The Many Reasons for the Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli Campaign began on the 25th of April 1915 and ended on 9th of January 1916. The reason's for the Gallipoli Campaign was for the British to be able to capture the Ottoman Empire Capital and also they wanted to secure their trading route with Russia. Then with the secure trading route with Russia, British forces would be able to supply Russia with ammunition, resources and reinforcements. This then would hopefully win the war for the allied nations and stop the German and Austria-Hungary forces on the Western front.
Perspective's of the Gallipoli Campaign
In many cases people describe the Gallipoli Campaign as not a success, but neither a defeat. In many cases it was a historical lost of life and a Campaign that did not achieve anything for the allied nations. The Anzac soldiers were told to dig in and fight it to the end. The Anzac's became famous for this as they dug in and faced the Turkish in a relentless battle of 8 months, which saw the eventual withdraw of the Anzac's. In many cases the Gallipoli campaign was a slaughter of men and a suicide mission in many cases.
The Unhealthy Atmosphere of the Gallipoli Campaign
The conditions at Gallipoli, on both sides, were notorious. In the summer, the heat was atrocious, and in conjunction with bad sanitation, led to so many flies that eating became extremely difficult. Corpses, left in the open, became bloated and putrid. The precarious Allied bases were poorly situated and caused supply and shelter problems. A dysentery epidemic spread through the Allied trenches in both Anzac and Helles. Autumn and winter brought relief from the heat, but also led to gales, leaking and frostbite .
The Evacuation
Without any gains of land being made, fighting continued until a change of command led to orders being given to evacuate the troops from Gallipoli between 8 December and 20 December 1915.The order was met with mixed reactions amongst the soldiers. While they were relieved to be leaving (a heavy blizzard was settling in), they felt that they were giving in on something for which they had fought hard.
The men had learn from past mistakes made during the campaign so knew they had to remove themselves quickly and carefully. It is said that the evacuation, unlike the rest of the campaign, was prepared by Australians who wanted what was in the best interest of their men. The evacuation became one of the great military deceptions in history, in part owing to the innovation of the ANZACs.
One example of innovation was the design of a self-firing gun. The contraption consisted of a can that dripped water into another can which, in turn, was attached by string to the trigger of the Anzac's gun. The weight of the water which filled the can then caused the gun to fire. These self-firing guns positioned along the trenches gave the impression that the soldiers were still there.
Without a single loss of life, the evacuation was undoubtedly the most successful part of the Gallipoli Campaign. It was, however, too late for many. Just over 10 000 ANZACs were killed and 33 500 injured, not to mention the thousands of other soldiers from the British Empire and their enemy's.
The men had learn from past mistakes made during the campaign so knew they had to remove themselves quickly and carefully. It is said that the evacuation, unlike the rest of the campaign, was prepared by Australians who wanted what was in the best interest of their men. The evacuation became one of the great military deceptions in history, in part owing to the innovation of the ANZACs.
One example of innovation was the design of a self-firing gun. The contraption consisted of a can that dripped water into another can which, in turn, was attached by string to the trigger of the Anzac's gun. The weight of the water which filled the can then caused the gun to fire. These self-firing guns positioned along the trenches gave the impression that the soldiers were still there.
Without a single loss of life, the evacuation was undoubtedly the most successful part of the Gallipoli Campaign. It was, however, too late for many. Just over 10 000 ANZACs were killed and 33 500 injured, not to mention the thousands of other soldiers from the British Empire and their enemy's.