The Gallipoli Campaign
At the beginning of 1915, fighting along the Western Front had stalled, with the Central Powers and Triple Entente deadlocked in trench warfare. The Ottoman Empire had entered the war on the side of the Central Powers in late 1914. The Ottomans controlled the Dardanelles, an important waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea.
Russia was struggling after a series of defeats and appealed to the French and British for help. They decided to launch a naval expedition to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and gain control of the Dardanelles. If the campaign was successful, it would allow the British and French access to the Black Sea to help Russia.
In February 1915, British and French battleships bombarded the Gallipoli Peninsula north of the Dardanelles. They then attempted an amphibious landing on the peninsula in April 1915. They encountered fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turks, who sent in waves of reinforcements to protect their homeland.
Over the next 8 months, the Allied Powers provided reinforcements, but they could not make significant progress. In January 1916, the Allies abandoned the Gallipoli Campaign, and their remaining soldiers were evacuated.
It was considered a great Ottoman victory. Almost 500,000 Allied soldiers took part in the Gallipoli Campaign, from England, France, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Ireland. They endured about 300,000 casualties, including 56,000 killed. The Ottoman Empire suffered about 250,000 casualties, with about 56,000 killed as well.
