Significance to New Zealand: The Gallipoli Campaign Flashcards
Why were New Zealand (NZ) troops at Gallipoli?
In 1915, NZ was a dominion of the British Empire (BE), therefore not entirely independent and was obligated to help Great Britain in the war effort. Though contributions were at their own discretion, NZ chose to send troops. The initial plan was for soldiers to be sent to fight on the Western Front but then the Ottoman Empire (OE) joined AH and Germany in the war, so ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) troops were rerouted to Egypt and eventually Gallipoli, Turkey.
What was the goal of the Gallipoli campaign?
Gallipoli is a peninsula that guards the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait that leads into the Sea of Marmara to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the OE capital. Attacking the capital had the possibility of weakening the OE and getting them to withdraw from the war. Additionally, the Sea of Marmara also leads to the Black Sea which could create a path for the Allies to send troops and supplies to Russia.
What happened on the 25th of April, 1915? How did this lead to a stalemate?
At 4 am on the 25th of April, 1915, ANZAC troops landed on Z Beach (known as Anzac Cove) at the command of General Ian Hamilton. The initial invasion was scheduled for a few days earlier but ended up being delayed by bad weather. The April 25th landing went smoothly at first, making some progress and only having one casualty, but things quickly started going wrong. The terrain was more difficult than the troops were used to and they had expected, making navigating and traversing it hard. The OE’s defences were also stronger than they had thought and there were multiple planning/execution issues with the Allied troops. These factors led to a stalemate with trench warfare where neither were advancing or retreating.
How
