|
Gallipoli is the site of one of the longest and bloodies battles
in history. During WWI, a quarter of a million Turks and as
many allies were killed or wounded on its bloody battlefield.
History
By 1914 trench warfare had spread to the west. Turkey was
aligned to the central powers of Germany and her allies. The
aim of the attack was to knock Turkey out of the war by threatening
their capital, Constantinople (now called Istanbul).
Gallipoli is the name given to the Gelibolu peninsular
lying between the Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmara. It also lies
above the Dardanelles, the all-important strategic
stretch of water connecting the two seas. For a millennium
it has been the key to Istanbul; any navy that could force
the straits had a good chance of capturing the capital of
the Eastern European world. Most, including the British allies
fleet in the great war, have failed to capture Dardanelles.
In 1915, Winston Churchill and the British allies failed
naval assault landed at Hellespoint. The failure was due to
the allied officers trying to imitated the Trojan Horse
scam of Troy by landing the collier “Clyde” with
troops hidden inside, but the attempt failed pitifully.
The British tried to continue and land allies on the other
side of the Gallipoli peninsular, but massive deaths occurred
by day one and led to a bloody and brutal battle. The troops
are buried in a cemetary known as "Shrapnel Valley".
Widespread sickness, monotonous food, poor weather and stinking
corpses sunk the moral of British and Australian troops to
an all time low. By winter, the British began to evacuate
and saw no way of achieving victory. After 9 months, the allies
withdrew and admitted their grave defeat.
Today, visitors can walk in the trenches, scenes of bitter
struggles, seperated by only a matter of metres from the enemy
trenches.
The Turkish commander Mustafa Kemal (later known as
Ataturk, father of the nation) inspired the strength
of his unconquerable army and modern day Turkey owes much
to this defiant leader. He made one of the greatest war tributes
ever:
"You the mothers who sent their sons from far away
countries, wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in
our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives
on this land they are our sons as well."
Travel Tip
When taking a trip to Gallipoli, its advisable to spend the
night in the town of Canakkale. We recommend staying at:
Hotel Akol
Tel: 286 217 9456
Website: www.hotelakol.com
|
