Key Facts
- First assault date
- 21 August 1915
- Second assault date
- 27 August 1915
- Duration of battle
- Approximately one week
- Strategic objective
- Link Anzac and Suvla landing zones
- Allied corps involved
- British IX Corps and ANZAC forces
Strategic Narrative Overview
Allied forces launched a first assault on 21 August 1915, coinciding with the attack on Scimitar Hill. Limited ground was taken on the lower slopes, but Ottoman defenders held the heights. A fresh Australian battalion continued the assault on 22 August without decisive success. Reinforcements were committed for a second major attack on 27 August, which similarly failed to dislodge the defenders. Fighting around the summit continued over three days but produced no breakthrough.
01 / The Origins
By mid-1915 the Gallipoli Campaign had stalled, with Allied forces unable to break Ottoman defensive lines. The August Offensive aimed to seize high ground along the Sari Bair range to secure the Suvla and Anzac beachheads. Hill 60, a low but strategically dominant knoll at the northern end of the range, was identified as a key objective whose capture, alongside Scimitar Hill, would physically link the two Allied landing zones and potentially unlock the broader campaign.
03 / The Outcome
At the conclusion of the battle, Ottoman forces retained possession of Hill 60's summit. Allied gains were confined to the lower slopes and proved strategically insignificant. The failure to capture Hill 60 and Scimitar Hill meant the Anzac and Suvla fronts remained unlinked, contributing to the eventual decision to evacuate the Gallipoli Peninsula entirely. The battle effectively marked the end of major offensive operations during the campaign.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
H. de B. De Lisle.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.