Where is gallipoli and why is it important

The disastrous campaign thus ironically ended with two military successes. As the evacuation of the troops was carried out under cover of a comprehensive deception operation, the Turks were unable to inflict more than a very few casualties on the retreating forces.

The Gallipoli Campaign achieved none of the goals set by British political leaders. Strategic mistakes resulting from political expediency determined the outcome of the campaign.

Essentially, the Allies did not have enough men available at the crucial moments. Hamilton launched the campaign with five divisions against a roughly comparable Ottoman force operating on familiar territory.

This parity continued throughout the campaign, with 13 Allied divisions eventually facing 14 Ottoman divisions. Unimaginative leadership also played a part in the Allied failure: many men were sacrificed in futile attacks at Anzac and Helles.

On the Turkish side, the inspired leadership of Mustafa Kemal Picture 6 played a key role in sustaining courage and determination. Water, food, ammunition, and other supplies arrived at Anzac Cove on ships and were unloaded on the beach with great difficulty. As a consequence, life for the soldiers on Gallipoli was extremely tough and they had to endure extreme weather and primitive living conditions.

Temperatures soared over the summer, while the winter months brought cold rain, snow and icy winds conducive to hypothermia. A huge storm at the end of November flooded trenches and caused many deaths among the exposed troops. With up to 25, men packed into such a cramped space, sanitation was also a problem: body lice became endemic, diarrhoea, dysentery and enteric fever typhoid spread and the unburied bodies attracted swarms of flies. The Gallipoli Campaign ensured that the Western Front was given precedence over all other theatres of military operation for the rest of the war.

Its failure prompted Churchill's resignation as First Lord of the Admiralty on November 15th, and the creation in July of a Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry into the expedition, which shed light on the flawed assumptions that had presided over the planning of the campaign. After the Gallipoli Campaign, Australian and New Zealand forces regrouped in Egypt where they rested and resumed training before leaving in April to fight on the Western Front.

Some units stayed in Egypt where they helped preserve British interests in the Middle East. Figures vary according to sources. However the following figures seem to be generally accepted and give a fairly accurate idea of the extent of the cost in human lives. Roughly half a million Allied soldiers took part in the Gallipoli Campaign See " Gallipoli: Why do Australians celebrate a military disaster? The number of soldiers wounded or killed among British and Dominions and French forces amounted to around , , and 27, respectively.

About 34, British and Dominions soldiers and an estimated 10, French soldiers died during the campaign See "Gallipoli casualties by country" on the New Zealand History website. There were also 4, among Indian troops, including 1, deaths and casualties among soldiers from Newfoundland, 49 of whom were killed. For Australia, as for many nations, the First World War remains the most costly conflict in terms of casualties.

From a population of fewer than five million, , men enlisted: over 61, were killed and , wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. It is estimated that Australian officers and 17, men were wounded and 8, were killed during the Gallipoli Campaign. The whole Gallipoli operation therefore claimed around 26, Australian lives See "Australian fatalities at Gallipoli" on the Australian War Memorial website.

During the First World War, 18, New Zealanders were killed, 12, of whom died on the Western Front, and around 50, were wounded. About 3, of the 14, New Zealanders who served on Gallipoli landed in April and more than 4, were wounded during the whole campaign.

New Zealand casualties therefore totalled around 7, men. Even though the number of Turkish casualties has been disputed, it is clear that victory came at a high price for the Ottoman Empire, which may have lost up to 87, men during the campaign.

Another , were wounded, out of a total of , soldiers involved. Many Turkish army divisions had to be rebuilt from scratch in Total casualties may have amounted to more than , All in all, by the time the Gallipoli Campaign ended, more than , men had been killed and , wounded.

In total, there were just under , casualties during the campaign. Despite the huge number of fatalities, Gallipoli had very little impact on the outcome of the war. Nevertheless, it has gained great significance for Turkey, New Zealand and Australia. In Turkey, the campaign marked the beginning of a national revival and the emergence of Colonel Mustafa Kemal as a leading and inspirational figure.

Gallipoli can therefore be considered as a defining moment in the history of the country for it led to the foundation of modern Turkey. In New Zealand and Australia, the Gallipoli Campaign played an important part in fostering a sense of national identity, even though both countries fought on the other side of the world in the name of the British Empire.

Those at home were proud of how their men had performed on the world stage, establishing a reputation for fighting hard in difficult conditions. The daily lists of fatalities printed in the newspapers back home became a source of pride, as well as sorrow. After Gallipoli, New Zealand and Australia took greater pride in their distinct identity, and had a greater confidence in the international contribution they could make.

The campaign showcased the endurance, determination, bravery, tenacity, practicality, ingenuity, loyalty to the King, initiative and sense of 'mateship' of their soldiers. Moreover, the mutual respect earned during the fighting formed the basis of the close ties between Australia and New Zealand. Anzac Day in Australia and in New Zealand grew out of this pride. First observed on April 25th, , the commemoration of the landing has become a fundamental part of the fabric of national life — a time for remembering not only those who died at Gallipoli, but all New Zealanders and Australians who have served their country in times of war and peace.

Shortly after the Armistice with the Ottoman Empire in October , British and Dominion Graves Registration Units landed at Gallipoli and began building permanent cemeteries for the dead of An Australian Cemetery and memorial was erected at Lone Pine , the site where Australian soldiers took part in the Battle of Lone Pine, one of the bloodiest and hardest fought actions of the campaign.

Today there are 33 Commonwealth war cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula and two memorials which record the names of the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died there with no known graves. There are nearly civic First World War memorials in New Zealand, most of which were erected in the s. Until that time, the Anzac Day ceremonies took place in public buildings or churches, and sometimes had a strong religious focus.

The decision to move the ceremonies to war memorials toned down the religious message and promoted values such as remembrance, service and sacrifice. There is also no doubt that the participation of the Dominions in the war in general and the Gallipoli Campaign in particular was instrumental in pushing for a radical change in the relationships between Britain and its Dominions of white settlements.

It eventually led to the Balfour Report and the Statute of Westminster see selective chronology. It strengthened the feeling of belonging to an imperial family while accentuating the specific character of countries which had sealed their nationhood with a blood sacrifice.

It is largely indebted to a variety of online sources whose list is available here. This list is mainly composed of very comprehensive Australian and New Zealand websites whose remit is to expose the national histories of New Zealand and Australia to a large audience. Although there is no doubt about the quality of the content of these sources, one should bear in mind that they may miss out some of the potential controversies that tend to emerge from diverging analyses of historical facts.

To the above-mentioned list, the following reference must be added:. Suivez-nous sur. New Zealand Free Lance: Photographic prints and negatives. There's a battle, a long way from home and a long time ago.

A lot of men are killed and wounded. It was a defeat and it didn't change anything. But we're still interested in it. Is that weird or what? It is indeed weird. But not mysterious. For Australia, Gallipoli has become an important founding legend. It is attracting even greater attention as the 90th anniversary approaches. Australians entered the Great War welcoming conflict as a test of their nationhood. Their nation had been born amid prosaic debates and referenda, not in war.

The troops who landed on April 25, almost all civilians less than a year before - wondered how they would meet the challenge. In the event, the landing was a military disaster - it failed to meet its objectives.

But merely hanging on in the face of determined Turkish attacks was triumph enough. Charles Bean, the Australian official correspondent, declared that with the landing on Gallipoli a sense of Australian nationhood was born.

The idea took root. Bean's The Anzac Book defined what came to be called the Anzac legend. It encompassed bravery, ingenuity, endurance and the comradeship that Australians call mateship. Nations create the history they need. Gallipoli, though the basis of the annual ritual of Anzac Day from the early s, remained neglected as an historical event.

Nearly 9, of these Allied deaths were Australians, with 20, wounded. Those who fought in WWI, like their contemporary colleagues, showed remarkable resilience when faced with the almost incomprehensible challenges of prolonged trench warfare.

Equally, it is no surprise that those conflicts also had a substantial impact on mental health. The primary approach taken to care was very brief, consisting only of a few days of comfort, with the expectation that the soldier would rapidly return to duty.