59 – The Collapse of the Russian Empire (2)
The desperate cries of the allied country Russia demanded decisive action from the British.
“The Dardanelles must be breached without fail.”
“But that scheme failed!”
“It’s because we didn’t have the army. If we mobilize a large-scale army, it will succeed.”
Lloyd George also yielded to the tough demands put forward by the cabinet.
“Very well. Let’s try again with the mobilization of the army.”
The air force decided to mobilize a total of 32 divisions, including 8 divisions recruited from the British Army, 8 divisions from the Commonwealth Army, 8 divisions from the Indian Army, and 8 divisions from the French Army.
But the support didn’t stop there.
“If we don’t provide direct military support, Russia won’t be able to hold on.”
“But it’s impossible to support Russia through the Arctic Ocean during the winter.”
“Don’t we have Japan?”
Only then did the British think of their ally in the Far East.
Japan.
But the Japanese were not enthusiastic about the war.
While they were actively attacking German territories in the Far East, they had little interest in Europe.
It was obvious that they were only trying to take care of their own interests while participating in the war.
“Will Japan move according to our wishes?”
“Let’s guarantee their colonial possessions a little more. Then Tokyo will have to make a heavy sacrifice, won’t they?”
“No, if we just give away all the spoils to those yellow people, what will our allies get?”
The members of the cabinet were opposed to giving too much to Japan.
Apart from the promise that the Japanese Navy would support the Dardanelles campaign, Britain couldn’t gain anything.
Even that was a result that reflected the opinion of the Japanese Navy, which was necessary for the continuation of the alliance between the two countries.
On April 5, 1915, due to various reasons, the Allied forces’ departure was delayed. On that day, they captured Odessa, the largest demand in southern Ukraine. This shocking news indicated that Germany was approaching the situation at the time of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty.
With Russia’s collapse imminent, the Allied forces had no time to hesitate.
“Launch the invasion force!”
A large-scale expeditionary force departed from Alexandria, Cyprus, and Malta. The expeditionary force included 11 dreadnought battleships and 14 pre-dreadnought battleships. When including cruisers, various support ships, and transport ships, the total size reached 280 ships.
The ground forces to be deployed in the campaign consisted of 8 divisions and nearly 160,000 troops. It also included 50,000 personnel for combat support.
The total size of the invasion force, including the army and navy, was close to 350,000.
The command of this enormous expeditionary force was entrusted to General John French.
Born in 1852, General French was an experienced military officer who had participated in the Sudan Expedition and the Boer War. He had held positions such as Chief of the General Staff and Minister of War. In many ways, he was suitable for this expedition, which required a military officer with administrative skills to handle the tremendous administrative burden.
At the operational meeting held on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth, General French declared to the generals:
“We will dominate the Gallipoli Peninsula and completely control the Dardanelles Strait. Until this objective is achieved, the navy will not enter the Sea of Marmara.”
General French’s instructions gained the support of the navy, which had experienced nightmares in the previous battles.
When the British rushed towards Gallipoli with venom, the Ottoman army had also strengthened its defense preparations in its own way.
“This cannon is the latest coastal artillery made in Krupp. The caliber is 380mm. Most British guys won’t be able to withstand this attack.”
During the three months given by the British, the Germans moved around 400 Krupp cannons to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Originally, these cannons were coastal artillery installed for defense purposes in the Baltic Sea.
The Kaiser asserted that the British would not enter the Baltic Sea and ordered all cannons to be sent to Gallipoli.
Most of the cannons were ineffective against battleships due to their small caliber, but it was a different story when it came to 15-inch cannons. Such large-caliber coastal artillery had the power to even challenge the latest British battleships.
However, what the Ottomans were counting on was not the coastal artillery.
It was the mines.
The Ottoman navy had laid nearly 800 mines inside the Dardanelles Strait. This minefield was also created with the support of the German Empire.
The Ottoman army was not idle either.
The Allied forces, realizing that Çanakkale could be a target for future attacks, prepared their defense by reinforcing the area with the 5th Army. The 5th Army consisted not only of the Ottoman Army but also four divisions sent by the Bulgarian Army.
Even the sky was not defenseless.
The German Army, having achieved success on the Western Front, deployed Ludendorff’s air squadron to the Dardanelles Strait.
Both sides thoroughly prepared to the best of their abilities.
The only thing left was to determine the winner and the loser.
From Noble mtl dot com
On April 11, 1915, the advance guard of the expeditionary fleet, led by a destroyer, approached the Dardanelles Strait from Eceabat.
The Dardanelles Strait was a narrow passage with an entrance width of 3.7 km and the narrowest point being 2.82 km, not an ideal terrain for large-scale battleships to operate.
Taking into account the previous mistake, Britain deployed destroyers as a preemptive measure.
This decision was made under the assumption that the Ottomans had not fully recovered from their previous losses.
It was a miscalculation.
As soon as the British destroyers entered the range, small coastal cannons opened fire. The British warships couldn’t immediately retreat from the overwhelming firepower they unleashed.
“It’s difficult to conduct proper reconnaissance. We need to clear the coastal cannons with battleships during the day.”
“No, shouldn’t we roughly survey the enemy to prepare for the landing?”
“Trust me. Once the naval cannons pass through, there won’t be anything left on the hills.”
The ground forces decided to trust the repeated promises of the navy.
1 p.m. The battleships of the expeditionary fleet, which had approached within 10 km of the Dardanelles Strait, opened fire.
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, hundreds of large-caliber shells struck the Ottoman army’s fortified coastal positions. The ground quickly turned into ruins under the merciless barrage. Wherever the shells landed, deep craters with a diameter of dozens of meters were formed.
Even if they managed to avoid the bombardment, it was uncertain if any survivors would remain after the shockwaves.
If there was anything that could survive in that horrific hell, it would be a half-mad lunatic.
The expeditionary soldiers believed that they would easily secure victory once they landed.
After all, the army, which even the marines, who didn’t receive proper support, managed to accomplish, would have no trouble with the support of a battleship.
“Lower the landing boats.”
Soon, the landing boats, filled with army soldiers, were lowered from the transport ship one by one. The soldiers rowed their oars, waiting for the shelling to end.
“It’s 1:45 PM.”
“We should start moving soon. The shelling will be over in 15 minutes. Everyone, put in some effort. Don’t be afraid, as long as you have the strength to capture prisoners when you go up.”
“Yes, sir.”
The expeditionary soldiers rowed their oars diligently, sympathizing with the reversed shelling. The coastline in the distance was blurred by the thick dust and smoke created by the shelling, making it difficult to distinguish anything clearly.
Just as the expeditionary soldiers were about to reach the coastline, the naval shelling abruptly ceased.
The British officers were momentarily taken aback when they saw the terrain.
Contrary to what they had seen at first glance, Gallipoli’s coastline had no space for a large concentration of troops. There was no room to form units, and there was no room for them to climb up.
In this situation, if they climbed the steep slope in disorder, there was a possibility that the enemy would regain their composure and respond.
“Send a signal immediately!”
They couldn’t send a radio message or send a messenger.
They urgently sent a distress signal, but the thick smoke and smoke created by the shelling obscured everything.
The British soldiers on the warship believed that everything was progressing smoothly.
“What time is it?”
“It’s 2 o’clock. It’s according to the scheduled timetable.”
The admirals were satisfied that the timetable was on track.
Meanwhile, a tragedy was unfolding.
The British army, barely crawling up the slope, came face to face with the Ottoman army’s layered barricades and barbed wire.
“These Ottoman bastards and their barbed wire!”
“Dig a hole underneath!”
In a situation where they didn’t even have scissors to cut the barbed wire, the British army had no choice but to panic. They tried to dig holes with their bare hands in a hurry, but it was not easy.
Tatatata!
Meanwhile, the machine guns of the Ottoman army regained their senses and started spewing fire. The British soldiers, who had struggled up the hill, instantly turned into a beehive and scattered.
Tatatata!
The machine gun baptism swept to the coastline, not even 200 meters away. The British soldiers, who were waiting their turn to climb up the narrow beach without any cover, became the food for the machine guns.
“Artillery! They’re asking for artillery support!”
The British army officers cursed, but the navy had no idea.
Late, after one communications officer died and another desperately rowed to reach a nearby naval battleship, the farce was finally revealed.
“Commence the bombardment!”
Only after the fleet resumed the bombardment did the Ottoman army lower their heads.
The British army took advantage of this opportunity and began the hasty landing of artillery. They believed that if they had artillery units for close support, they could turn the situation around.
But even this didn’t go as planned.
“In 5 minutes, it’s the assault! Friendly artillery units will provide support.”
“In 30 minutes, we will start the bombardment.”
It was all because of a minor issue where the infantry officer and the artillery officer’s watches were slightly out of sync.
Because of this minor error, 8,000 infantrymen bravely charged up the hill and turned into corpses.
Despite several failures, the British army’s superiority remained firm.
Three days after the attack, the British army mobilized all its artillery, cannons, and everything at its disposal for another round of bombardment. This time, the renowned ANZAC Corps (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) took the lead.
“Long live the King!”
The British soldiers bravely advanced, braving the danger of their own barrage, to continue the bombardment. They believed it was better to die from the enemy’s fire than to be killed by machine gun fire.
The Ottoman army was momentarily overwhelmed by the valiant British assault.
With the scissors brought to cut the barbed wire this time, both sides engaged in a fierce battle within the trenches.
“Do not take a step back!”
The Ottoman army was just as desperate.
Both sides repeated the cycle of killing and being killed in a brutal struggle.
After a day of intense fighting, the Ottoman army managed to repel the British forces. The turning point was the reinforcement troops deployed in the final stages of the battle. The ANZAC Corps had no choice but to give up the hard-won trenches and retreat to the coastline.
The bloody battle, where blood was washed away with blood, remained unchanged even after a week. The Allied forces struggled to supply provisions to the front lines due to the mines flowing from the Dardanelles Strait.
Even when the soldiers managed to bring food and ammunition, there was barely enough space to transport shells and heavy equipment.
With insufficient support, they had to rely on naval artillery, but the risk of friendly fire made it unsuitable for close support.
Despite this dilemma, the British army stubbornly clung to the Gallipoli Peninsula, desperately attempting to break through the Dardanelles Strait.
Meanwhile, Russia, which had been anxiously awaiting the allies’ rescue, began to collapse with a scream.
It started with Petrograd.