Did You Know
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260
Days of the Gallipoli Campaign
8556 NZ forces landed
4852 NZ forces wounded
2721 NZ forces fatalities
8709 Australian forces fatalities
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33,072 Fatalities from all British forces
10,000* French fatalities
87,000* Turkish fatalities
20,000* Total number attending 2005 Anzac Day
commemorations at Gallipoli. * Estimated number |
On 25
April 1915, eight months into the First World War, Allied soldiers
landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula. This was Turkish
territory that formed part of Germany's ally, the Ottoman Empire. The
troops were there as part of a plan to open the Dardanelles Strait to
the Allied fleets, allowing them to threaten the Ottoman capital
Constantinople (now Istanbul) and, it was hoped, force a Turkish
surrender. The Allied forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance
from the Turks, and both sides suffered enormous loss of life.
The forces
from New Zealand and Australia, fighting as part of the ANZAC
(Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), played an important part in the
Gallipoli campaign. At its beginning, people at home greeted with
excitement the news that our soldiers were at last fully engaged in the
war. New Zealand soldiers distinguished themselves with their courage
and skill, establishing an enduring bond with the Australians they
fought alongside.
The
Gallipoli campaign was, however, a costly failure for the Allies, who
after nine months abandoned it and evacuated their surviving troops.
Almost a third of the New Zealanders taking part had been killed; the
communities they came from had counted the cost in the lengthy casualty
lists that appeared in their newspapers. And the sacrifice seemed to
have been in vain, for the under-resourced and poorly-conducted campaign
did not have any significant influence on the outcome of the war.
Although
Anzac Day, the anniversary of the first day of conflict, does not mark a
military triumph, it does remind us of a very important episode in New
Zealand's history. Great suffering was caused to a small country by the
loss of so many of its young men. But the Gallipoli campaign showcased
attitudes and attributes - bravery, tenacity, practicality, ingenuity,
loyalty to King and comrades - that helped New Zealand define itself as
a nation, even as it fought unquestioningly on the other side of the
world in the name of the British Empire.
After
Gallipoli, New Zealand had a greater confidence in its distinct
identity, and a greater pride in the international contribution it could
make. And the mutual respect earned during the fighting formed the basis
of the close ties with Australia that continue today.
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