Anzac-The Landing: Gallipoli: Australia History Book
- ISBN-10
- ISBN-13
- 9798514160372
- Pages
- 54
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2021-06-02
- Author
- Morris Dacanay
Description
Soldiers from the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) were formed into the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) in Egypt in early 1915. This combined force, including around 20,000 Australians and 8,500 New Zealanders, then joined British and French troops in the landings on the Gallipoli peninsula in April that year. Today, the ANZAC is best known for the controversial Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, fought against the defending Ottomans far away from the more memorable Western Front. Early in the war, the Ottomans knew the Dardanelles strait would most certainly be attacked and had prepared significant defenses. The plan drafted by the then First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, was meant to destroy Ottoman defenses along the Dardanelles. However, Allied forces troops were unable to penetrate the Ottoman defenses, advancing only about 100 meters from the shores. The Ottomans, led by German General Liman von Sanders, further reinforced their positions. The later attempt of the British to establish a new beachhead was more successful, yet the British government refused to send significant reinforcements. The Gallipoli Campaign has been remembered as the Allies' biggest disaster of the war. While some of the great battles like the Somme and Verdun saw greater bloodshed in a shorter period, the grueling conditions and hopelessness of the Allied position in the Dardanelles still hold the Western imagination, and as a result, the brutal fighting also helped forge the identity of Australia and New Zealand. Still in the process of finding themselves as independent countries, they created their national identity on the beaches of Gallipoli. The grit and endurance of the ANZAC soldiers are remembered fondly in both nations over 100 years later, and April 25 is celebrated as ANZAC Day in both nations.
