- Timeline of the Gallipoli Campaign
This article presents the timeline of the
Gallipoli Campaign . The period of the proper battle is considered to be19 February ,1915 to9 January ,1916 , however a number of events took place between August1914 and January 1915 that are relevant to the battle.Complete timeline
Prelude (August, 1914 – January, 1915)
; August, 1914 :
*2 - "Politics:"Ottoman Empire (Turkey) andGermany sign an alliance against Russia*3 -
First Lord of the Admiralty ,Winston Churchill , confiscates two Turkishbattleship s under construction in theUnited Kingdom .
*10 - German warships SMS "Goeben" and SMS "Breslau", having evadedRoyal Navy pursuit in theMediterranean , reach theDardanelles and are granted passage.
*16 - The "Goeben" and "Breslau" are transferred to the Turkish Navy, retaining their German crews.; September, 1914 :
*27 - Turkey closes the Dardanelles to all shipping following the interception of a Turkishtorpedo boat by the Royal Navy.; October, 1914 :
*28 - Turkish fleet raids RussianBlack Sea ports includingOdessa andSevastopol .; November, 1914 :
*2 - "Politics:" Russia declares war on Turkey.
*3 - "Naval operations:" Royal Navy squadron, including thebattlecruiser s HMS "Indomitable" and HMS "Indefatigable", bombard the Turkish forts at the entrance to the Dardanelles.
*6 - "Politics:" TheUnited Kingdom declares war on Turkey.; December, 1914 :
*13 - "Naval operationes:" British submarine "B11" sinks the obsolete Turkish battleship "Mesudiye" in the straits south of Çanakkale.; January, 1915 :
*13 - British War Council approves plans for a naval operation to force the Dardanelles.
*15 - "Naval operations:" French submarine "Saphir" runs aground in the straits and is lost.February, 1915
*19 - "Naval operations:" First attack on the
Dardanelles by battleships "Cornwallis", "Vengeance" and French battleship "Suffren".
*25 - "Naval operations:" Second attack on the Dardanelles, led byVice-Admiral John de Robeck aboard "Vengeance".March, 1915
*10 - "Naval operations:" Night attack in the straits led by Commodore
Roger Keyes and the battleship "Canopus".
*12 - GeneralSir Ian Hamilton is appointed commander of theMediterranean Expeditionary Force by theSecretary of State for War , Horatio Kitchener.
*13 - "Naval operations:" Keyes conducts another night-time minesweeping operation with some success.
*16 - "Naval operations:" Admiral Carden, commander of the Allied fleet, resigns due to nervous strain. Vice-Admiral de Robeck takes command.
*18 - "Naval operations:" Turkey defeats the final attempt by the British and French fleet to force the straits. Three battleships are sunk by mines. Three battleships and the battlecruiser HMS "Inflexible" are badly damaged.
*22 - At a conference between Hamilton and de Robeck aboard HMS "Queen Elizabeth", it is decided to make an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula.April, 1915
*17 - British submarine "E15" runs aground in the straits.
*25 -British Empire and French forces make amphibious landings on theGallipoli peninsula.
**Landing at Cape Helles made by theBritish 29th Division and elements of theRoyal Naval Division .
**Landing at Anzac Cove made by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
**French forces make a diversionary landing atKum Kale on theAsia n shore.
*26 - "Naval operations:" Australian submarine "AE2" becomes the first Allied vessel to pass through the Dardanelles into theSea of Marmara .
*27 - "Anzac:" Under the command ofMustafa Kemal , the Turks mount a counter-attack but fail to drive the Anzacs into the sea.
* 27 - "Naval operations:" British submarine "E14" passes through the Dardanelles to start a successful three-week tour.
*28 - "Helles:"First Battle of Krithia British and French forces suffer 3,000 casualties for little gain.
*28 - "Anzac:" The Anzac landing is reinforced by fourbattalion s from the Royal Naval Division.May, 1915
*1 - "Naval operations:" French submarine "Joule" is mined and sunk in the straits.
*6 - "Helles:"Second Battle of Krithia commences.British 42nd (East Lancashire) Division begins landing as reinforcements.
*8 - "Helles:" Second Battle of Krithia ends.
*12
**"Helles:" HMS "Goliath" is sunk by the Turkishtorpedo boat "Muavenet".
**"Anzac:"Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade arrives as reinforcements.
*13 - "Anzac:"New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade arrives as reinforcements.Royal Naval Division battalions rejoin the rest of the division at Helles.
*15 - "Anzac:"Major General W.T. Bridges, commander of the Australian 1st Division is mortally wounded in the leg by a Turkishsniper . He dies at sea three days later.
*18 - "Naval operations:"British submarine E11 passes through the straits into the Sea of Marmara.
*19 - "Anzac:" Turkish forces mount a massive attack using 42,000 men but are repulsed, suffering 10,000 casualties.
*19 - "Anzac:" Australian stretcher-bearerJohn Simpson Kirkpatrick is killed nearSteele's Post .
*20 - "Anzac:" TheAustralian 2nd Light Horse Brigade arrives as reinforcements.
*21 - "Anzac:" TheAustralian 3rd Light Horse Brigade arrives as reinforcements.
*22 - "Anzac:" Negotiations commence to arrange anarmistice in order to bury the dead inno man's land .
*24 - "Anzac:" An armistice is declared from 7.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. in which time Turkish and Anzac dead are buried.
*25
**"Anzac:" HMS "Triumph" is sunk by GermanU-boat U-21.
**"Naval operations:" E11 torpedoes Turkish transport "Stamboul" in theBosphorus , causing panic inConstantinople .
*27 - "Helles:" HMS "Majestic" is sunk by U-21.June, 1915
*4 - "Helles:"
Third Battle of Krithia British and French forces mount a limited attack but still fail to reach their objectives.
*28 - "Helles:"Battle of Gully Ravine starts.July, 1915
*5 - "Helles:" Battle of Gully Ravine ends with the British repelling a large Turkish counter-attack.
*12 - "Helles:"British 52nd (Lowland) Division andRoyal Naval Division attack alongAchi Baba Nullah .August, 1915
*3 - "Anzac:" Reinforcements for the forthcoming offensive begin landing, including the
British 13th (Western) Division .
*6 -Battle of Sari Bair , also known as the August Offensive, commences.
**"Helles:"Battle of Krithia Vineyard diversion commences with an attack by the 88th Brigade of theBritish 29th Division .
**"Anzac:"Battle of Lone Pine diversion commences at 6.00 p.m. with the Australian 1st Division capturing Turkish trenches. Fighting continues for six days in which time sevenVictoria Cross es are awarded.
**"Suvla:" At 10.00 p.m. theBritish 11th (Northern) Division , part of IX Corps, begins landing.
**"Anzac:" Under cover of darkness, two columns of Anzac, British & Indian troops break out to the north, heading for the heights of Chunuk Bair and Hill 971.
*7
**"Anzac:"Battle of the Nek At 4.30 a.m. another futile diversion virtually wipes out tworegiment s of the 3rd Light Horse Brigade.
**"Suvla:" TheBritish 10th (Irish) Division begins landing.
**"Helles:" Fighting at Krithia Vineyard continues with an attack by the 42nd Division.
**"Anzac": After a lengthy delay, theNew Zealand Infantry Brigade attempts to capture Chunuk Bair but fails.
*8
**"Anzac:"Battle of Chunuk Bair Attacking at 3.00 a.m.,New Zealand and British infantry gain a foothold on Chunuk Bair.
**"Naval operations:"British submarine E11 torpedoes the Turkish battleship "Hayreddin Barbarossa" offBulair .
*9 - "Anzac:" A general attack by the Allies on the heights of Chunuk Bair, Hill Q and Hill 971 fails.
*10
**"Anzac:" Battle of Chunuk Bair ends when the Turks, led byMustafa Kemal , drive the Allies off the heights.
**"Suvla:"British 53rd (Welsh) Division attacks Scimitar Hill, suffering heavy casualties.
*12 - "Anzac:" Battle of Lone Pine ends.
*13 - "Helles:" Battle of Krithia Vineyard ends.
*15 - "Suvla:" General SirFrederick Stopford is sacked as commander of IX Corps.
*21 - Final British offensive of the campaign launched to consolidate Anzac and Suvla landings.
**"Suvla:"Battle of Scimitar Hill IX Corps makes a final attempt to seize Scimitar and W Hills.
**"Anzac:" Battle of Hill 60 begins.
*29 - Battle of Hill 60 ends.September, 1915
*12 - The 26th Infantry Battalion at "ANZAC" arrives as reinforcements, deployed to Taylor's Hollow.
*19 -The Royal Newfoundland Regiment arrives as reinforcements.October, 1915
*15 - General
Sir Ian Hamilton is sacked as commander of theMediterranean Expeditionary Force .
*28 - General Sir Charles Monro arrives to assume command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.
*30 - "Naval operations:" French submarine "Turquioise" runs aground while returning through the Dardanelles and is captured.
*31 - "Suvla:"Destroyer HMS "Louis" runs aground in a storm and is wrecked.November, 1915
*6 - "Naval operations:" British submarine E20 is ambushed and sunk in the
Sea of Marmara by German U-boat U-14.
*15 - Field Marshal Horatio Kitchener, theSecretary of State for War , visits Gallipoli.
*22 - Kitchener recommends evacuation of Anzac and Suvla.
*27 - A fierce storm andblizzard , lasting three days, strikes the peninsula.December, 1915
*7 - "Politics:" The British
Cabinet orders the evacuation of Anzac and Suvla.
*18 - Start of final evacuation of Anzac and Suvla.
*20 - Evacuation of Anzac and Suvla completed before dawn.
*28 - "Politics:" The British Cabinet orders the evacuation of Helles.January, 1916
*7 - "Helles:" British garrison reduced to 19,000. Turkish assault launched along Gully Spur.
*9 - "Helles:" Last British troops depart the Gallipoli peninsula.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.