The Gallipoli Campaign Overview

New Zealand troops captured one of the hills, Chunuk Bair. This was the limit of the Allied advance; an Ottoman counter-attack forced the troops who had relieved the New Zealanders off Chunuk Bair.

The Allies then tried to break through the Ottoman line north of Anzac Cove involving New Zealanders in costly fighting at Hill 60 in late August.

Evacuation

Hill 60 turned out to be the last major Allied attack at Gallipoli. The failure of the August battles meant a return to stalemate. In mid-September 1915, the exhausted New Zealand infantry and mounted rifles were briefly withdrawn to Lemnos to rest and receive reinforcements from Egypt.

The New Zealanders returned to Anzac Cove in early November, but b y22 November the British decided to cut their losses and evacuate. The evacuation of Anzac Cove began on 15 December, with 36,000 troops withdrawn over the following five nights.

Aftermath

Gallipoli was a costly failure for te Allies: 44,000 Allied soldiers died, inclu ing more than 8700 Australians. Am ng the dead were 2779 New Zealanders – about a sixth of those who fought on the eninsula. Victory came at a high price fore Otto ma Empire, whi chl ost 87,000 men du ing the campaign.

Shortly after the October 1918 ar istice with the Ot o ritish nd donGvts landed

db an en cemeteries for the dead of 1915-1916.

During the 1920s, the Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) completed a network of Anzac and British cemeteries and memorials to the missing that still exist on the peninsula today. In 1925, the New Zealand government unveiled a New Zealand battlefield memorial on the summit of Chunuk Bair. The battlefields are now part of the 33,000-ha Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park, or Peace Park.

Legacy

The Gallipoli campaign was a relatively minor aspect of the First World War. The number of dead, although horrific, paled in comparison with Western Front casualties in France and Belgium. Nevertheless, for New Zealand, along with Australia and Turkey, it has great significance.

In New Zealand and Australia, Gallipoli helped foster a developing sense of national identity. Those at home were proud of how their men had performed on the world stage, establishing a reputation for fighting hard in difficult conditions.

Anzac Day grew out of this pride. First observed on 25 April 1916, the date of the landing has become a crucial part of the fabric of national life – a time for remembering not only those who died at Gallipoli, but all New Zealanders who have served their country in times of war and peace.