Early battles - the Gallipoli campaign

Digging in

The Anzacs and other British forces who landed on Gallipoli in April 1915 had few options. For a time on 25 April, evacuation was considered. General Sir Ian Hamilton, in charge of the invading force, knew this was impossible. There was, simply, no way to do achieve it with the resources available.

Digging in was the only choice. And the Anzacs did this, frantically clinging to their tiny foothold. Their position became more secure. Gaps in the line were plugged by further units of the New Zealand and Australian Division as they came ashore.

As soon as possible, the original landing units were pulled out of the line and reorganised. Eventually two divisional sectors were formed in the Anzac area: the New Zealand and Australian Division took responsibility for the line north of Courtney's Post and the 1st Australian Division for the line south of it. Two Anzac brigades, including the New Zealand Brigade, were moved to Helles. One New Zealand and four Australian field batteries, which had not managed to get ashore at Anzac, joined them.

Early battles

A pattern seemed to have been set. Short battles that were often costly, for both sides, marked the first few months on Gallipoli. Both sides had to bring in reinforcements. Two days after the landing the Turks tried unsuccessfully to force the Anzacs back into the sea. The British and French tried, also unsuccessfully, to capture the inland village of Krithia.

With their defences boosted by the arrival of four Royal Naval Division battalions at Anzac Cove, the New Zealand and Australian Division attacked the Baby 700 feature in early May. The plan was too ambitious, poorly prepared and uncoordinated – the Otago Battalion failed to make its start line in time. The troops were forced to retreat, with about 1000 casualties.

It was the worst night I can remember. The wounded came tumbling down. All we could do was try to relieve the pain.

George Skerret in Maurice Shadbolt, Voices of Gallipoli, 1988

At Helles, the British tried again to take the village of Krithia on 6 May. It was a dangerous plan – a frontal assault in full daylight. The New Zealanders had little time to prepare for their role on 8 May. They went in behind a weak artillery bombardment. The Wellington Battalion struggled a few hundred metres before being brought to a halt. Ordered to renew the attack later in the day, more New Zealanders fell as they fought across the Daisy Patch. This Second Battle of Krithia took the British about 500 metres further inland; there were 6500 British casualties, including 800 New Zealanders.

The worse the situation became at Helles, the more attention turned to Anzac. There the Anzacs had become better organised. Reinforcements had arrived, including the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade. The Turks launched a massive assault on Anzac on 19 May. About 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders faced more than 40,000 Turks, who hoped to surprise the invaders and overwhelm them by sheer numbers. In the New Zealand sector the troops beat off repeated attacks, and the Australians did the same further south. About 3000 Turks died, and another 7000 were wounded. It was their worst disaster of the whole campaign.

 Question marks

In the British camp, questions were now being asked of the tactics. Should the land operation – still short of its first-day objectives – be continued? Or should the troops withdraw, leaving the peninsula in Turkish hands? The Dardanelles Committee, as the War Council had been renamed, decided to press on.

During June and July the British made further attempts to break through the lines at Helles. Heavy bombardment brought them small gains, but at horrendous loss, with casualties reaching up to 30%. The Turks, having sustained severe casualties themselves, merely pulled back up the slopes and waited for the next onslaughts.