Colonial and World War I · 1915 to 1916

Gallipoli Campaign

The Allies tried to force the straits and take Istanbul. After eight months they withdrew, and Mustafa Kemal became a national hero.

The site of the battle on the 1923 map. Shaded: Republic of Turkey, 1923, French mandate, British mandate or occupation, British protection or influence.

Key facts

When: 1915 to 1916
Where: Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey
Sides: Ottomans vs Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand
Commanders: Mustafa Kemal and Liman von Sanders vs Ian Hamilton
Result: Ottoman victory
Type: Colonial and World War I
Chapter: 5. The Ottomans

Who led it

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk1881 to 1938
An Ottoman officer who made his name at Gallipoli and led the Turkish War of Independence.

The wider picture: The end of the caliphate

The Ottomans entered the First World War on Germany's side and lost. Britain and France divided the Arab lands under the Sykes-Picot agreement and the mandates that followed, and British troops entered Jerusalem in December 1917. In Anatolia, Mustafa Kemal won the war of independence and declared a republic in October 1923.

See the 1923 map Read chapter 5

More colonial and world war i battles

All 14 colonial wars and world war i battles · Battle explorer

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