Allies Fail to Take Key Hill and Village Stiff Turkish Defenses; Great Losses on Both Sides Special to The Great War Project (4-6 June) June 4th a century ago: One of the bloodiest days of the war. Fighting is sharp and bloody on the Gallipoli peninsular in western Turkey. A major battle is shaping up…
Tag Archive for Dardanelles
ALLIED REVERSAL ON TWO FRONTS
by Mike Shuster
At Gallipoli, Strong Turkish Resistance; On Eastern Front, Russians Routed Special to The Great War Project (2-4 May) In this first week of May a century ago, the British proclaim they are doing well on the battlefield on several fronts. But these are empty claims, as Turkish and German forces mount strong resistance against the…
DISASTER FOR ALLIES AT GALLIPOLI
by Mike Shuster
ANZACs Face Strong Turkish Defense, Terrible Terrain, Incompetent British Leadership Special to The Great War Project. (26-29 April) In these days a century ago, the British continue to pour troops onto the beaches of Gallipoli Peninsula in western Turkey. The Turkish forces defending the beaches from cliffs above put up unexpectedly strong, indeed fierce resistance.…
ALLIED ATTACK ON GALLIPOLI GOES BAD FROM THE START
by Mike Shuster
British Underestimate Ottoman Forces, Turkish Resolve Thousands of Allied Troops Killed on the Beaches Special to The Great War Project (25 April) In the hope of a swift victory, the Allied powers on this day a century ago, land some 50,000 troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula in northwestern Turkey, on the northern shore of the…
PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY FOR GREAT BRITISH LANDING AT GALLIPOLI.
by Mike Shuster
Fight On, the Cry from All Sides. Only Lone Voices in Opposition. Special to The Great War Project (24-26 March) Stalemate and deadlock still prevail on the Western Front in northern France and Belgium. Elsewhere, defeat after defeat, slaughter after slaughter on both sides only steels the determination to fight on. Writes historian Martin Gilbert:…
ON GALLIPOLI PENINSULA ARMY WILL TAKE OVER
by Mike Shuster
Second Naval Assault on Dardanelles Abandoned. Secret Plan with Russia to Carve up Ottoman Empire. Special to The Great War Project (19-20 March) The British bombardment a century ago of the Dardanelle Straits in western Turkey is a disaster. Three French and British battleships are sunk by mines in the straits. Three more are put…
ALLIED ARMADA FAILS IN ATTACK ON TURKEY
by Mike Shuster
At Dardanelles, Turkish Defenses Sink, Cripple Six Battleships; A Colossal British Miscalculation Special to The Great War Project (17-18 March) On the morning of March 18th a century ago, the British unleash a huge naval attack on the Dardanelles, the strategic waterway in northwestern Turkey. Initially ten battleships – six British and four French –…
BRITISH ASSAULT EXPECTED IN DARDANELLES
by Mike Shuster
A Massive Concentration of Warships. Turks Fortify Strategic Waterway; Constantinople Threatened. Special to The Great War Project (14-16 March) A fleet of sixteen British battleships is gathering in the Aegean Sea just outside the Dardanelles. This is the narrow, strategic waterway that leads from the Mediterranean to Constantinople, the Ottoman capital and on to the…
PANIC IN CONSTANTINOPLE
by Mike Shuster
British Assault on Dardanelle Straits Widely Expected; Target is Ottoman Capital Special to The Great War Project (5-7 March) By this time a century ago, the British decide to “force the Dardanelles.” This narrow waterway in northwest Turkey, thirty miles long and less than a mile wide at its most narrow, is the key to…
BRITISH BOMBARDMENT OF THE DARDANELLES
by Mike Shuster
Turkish Forts in Ruins. Attack on Strategic Straits To ‘Knock Turkey Out of War.’ Special to The Great War Project. (19-21 February) British warships are bombarding the ancient forts in the Dardanelles in western Turkey. The British bombardment is successful. It reduces two forts there to rubble. The Dardanelles is a very narrow strait that…