The Gallipoli Campaign (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Zoe Wade
The Gallipoli Campaign- Timeline & Summary
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When the First World War began in 1914, Turkey allied with Germany but initially provided little military assistance. As the war progressed, Germany sought Turkish support and promised to strengthen Turkey’s army and navy in return for their alliance. This partnership brought Turkey into the conflict, posing a threat to Allied interests in the region.
The Gallipoli Campaign, launched in 1915, was a major Allied operation aimed at opening a new front against the Central Powers. The Allies sought to capture the Dardanelles Strait, allowing them to supply Russia on the Eastern Front and potentially knock Turkey out of the war. British, French, Australian, and New Zealand troops (ANZACs) led the offensive.
However, the campaign was a disaster. Poor planning, strong Turkish defences, and harsh conditions led to heavy losses. Approximately 200,000 Allied soldiers died, and after months of stalemate, the Allies staged a secretive retreat in early 1916. The failure to achieve their objectives left Russia unsupported, and Gallipoli became a symbol of mismanagement and the brutality of war.
Why did the Allies want to attack Turkey?
There were several reasons why the Allies wanted to attack Turkey
Turkey had created an alliance with Germany
Germany promised to improve Turkey's army and navy
Turkey and Russia were fighting each other
Russian generals asked France and Britain for support
The British and French knew if they could control the Dardanelles Strait area they could send Russia supplies via the Black Sea
Britain and France wanted to create a third front to weaken the German Army
It was believed that Germany would have to help the Turkish Army as they were not strong enough to hold against an attack
This would allow the Allies to launch attacks on the Western or Eastern Front
Countries around Turkey, such as Greece, Romania and Bulgaria might join Britain and attack Austria-Hungary
This would leave Germany weak, isolated and surrounded
Plan for the Gallipoli Campaign
Winston Churchill was the head of the British Royal Navy
He believed that the British could defeat the Turks without an invasion by soldiers
Churchill planned for the British Navy to:
destroy the Turkish forts along the Dardanelles
sail to Constantinople (the capital of Turkey, modern-day Istanbul)
force the Turks to surrender
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Events of the Gallipoli Campaign
February, 1915
The British and French ships attacked Turkish forts on 19th February 1915
Ships attacked the Turkish forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles
Several forts were hit and Turkish soldiers abandoned them
Minesweepers were brought in to remove the mines
By February 25th, the entrance to the Dardanelles was clear
March, 1915
On 18th March, 18 large battleships along with minesweepers and warships sailed up the Dardanelles
They were met with Turkish shell fire
The Turkish placed new mines in the water that sunk three ships and damaged three more
The rest of the ships retreated from the Dardanelles
April, 1915
Naval commanders could not sail up the Dardanelles unless the forts were destroyed
This resulted in the need for a land invasion by soldiers
They aimed to destroy the forts so the ships could sail up the Dardanelles to Constantinople
General Ian Hamilton led the invading troops on Gallipoli
He was informed by the Greeks that they would need around 150,000 soldiers to take Gallipoli
Lord Kitchener (the British Minister of War) provided only 70,000 soldiers
ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), British, British empire and French troops were used during the Gallipoli campaign
On April 25th the invasion began
Turkey was informed of the invasion and moved 84,000 Turkish soldiers to Gallipoli
British and French soldiers were transported by small boats to the beaches of Cape Helles
Three of the five landing beaches were successful
Two beach landings were witness to heavy fighting
ANZAC soldiers attempted to land at Anzac Cove
Thousands of Turkish soldiers were waiting and gunned down the ANZAC troops within minutes of them leaving their boats
ANZAC troops did manage to capture some Turkish forts
They failed to advance further due to the strength of the Turkish Army
British, French and ANZAC troops dug trenches to protect themselves
October- December, 1915
British military leaders became critical of Gallipoli
General Hamilton was replaced by General Munro
Munro inspected Cape Helles, Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay
Munro recommended an immediate withdrawal from Gallipoli
On the 12th of December 1915, soldiers were secretly evacuated from Gallipoli
80,000 soldiers were evacuated without a single death
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
You could be asked to write a 'Write an account' question on the Gallipoli campaign in the AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension: The First World War exam paper.
When revising this battle, you should focus on the sequence of events and organise them into causes and consequences. This will help you understand the battles and to answer the 'Write an account' question.
More help and guidance on the 'Write an account' question can be found here.
Trench life in Gallipoli
Gallipoli was believed to be one of the worst places to fight during the First World War
The hot Turkish summer created horrible conditions, including:
rotting corpses
Soldiers were unable to retrieve the dead bodies from no man's land due to the high risk of snipers
Bodies were left in the heat to rot
contaminated water
Caused 80% of the ANZAC army to have dysentery
swarms of flies
They were attracted to the heat, decaying bodies and unhygienic conditions
It was nearly impossible to eat food without eating flies
However, the soldiers had to deal with other issues such as:
low food supplies
lice
In the winter months, soldiers faced a cold winter
Soldiers got frostbite or died from the cold temperatures
Significance of the Gallipoli Campaign
The Gallipoli campaign was a failure
There were approximately 200,000 Allied deaths
Turkish forces lost approximately 300,000 soldiers
A third front was not created
Russia were not given the resources and support that they needed
Turkey was not removed from the war
Germany was not left isolated and surrounded
Bulgaria joined the war alongside Germany
Winston Churchill resigned and his reputation was damaged
Despite the failure, there were some successes at Gallipoli
No soldiers were killed or hurt during the evacuation
Some British submarines made it through the Dardanelles
They attacked Constantinople and sunk a warship
The Turks were prevented from helping Germany and Austria-Hungary on the Western and Eastern Fronts
Examiner Tips and Tricks
There are several battles which you will need to learn about in the AQA GCSE Conflict and Tension: The First World War course. Students often find it difficult to remember what happened at which battle. An easy way to remember each battle is to assign one key feature or outcome to each battle.
For example, the Gallipoli campaign is significant as it attempted to create a third front, saw the fighting of ANZAC soldiers and a British military defeat. Therefore, ANZAC could be the single key feature which could help you to remember this battle.
The war in the wider world
The First World War was not just fought on the Western Front and Eastern Front in Europe
As many of the countries involved in the First World War had colonies across the world, fighting happened in many of those colonies
In addition, many soldiers from different nations across the world fought in the First World War as they were a part of the empires of Europe
For example, the following countries all fought for the British Empire:
ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps)
India
South Africa
Canada
Caribbean
Ireland
Rhodesia
Europe
Italy joined the war in 1914 alongside Germany
However, in 1915, they sided with Britain and France
Italy only fought in a few battles including the Battle of Caporetto where they were nearly pushed out of the war by Germany
The Middle East
Indian, ANZAC and British troops fought against Turkey in Mesopotamia (modern-day Kuwait, Iraq and parts of Turkey and Syria)
With help from the Arabs, they were able to defeat the Turks at the battles of Beersheba and Megiddo
Africa
Germany, Britain and France all had colonies in Africa
Fighting happened all across Africa including:
Togoland (modern-day Togo and part of Ghana)
Cameroon
German South West Africa (modern-day Namibia)
German East Africa (modern-day Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania)
Australian and Caribbean soldiers supported Britain in Egypt and the Middle East against Turkey
They helped to secure the Suez Canal from Turkish forces
South East Asia and Australasia
Japan declared war on Germany in 1914
They captured German colonies in the Pacific Ocean and territory in China
ANZAC soldiers captured German colonies in Western Samoa (modern-day Samoa) and New Guinea
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The wider war is a very small part of the AQA GCSE History specification for Conflict and Tension: The First World War. It is unlikely that you would be asked a question on this, other than the Gallipoli campaign. However, you must be aware that the war was not just in Europe.
Worked Example
Study Source A.
Source A is critical of Britain. How do you know?
[4 marks]
Source A: A German cartoon showing John Bull standing on a beach at Gallipoli, 1916.
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Answer:
Source A is critical of Britain as it was created by a German cartoonist in 1916 (1). In 1916, Britain launched an attack on the Gallipoli peninsula against Germany's ally, Turkey. The German cartoonist highlights the failure of their enemy in Gallipoli (1).
Source A is critical of Britain as it shows John Bull, a cartoon representative of Britain standing on skulls with a sunken ship in the background (1). Britain and France lost 200,000 soldiers and three warships during the Gallipoli campaign as the British Navy failed to sail up the Dardanelles Strait (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
As shown in the cartoon above, cartoons use national personification. They often take shape as people or as animals. It is useful to familiarise yourself with them as it will help you to understand this type of historical source.
For example, Britain is often shown as a British bulldog, Britannia or as John Bull. Germany is often shown as the Kaiser (during the First World War), Germania or as an eagle.
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