Lest we Forget Gallipoli Campaign

Lest we Forget Gallipoli Campaign

Gen VK Paying Respect in Gollipoli memorial in New Zealand

     Gallipoli campaign, a campaign in which huge numbers of Australians and New Zealand sailors were part of a Naval Operation during the First World War, which lasted for almost eight long months but sadly failed to be successful at the end. 

    Gallipoli was organized by the English man with huge numbers of soldiers being drawn from the Australian and New Zealand forces and were provided a power packed punched by the brave Indian Artillery Brigade along clubbed with the Gurkha Infantry and also combined soldiers from the Jewish Zion Mule corps.

         During the first world war, Indian soldiers served all over the world from right from Africa to Middle East, Gallipoli operation was drawn to capture the crucial Ottoman Empire from its Sultan, for which a massive scale Naval assault was planned and this include beach landings, the forces would first land and secure the northern shore, capturing the areas around the Ottoman forts and the proceeding naval forces would be backed by artillery batteries which would help the proceeding assault forces with a punch when proceeding along the Narrows and the Sea of Marmara towards Constantinople.

      The Assault party landed on five various beaches and successfully captured the beaches making way for the forward assault teams. On 1st May Indian Infantry brigade successfully repelled the defense and advanced into the Ottoman lands, later they were joined by three more Gurkha Battalions. The onward operation was checked by the weather and most soldiers being from Tropical climate succumbed to the weather and the forces badly suffered from lack of resupply materials further checking their advancement.

       The Ottoman forces strong repelled the Indian Regiments and which inflicted severe casualties on the Indian side but the force kept surging forward with zeal to conquer the Islands, but the advantages were short lived with the Ottoman forces cutting off the supplies to the advancing rebel forces. The surging Indian led soldiers were attacked with Chemical gas agents for which the Indian forces were not ready and this proved a decisive point in the battle and the Indian forces were successfully repelled by the Ottoman forces.

        Various countries have built up war memorials to remember the soldiers who lost their lives fighting till their last breath in the Gallipoli campaign.  The Indian, Australian and New Zealand forces faced the severe brunt of the battle.

         The Indians faced more than 1300 casualties and more than 3500 soldiers were severely injured, also the Allied forces lost more than 250,000 lives with the Ottoman side also losing equal number of brave souls.

        April 25, 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign and is celebrated as Anzac day in Australia, Military and Political leaders from all over world will be attending the event.

         In India Gen Dalbir Singh with New Zealand High Commissioner Grahame Morton and Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling commemorated and honoured the soldiers who were part of the campaign at the Delhi War Cemetery on Saturday.  Indian Ex Army Chief VK Singh also attended the Anzac day ceremony in New Zealand.

Editor Karthik Kakoor

Gallipoli Memorial in Turkey Ex Ottoman

Gallipoli memorial in Australia