Gallipoli

A monument to the thousand of unknown Turkish soldiers who lost their lives in this futile battle

Yesterday I visited my first WWI site. It was powerful!
In North America the battle of Gallipoli is rarely discussed in accounts of WWI. Canada had a very small part and the American’s had no part in it. It was also a futile stalemate, which resulted in a hasty retreat by commonwealth forces. However, for Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, this battle was hugely significant and for citizens of theses two countries coming here is a pilgrimage. To aid in the significance I was fortunate enough to be accompanied by a few Australians of all different walks, and to be guided by a Turkish man. I found out that ANZAC (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) day is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in their country. It is like Remembrance Day and Canada Day combined but with more hype. For them, it was the birth of their national identity and civic spirit. As such many Aussies who can afford it try and make it out at least once in their lives.
For the Turks it was literally the birth of their nation. As a result of the battle they gained a great war hero who shortly thereafter took control of the country, exiled the Ottoman sultan, made huge social reforms and created a republic. That hero, of course, was Kemil Ataturk.

"The right man at the right place." He did what Hitler could not do- defeat Churchill.

The battle began on 25 April, 1915. The battle was doomed form the beginning with a Royal navy screw up. The ANZACs were placed on what is now ANZAC cove with its extremely steep cliffs. They were suppose to be dropped off a km south at a beach with a much more gradual slope. This mistake allowed the very under strengthed Turkish force to keep the ANZACs from reaching the high ground and gain the advantage. Both sides dug in and began an 8 month stalemate that resulted in over 200,000 casualties.

The steep cliffs of the ANZAC cove. If the Allies would have screwed up this badly at Normandy we would all be speaking German.

There were many things that surprised me about this trip, the Aussies not the least. What I could not, and still cannot fathom, was how close the two trench lines were. Typically about 20m apart, we went to one spot were we could see the remnants of the ANZAC trench system on one side of a narrow road and the Turk lines on the other, a mere 8m apart.

An ANZAC communication tunnel

Some of the extensive trench system that is still visible

The most significant battle was fought on the Lone Pine ridge. The ANZACs made a rush for the Turk lines that lasted for three days. Because the fighting was so tight, the soldiers were not allowed to use their rifles for fear of fratricide, so they were limited to bayonets and bare fists. By the time the fighting finally stopped there was 2000 ANZAC dead and 6000 Turk dead. The result of the battle was the ANZAC’s managed to push the Turks back a whopping 39 meters. When the fighting was over, there was an unofficial ceasefire that allowed the ANZACS to burry the dead of both sides. However, due to lack of space, the ANZACs had a very small foothold on the side of a cliff, they had no choice but to burry the soldiers on top of each other in the abandon Turkish trenches. This was a turning point in another way though, for it established a mutual respect that is clear to this day. As we stood in the monument with several thousand buried soldiers just a few feet below us our tour guide explained how the soldiers were buried such that they rested eternally in each others arms as brothers.

The site of the "Lone Pine battle". No larger than two tennis courts, it was the sight of 8000 dead.

I should take a moment to mention a couple of things about my guide, Captain Ali. He was a 75 year old man from the region, who had been a Captain in the navy and then worked on ships. At some point he must have got a degree in history, for he was also a lecturer at one point. When I told him that I studied ancient history he seemed a little interested and told me that he wrote a thesis on the different cultural groups that inhabited the various cities of Troy.
He was an outstanding guide. He told the story with such passion and reverence that it felt like we were children listening to a father tell his own story. He was remarkably passionate and emotional for someone who has told the story so many times.
The one thing that he emphasized over and over was how the campaign was a gentleman’s battle and how a great fellowship between the three countries was formed. I must admit that I felt like a bit of an outsider, but I did appreciate the chance to see the bond that this event formed between the three countries. He told one story that really demonstrated this point. At one point the Turks had an abundance of loose tobacco, but no papers. So they put up a white flag threw over the tobacco in bags to the ANZACs with a note indicating that they would share it if the ANZACs could supply them with papers. The ANZACs complied and once they had rolled a number of cigarettes the two sides took a smoke break, or an unofficial ceasefire. By the end of the campaign the two sides weren’t even aiming at each other.
The whole affair ended in December of that year with a bloodless withdrawal. The Brits claimed it was the result of flawless planning and timing, but everyone knows that the Turks were just saying good by and good ridden. Since then hundreds of thousands of ANZACs have come back to Turkey on friendly terms.
A couple of years ago there was a car bomb that blew up a significant part of the British embassy- when I saw the friendly feeling that the two countries share it became apparent that such a thing would never be perpetrated against an Aussie or Kiwi embassy.