WW
I
History - Gallipoli & Western Front
Gallipoli
The campaign was launched on 25 April 1915 when two landings
were made. One was the a 35,000-strong British main force led
by Lieutenant General Hunter Weston and the other a 17,000-strong
support force comprising men from the Australian and New Zealand
Army Corps (ANZAC) under General William Birdwood.
Prior to the start of the Gallipoli campaign Anzac Cove did
not exist. On 25 April 1915, as part of the overall Allied plan,
the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (or Anzacs) were ordered
to land on the Peninsula's Aegean coastline to seize the hill
of Mal Tepe 5 miles inland and threaten the northern flank of
the Kilid Bahr Plateau. The exact position of the landing remained
vague with the military orders placing it between Gaba Tepe
and Fisherman's Hut, a distance of roughly two and a half miles.
The naval orders were somewhat more precise, pinning the southern
flank of the landing one mile north of Gaba Tepe. Once the covering
force of the 3rd Australian Brigade had landed and secured its
position, the remainder of the 1st Australian Division followed
by the New Zealand and Australian Division were then to push
through towards Mal Tepe.
In the event the landing was very confused and set in train
a sequence of events that were never to be overcome. Not only
did the boats of the first wave contract into a much reduced
line significantly to the north of the expected beach, they
also became intermingled before the troops could disembark.
As a result the men went ashore in considerable disarray. The
second wave then followed in order, ironically compounding the
original errors. Throughout the day the main body of the 1st
Australian Division continued to land and move into this uncertain
position. But, as Turkish pressure mounted, any residual coherence
within the Anzac line was lost. Overnight, with the positions
fragmented and many wounded on the beach, the question of re-embarkation
was raised. But, after being rejected, the Anzacs were ordered
to dig in which they did with consummate success.
In the confusion of the initial landing, most of the first boats
grounded along a narrow stretch of the shore between the small
headlands of Ari Burnu and what became known as Hell Spit. Offering
a slight degree of protection from Turkish observation and gunfire,
this tiny inlet became the heart of the Australian and New Zealand
line and was given the legendary name of Anzac Cove. Around
it a claustrophobic, overlooked position grew up. The Anzacs
were unable to break out, as their last concerted assault on
1-2 May clearly showed. But likewise the successive attempts
made by the Turks to drive them into the sea, which culminated
in the heavy attack of 19 May, were also all heavily defeated.
From the start of June until the evacuation on 19 December,
all actions were either diversionary or local, aimed simply
at improving positions in the line. Even the giant move to the
north begun on 6 August against Chunuk Bair and the height of
the Sari Bair ridge in the end resulted in little improvement
to the original Anzac position.
Australian
casualties for the campaign were 26,111, comprising 1007 officers
and 25,104 other ranks. Of these, 362 officers and 7779 men
(total 8,141) were killed in action, died of wounds or succumbed
to disease.
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Western
Front
By early 1916, recruiting in Australia had made it possible
to replace the ANZAC losses. The AIF in Egypt was expanded
to four divisions with a fifth being raised in Australia.
The overseas divisions were organised into I ANZAC Corps (1st
and 2nd Australian Divisions, and the New Zealand Division)
and II ANZAC Corps (4th and 5th Australian Divisions).
Beginning
in March the troops were moved to France, and by July and
August were heavily involved on the Western Front. The 5th
Division was the first to engage the Germans on 5 July 1916
in a small but bloody engagement at Fromelles in northern
France. Shortly after, the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions became
embroiled in the first Somme offensive, at Pozieres and Moquet
Farm.
3rd
Division now entered the war and went on to perform extremely
well under pressure.
In
the following year, 1917, the Australians were again heavily
engaged, in March at Bapaume, in May and June at Bullecourt
and Messines, and from September to November in the great
battles of the Ypres offensive - Menin Road, Polygon Wood,
Broodseinde, Poelcapelle and Passchendaele.
In
March and April 1918, the Australian Corps took a prominent
part in preventing the capture of Amiens, Hazebrouck and Villers-Bretonneux,
during the German 'Michael' offensive. During the final allied
offensives of the war, it was engaged at Mont St Quentin and
Albert, and in the penetration of the Hindenburg Line.
The
AIF strength in France was maintained at some 117,000 men.
Its
battle casualties for the three years of trench warfare between
1916 and 18 were over 181,000; of whom over 46,000 died. Another
114,000 were wounded, 16,000 gassed and nearly 4,000 were
taken prisoners of war.
In terms of total deaths per 1000 men mobilised, the AIF figure
was 145 - the highest of all the British Commonwealth armies.
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