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The Allied objectives in the Gallipoli
campaign were, by capturing Istanbul, to force Turkey out of the war, to
secure an ice-free sea supply route to Russia and to open another front
against Germany and Austria-Hungary. The campaign fell into four phases,
as outlined below:
Phase-1
 This
consisted of the naval assault which began on 18th March 1915. There was
never a 'real' strategy, as the battleships just forged their way through
the Dardenelles. It was not entirely unsuccessful as the ships made a
great distance, but when it was time to turn back due to bad light, the
vessels managed to meet with quite a few sea mines which resulted in the
capsizing of some.
Phase-2
 The
landings by the British and French at Cape Helles and the Australian and
New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC's) at the Anzac beaches on the 25th April
1915. The British and French made decent ground at heavy cost, whereas
the Anzac's struggled in what can only be described as a farce as they
landed at the wrong beach. There are several reasons as to why this
occurred, some of which involved wrong markers and strong currents. The
Anzac legend was born on this very day as soldiers from far away lands
barely coped with the bloody conditions. The Turks were waiting and if it
wasn't for the brilliance of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, one could never
imagine what might have happened. Anzac's were mowed down, some before
even reaching land, and others who did make it to shore dug deep to hide
from the fury of gunfire which was almost deafening. Numerous casualties
occurred on that very first Anzac Day but the true grit shown by the
Anzac's was more than heroic.
Phase-3
 This
occurred in August and involved more British landings to the north of
Anzac and at Suvla Bay. One of the most important battles to have taken
place was what is now known as the August offensive at the Nek. The
charges of the 8th & 10th Australian Light Horse as depicted in the
Gallipoli film was just another one to add to the list of incompetence.
The static trench warfare lasted approximately 8-9 months. Both sides
were not budging and the pointless loss of lives on this peninsula was
too huge to accurately account.
Phase-4
The order was finally delivered that the allied troops must retreat. This
was the one thing the allies got right, as not one life was lost during
this whole process. It started with the evacuations from Suvla and the
Anzac areas in the early hours of 20th December 1915 and from Helles on
9th January 1916.
The irony of this entire battle was that both sides shared a camaraderie
and were fighting a battle which wasn't theirs. Stories exist of sharing
cigarette papers and tobacco, helping wounded soldiers on opposing sides
as well as showing a certain respect for each other. Today the Gallipoli
peninsula serves as a place for both young and old travellers to
commemorate the fallen and to serve as a reminder to each and every one
of us that war is not worth the effort as no-one can win!
Anzac
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