Turkey Guide On Line
Turkey Guide On Line
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THE ANZAC LANDINGS
The troops chosen for the landings at Z Beach just north of Gaba Tepe, were Birdwood's untried Anzacs. The landing commenced in darkness at 0430 on the morning of 25th April, led by the Australian 3rd Brigade. Unfortunately the Australians were landed at Ari Burnu, a mile north of their objective. The terrain consisted of rugged, thorn covered ridges and gullies, and the Turkish defenders took a heavy toll of the Australians as they struggled up the steep slopes under heavy fire. By the afternoon, the Anzacs had a tenuous toehold on the first two ridges to the east of Anzac Cove. The commander of the Turkish 19th Division, Colonel Mustafa Kemal, realising that the 9th Division in the south could be endangered by the Anzac advance , wisely rushed reinforcements to the ridges above Ari Burnu.
By nightfall on 25th April, both Anzac divisions were ashore and frantically digging-in ready to withstand the fierce Turkish counter-attacks. Von Sanders rushed artillery and 30,000 fresh troops to Gallipoli and on 18th May, launched a massive counter attack lasting over seven hours. By noon over 3,000 Turkish soldiers lay dead or wounded. It was during this attack that L/Cpl Albert Jacka of the 14th Australian Battalion won the Victoria Cross. Both sides then resorted to trench warfare, until the major August British offensive. In an attempt to hold the Turkish reserves in the Anzac area; while the British landed at Suvla Bay; the Australian 4th Brigade and the New Zealanders attacked towards the dominating peaks of Sari Bair, and the Australian Ist Brigade charged the heavily fortified Turkish trenches at Lone Pine. The struggle for possession of the deep underground trenches lasted from 6th to 9th August, with the Australians capturing and holding the Turkish defences. The award of Seven Victoria Crosses is an indication of the bitter fighting that ensured. A series of Supporting feints were made along the main ridge line at The Nek, Pope's Hill and German Officers' Trench, however, each of these attacks were defeated by the Turkish defenders. The Lone Pine battles were the last major actions fought at Anzac, for on December 20th, the Anzacs silently evacuated the area without loss. |
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