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A child soldier guarding the Dardanelles, points to a sinking folded paper boat. He stands on the northern, European side; a Turkish flag flies on the southern, Asian side. He wears a Turkish fez and what may be a German naval blouse. German officers, sailors, and artillery crews supplemented the Turkish defenders of the Dardanelles. On March 18, 1915, the Turks sank or badly damaged some of the French and British warships trying to break through to Constantinople, leading the Allies to end their attempt to force the Dardanelles. Text: Dardanellenwacht Kriwub Dardanelles Watch Reverse: Verlag Novitas, G.m.B.H., Berlin SW 68 Logo; No. 256 Message postmarked August 21, 1916

A child soldier guarding the Dardanelles, points to a sinking folded paper boat. He stands on the northern, European side; a Turkish flag flies on the southern, Asian side. He wears a Turkish fez and what may be a German naval blouse. German officers, sailors, and artillery crews supplemented the Turkish defenders of the Dardanelles. On March 18, 1915, the Turks sank or badly damaged some of the French and British warships trying to break through to Constantinople, leading the Allies to end their attempt to force the Dardanelles.

Image text

Dardanellenwacht



Kriwub



Dardanelles Watch



Reverse:

Verlag Novitas, G.m.B.H., Berlin SW 68

Logo; No. 256



Message postmarked August 21, 1916

Other views: Larger, Back

Friday, February 19, 1915

"At nine minutes to ten on the morning of February 19 [1915] the British and French fleets concentrated at the Dardanelles began the bombardment of the outer forts. . . .

The attack was to be divided into two parts: first, a long-range bombardment, and second, overwhelming the forts at short range and sweeping the channel towards the entrance of the Straits."

Quotation Context

Stalemated on the Western Front at the beginning of 1915, some in Britain and France looked to strike Germany's allies, Austria-Hungary and Turkey, to drive them from the war. Weakest of the Central Powers, Turkey seemed the more susceptible. Seizing the Turkish capital of Constantinople and replacing its government might bring the country to the Allied side or leave it neutral, reopening access to Russia through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits.

Within the British and French governments there was support for an invasion of Turkey, but also for a purely naval attempt to 'force the strait', to send a naval force to disable the forts along the Dardanelles then continue to Constantinople to seize the capital. The first naval attack was launched on February 19, 1915.

Source

The World Crisis 1911-1918 by Winston Churchill, page 373, copyright © by Charles Scribner's Sons 1931, renewed by Winston S. Churchill 1959, publisher: Penguin Books, publication date: 1931, 2007

Tags

Dardanelles, Dardanelles forts, naval assault, 1915, February, 1915-02-19, Turkey, Gallipoli Peninsula, The Allied naval campaign in the Dardanelles