The Anzac's main target was
to land at the beach located between Kabatepe (Z Beach) and Ariburnu. Their
initial subject was Conkbayiri-Kocacimentepe line and then Maltepe to cut the Turks'
connection from north to south.
In the morning of 25 April,
instead of landing at Z Beach, the first troops had been deposited father north, at
Ariburnu itself. The boats had been swept more than a mile north by an unexpected current.
Although they could sweep the expected landing beaches, the area in which the Anzacs had
actually |
Anzac Cove
|
| landed was defended very weakly, and
thus isolated parties were able to progress a little further. |
In Bigali, there was manoeuvring 19th
Division commanded by Mustafa Kemal. By the daylight, Mustafa Kemal heard the gunfire and
he understood that the landings had begun. He immediately had informed the Army Commander
but did not receive any further assignment. As soon as he was informed about the
casualties of the 27th Brigade defending the shores, he comprehended the arduousness of
the situation.
Without an authority given by the commander, Mustafa Kemal took all the
enterprise's responsibility and ordered the 57th Brigade to move to Kocacimentepe. He had
gone to Conkbayiri to observe the counter-attack. There he saw some soldiers withdrawing.
He himself told that moment to Rusen Esref Unaydin as below:
"In that very moment, I saw the platoon responsible to observe and protect the
Battleship Hill, running away. I had stopped them and asked:
- Why are you running away?
- Sir, the enemy! they said".
- Where? I asked.
- Here! they said by pointing the Battleship Hill
It was true; the enemy's skirmishers were walking through the Battleship Hill. Imagine
that, I have given the forces ten minutes break and the enemy has reached the hill. It
means that the enemy was closer to me then my own army. In that moment, now I do not know
consciously or by premonition I said:
- Never run away from the enemy.
- We do not have sufficient ammunitions, said they.
- If you do not have ammunitions, you have your bayonets. I said.
By yelling, I have had fixed them the bayonets. I have had lied them on the floor.
Meanwhile, I have sent my adjutant back, to take infantry. In the moment, my soldiers
fixed their bayonets and lied down and the enemy did the same. We won the war in that
moment."
That was true, when the Turks had stabilised their positions, the Anzacs stopped and did
the same. Thus, Mustafa Kemal won the time to stabilise the 57th Brigade in Conkbayiri and
enabled the Turks to prevent the capture of Saribayir. This success was most probably
decided the Results. The creator of this success was no doubt Mustafa Kemal. Both Turkish
and foreign experts always point and emphasise this reality.
Same day, Mustafa Kemal turned to corps head quarters and by permission of Esad Pasha he
took remains of the 27th Brigade under his command for a counter-attack. For this attack,
his historical order to 57th Brigade was as follows:
"I am not ordering you to attack, I am ordering you to die. Until we die, we could
win the time for the arrival of new troops and commanders".
On 25 April 1915, mid-afternoon, the initial landing was completed. Nevertheless, with
Turkish counter-attacks and bayonet assaults, the Anzacs had lost many soldiers and they
retreated to the shores. Despite these bitter and confused struggles, by the evening, a
division of the Anzac corps could have managed to station on the cliffs of Ariburnu. From
this day until August 1915, these bloody and bitter fights had continued. Both sides had
attacked usually at nights and the soldiers fought man to man. With the August, the war
had completely turned out to be a trench war. As in Helles, the Anzacs could not have
reached the main subject and until the evacuation, they were blocked in a small land
without any further progress. |
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