War chronicle · August - January 1916 · Gallipoli Peninsula
Gamble at Gallipoli
The British order an evacuation of Gallipoli after an ambitious offensive fails
Three months of deadlock at Gallipoli. The British decide to launch a massive offensive to break through the Ottoman lines and win a decisive victory. But will they succeed?
On 6 August, Anzac, British, and Indian troops try to capture key points along the Sari Bair range which overlooks Anzac Cove. At the same time the British and French attack different points on the peninsula.
After intense fighting the Allies suffer a costly defeat. And the British Government eventually decides to order the evacuation of the peninsula. Anzac Cove and Suvla are evacuated by 20 December and Cape Helles by 9 January 1916. The eight-month-long Gallipoli Campaign is over. More than 102,000 soldiers on both sides are dead.
At home a stunned New Zealand public struggles to deal with the fact that the first campaign of the war involving the New Zealand Expeditionary Force has ended in defeat. Over 2700 are dead and thousands more maimed and broken. Māori and Pākehā soldiers have won the respect of their allies and enemies alike – but were their sacrifices in vain?
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