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The Allied Campaigns in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli

The Anglo-French March 18, 1915 naval bombardment of the Turkish forts on the European and Asian sides of the Dardanelles significantly reduced the forts. The loss of the French battleship %+%Technology%m%33%n%Bouvet%-%, which hit a mine and sank, and the severe damage to the British Irresistible and Inflexible, deterred further attempts.
Text:
Das Dardanellengebiet am 18 März 1915
Mit Genehmigung der Illustri[e]rten Zeitung, Leipzig
Dardennellen Enge
Europäische Seite
Klein-Asien
Strandbatterien
A 246
E.P. & Co. A.-G.,L.
With the permission of the Illustrated Newspaper, Leipzig
Dardanelles strait
European side
Asia Minor
Shore batteries
A 246
E.P. A.-G. & Co., L.
Reverse, handwritten:
Lille, 26 XI 1915

The Anglo-French March 18, 1915 naval bombardment of the Turkish forts on the European and Asian sides of the Dardanelles significantly reduced the forts. The loss of the French battleship Bouvet, which hit a mine and sank, and the severe damage to the British Irresistible and Inflexible, deterred further attempts.

Image text

Das Dardanellengebiet am 18 März 1915

Mit Genehmigung der Illustri[e]rten Zeitung, Leipzig

Dardennellen Enge

Europäische Seite

Klein-Asien

Strandbatterien

A 246

E.P. & Co. A.-G.,L.



The Dardanelles area on March 18, 1915

With the permission of the Illustrated Newspaper, Leipzig

Dardanelles strait

European side

Asia Minor

Shore batteries

A 246

E.P. A.-G. & Co., L.



Reverse, handwritten:

Lille, 26 XI 1915 (November 26)

Other views: Larger, Larger, Back

February 19 1915 to January 9, 1916

Gallipoli Front

Opening a New Battle Front

Turkey's entry into the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary isolated Russia from its western allies by closing the sea link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It also threatened the Suez Canal, critical to Britain's communication with India, and Britain's foothold (and source of oil) on the Persian Gulf in Mesopotamia.

With stalemate on the Western Front at the beginning of 1915, some in Britain and France looked to strike Germany's allies and bring neutral nations into the war against the Central Powers. Italy was the greatest of the European neutrals, but Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria had battle-hardened standing armies and bordered the Entente ally Serbia.

Although Serbia had defeated three Austro-Hungarian offensives in 1914, it was isolated, with access to its allies only through Montenegro and its narrow Adriatic coast. Plans to support Serbia included offensives against Austria-Hungary by a landing on the Dalmatian Coast in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and by providing support from the Aegean Sea through Greece or Bulgaria.

The weakest of the Central Powers, Turkey seemed the one most susceptible to being knocked out of the war. Seizing the Turkish capital of Constantinople in offensives launched from Salonika in Greece or the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey might encourage Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria, Turkey's opponents in the Balkan Wars, to join the Entente powers. Overthrowing and replacing the Turkish government might bring the country to the Allied side or leave it neutral, opening the Black Sea and Russia to trade once again.

By the end of 1914, the Western Front had turned into a Franco-British siege of entrenched German forces. In response, some military and political leaders, who came to be known as Easterners, advocated opening other fronts against the Central Powers. French General Joseph Gallieni favored a landing at Salonica. In Britain, Secretary of State for War Herbert Kitchener and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, favored an attack on Constantinople through the Dardanelles.

To these voices was added that of Russia. In the early stages of the great Russian victory in the Battle of Sarikamish, The Russian Commander General Myshlayevski had panicked and reported disaster in the Caucasus. Russia had responded to a request for a relief assault on Turkey to divert it from its eastern front.

Greece remained neutral, its government divided between its pro-German King Constantine, and the pro-Entente Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. Launching an attack on Constantinople through Salonica, would first require an invasion of Greece.

Turkey could be invaded in Europe or Asia. The latter would put an invasion force further from Constantinople than a European attack, with more hostile territory to cross. An alternative to an invasion was a naval assault targeting the forts along the Dardanelles then Constantinople itself.

The Naval Attempt to Force the Dardanelles

Many in both the army and navy insisted that the navy's role in an attack on Constantinople would be to transport an invasion force, and to provide support for it. Others argued for a purely naval assault, in which an Anglo-French fleet would “force the Straits”, with ships out-duelling the Turkish forts on the European and Asian sides of the Dardanelles to pass though the Dardanelles to seize Istanbul itself.

Those in favor of the naval assault won out. The first attack took place on February 19, when Allied warships shelled the outer forts, and landed demolition parties to destroy forts the Turks had abandoned.

Bad weather delayed further attacks until March 18 when two lines, one British, the second French, would advance into the Strait. Although the ships advanced, a French battleship struck a mine, and sank within minutes. Two British battleships were hit, one of which sank.

Those who had opposed the naval assault held firm against any further attempt to force the Dardanelles. Planning began for an Allied invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

1915-02-19

1916-01-09

Events contemporaneous with The Allied Campaigns in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli

Start Date End Date View
1915-03-23 Russian Conquest of Przemyśl
1914-12-20 1915-03-17 First Battle of Champagne
1915-02-07 1915-02-22 Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes
1915-02-19 1915-03-18 Allied naval campaign in the Dardanelles
1915-03-10 1915-03-12 Battle of Neuve Chapelle
1915-04-22 1915-05-25 Second Battle of Ypres
1915-04-25 1916-01-09 Gallipoli Campaign
1915-04-26 1915-04-26 Pact of London
1915-05-02 1915-09-30 Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive
1915-05-07 1915-05-07 German submarine U-20 sinks the Lusitania