Key Facts
- Duration
- 19 Feb 1915 – 9 Jan 1916 (~11 months)
- Allied casualties
- ~250,000
- Ottoman casualties
- ~250,000
- Anzac Day commemoration
- 25 April, anniversary of the landings
- Result
- Ottoman (Turkish) victory; Allied withdrawal
Strategic Narrative Overview
In February 1915, an Allied naval attempt to force the Dardanelles failed after mines and shore batteries inflicted heavy losses. An amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula followed in April 1915, with British and Anzac forces establishing beachheads at Cape Helles and Anzac Cove. Ottoman defenders, led effectively by Mustafa Kemal, contained the landings. Months of brutal trench fighting produced staggering casualties on both sides without decisive Allied gains.
01 / The Origins
During World War I, the Allied powers sought to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war by seizing control of the Turkish Straits. Control of the Dardanelles and Bosphorus would expose Constantinople to naval bombardment, sever Ottoman Asia from Europe, safeguard the Suez Canal, and open a supply route through the Black Sea to Russia. The plan was championed chiefly by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.
03 / The Outcome
After eight months of stalemate and roughly 250,000 casualties on each side, Allied commanders ordered a withdrawal. The evacuation, completed by 9 January 1916, was executed with few additional losses and is regarded as the campaign's most successful operation. The defeat damaged Churchill's career, while Mustafa Kemal's prominence at Gallipoli launched him toward founding the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Winston Churchill, Ian Hamilton.
Side B
1 belligerent
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.