GALLIPOLI, TURKEY. — Gallipoli, on the Turkish Aegean coast, marks the site of a long and drawn-out campaign against enemy troops during World War I.
Every year, Australians and New Zealanders celebrate ANZAC Day to commemorate the ANZAC troops landing at dawn on April 25, 1915 at Gallipoli.
Hundreds were killed on the first day of the campaign, and by the time the troops withdrew eight months later, around 8700 had died at Gallipoli.
Friday, August 6, 1915 saw the beginning of the August Offensive.
At 5:30pm, units of the 1st Australian Division attacked Turkish trenches at Lone Pine, and within half an hour, the Turkish front line had fallen.
The Turkish troops retaliated with aggressive counterattacks.
At 8:30pm, the regiments of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles mounted a successful assault through the valleys leading up the Sari Bair Range on the peninsula.
This opened the way for a combined attack by the New Zealand Infantry Brigade, the 4th Australian Infantry Brigade and the 29th Infantry Brigade of Sikhs and Gurkhas upon the range heights.
The August Offensive continued for 5 days, but strong Turkish counter-attacks prevented the troops from making any real headway.
