[FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica]Australians do, indeed, know of the other nations taking part and also losing vast numbers, but there's always been a difference. To the British Command it was a monumental cock-up amongst any number of monumental cock-ups: to Australia, it was a statement of nationhood!
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica][FONT=arial,helvetica]At the time, Australia was a nation of only 14 years of age and had gained independence through a stubborn defiance of British rule, though many still retained loyalty to the monarchy. Gallipoli, though, has come to mean so much to so many Australians despite its being a military disaster - it was the first time that this country, as an independent country, had joined in open warfare. In WW1 Australia suffered greater losses on the Western Front but because Gallipoli was the first and so very badly executed, it became the most significant.
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At Gallipoli there were three different battlefields: Australia and New Zealand commemorate those who were butchered on one of them, where Australian casualties were 18,500 wounded and missing, 7,594 killed - New Zealand, 5,150 wounded and missing and 2,431 killed. Given the tiny populations of both countries in those days, these losses were regarded as horrendous, unacceptable, and the fault of sheer incompetence, all of which was true.
The organisation was chaotic - badly conceived and poorly planned - a disgrace, in fact. The German general, von Sanders, who was Mustafa Kemal's adviser, had good intelligence thus sufficient time (and superior military acumen) to prepare for the attack. When in April the ANZACS did land they were met by heavy and sustained fire, barbed wire on the beaches and strategic defensive firing position in the heights. After this wholesale failure, instead of aborting operations, the British decided to send 5 more divisions to the slaughter and it took them a long time (November) to admit that the entire enterprise was a complete disaster and a pointless squandering of life. In January, the evacuations began.
As a consequence, Winston Churchill was forced to resign from the War Cabinet in disgrace and Australia determined to never again allow Britain to command its troops - it was, in fact, a mighty fillip for republicanism - the outrage was palpable. The Turkish commander, Kemal, became the first President of Turkey, was later declared Ataturk, and more than once gave honour to the ANZACS. There is a memorial to this great man in Sydney, and for their part, the Turks, with Australia, care for the ANZAC War Memorial,park and roads at Gallipoli and go to considerable trouble to welcome Australians and New Zealanders who arrive each year to commemorate this appalling military fiasco. Throughout Australia and New Zealand there are pine trees, all descendents of the Lone Pine at Gallipoli which are truly valued as historic monuments to the Diggers.
"Lions led by donkeys" said one German general, and he was right! Two magnificent exceptions in WW1 were Australia's John Monash (the King declared him the greatest General of the War) and Canada's superlative soldier, Arthur Currie. Both men had those rare qualities - genuine superior intelligence and abundant common sense - and neither was hampered by relying on the outdated military tactics used in prosecuting small, colonial wars nor overwhelmed by a huge war of industrial strength and scale. Indeed, Lloyd George said that had the War not ended when it did, he was intending to sack the British High Command and place Currie and Monash at the helm of all operations.
On April 24, Princes Charles and Harry will attend a UK-led service at Helles on the Gallipoli peninsula and also a separate international service. Both princes will then attend the joint Anzac dawn service on April 25 before paying their respects at the Australian memorial at Lone Pine. They'll also attend the New Zealand-led commemorative service at Chunuk Bair. As they should.
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