Video: 'The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century - #3 Total War' (Apr. 25, 1915 at 2:30)
(Sunday, April 25, 1915, around 4:30 a.m. Eastern European Time; during the Gallipoli Campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I) — Allied forces launched a major amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula early today, with Australian and New Zealand troops coming ashore at what is now known as Anzac Cove, and British and French forces landing at Cape Helles in an ambitious campaign to seize control of the Dardanelles Strait.
The landings mark the opening of a campaign that Allied leaders hope will knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a sea route to Russia. The scale of the resistance encountered, however, suggests a long and bloody campaign lies ahead.
Ottoman defenders responded with fierce resistance, including a dramatic bayonet charge by the 57th Regiment of the Ottoman Fifth Army at Anzac Cove after exhausting their ammunition supplies.
Video: 'The Sea Turns Red - Landing At Gallipoli I THE GREAT WAR - Week 40' (Apr. 25 1915, at 1:09)
According to military sources, every member of the regiment was either killed or wounded in the defense. The modern Turkish Army has since retired the regiment’s number in honor of their sacrifice.
At Kumkale, across the strait in Çanakkale, Ottoman forces attempted to repel French landings. Despite initial resistance, the French succeeded in establishing a beachhead, though they were unable to advance further inland.
French casualties were reported at 786 killed or wounded, while the Ottomans suffered approximately 1,735 casualties during the engagement.
Video: 'The Sea Turns Red - Landing At Gallipoli I THE GREAT WAR - Week 40' (Apr. 25 1915, at 1:09)
Casualty estimates for the first day of fighting suggest that between 300 and 400 Anzac soldiers were killed.
Among the fallen were several prominent figures from Australia’s sporting and cultural life, including poet William Henry Strahan, known for The Bugle Call, and former footballers Rupert Balfe, Alan Cordner, Claude Crowl, Charlie Fincher, Fen McDonald, and Joe Pearce. Former rugby players Edward Larkin and Blair Swannell were also among the dead.
Turkish losses on the first day are estimated to be around 2,000.
