Changes

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a plan to force British ships through the  [[Dardanelles]], a narrow strait at leading from the Aegean Sea into the Sea of Marmara.  

In 1915, [[Winston Churchill]], then First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed a plan to force British ships through the  [[Dardanelles]], a narrow strait at leading from the Aegean Sea into the Sea of Marmara.  

A preliminary attack was launched in February of 1915, bombarding the artillery of the Ottoman Empire. On March 18, Allied ships attempted to navigate the strait. Allied ships engaged Turkish artillery battleships on the shore while Allied minesweepers attempted to clear a pathway into the strait. However, the minesweepers pulled back under intense Turkish fire, leaving the Allied battleships vulnerable to mines, which sunk two ships and left several others badly damaged.

A preliminary attack was launched in February 1915, bombarding the artillery of the Ottoman Empire. On March 18, Allied ships attempted to navigate the strait. Allied ships engaged Turkish artillery battleships on the shore while Allied minesweepers attempted to clear a pathway into the strait. However, the minesweepers pulled back under intense Turkish fire, leaving the Allied battleships vulnerable to mines, which sunk two ships and left several others badly damaged.

The unsucessful naval operation convinced Allied strategists that a complementary land campaign was necessary and, on April 25, 1915, thousands of British, Indian and [[ANZAC]] troops went ashore. Poor intelligence and ship-to-shore communication hindered Allied advances and the landing troops gained little more than a foothold on six beaches on the eastern side of the peninsula.  

The unsucessful naval operation convinced Allied strategists that a complementary land campaign was necessary and, on April 25, 1915, thousands of British, Indian and [[ANZAC]] troops went ashore. Poor intelligence and ship-to-shore communication hindered Allied advances and the landing troops gained little more than a foothold on six beaches on the eastern side of the peninsula.  

<Between April 1915 and January 1916, approximately 480,000 allied troops participated in the Gallipoli campaign. of those, over 250,000 became casualties, including over 50,000 killed. Turkish casualty figures are unknown, but estimated at approximately the same as the Allied forces (250,000 casualties, with 65,000 killed)<ref>Moorehead, Alan, ''Gallipoli''</ref>

<Between April 1915 and January 1916, approximately 480,000 allied troops participated in the Gallipoli campaign. of those, over 250,000 became casualties, including over 50,000 killed. Turkish casualty figures are unknown, but estimated at approximately the same as the Allied forces (250,000 casualties, with 65,000 killed)<ref>Moorehead, Alan, ''Gallipoli''</ref>

[[Category:World War I]]

[[Category:World War I]]