nd Division pending the further development of the British plans.