Today in History: Successful evacuation of troops from Gallipoli
Today in History – 12 January 1943: Successful evacuation of thousands of troops without a single ANZAC casualty.
In a well-planned, well-executed, and successful operation, the days-long withdrawal of Allied troops from Anzac Cove and Suvla Bay was completed by 20 December 1915. It was a clever plan of deception and disguise that saw 36,000 troops evacuated (including 3,000 ANZACs) without a single ANZAC casualty.
Every effort was made to keep the Turkish forces thinking that nothing had changed on the Peninsula, and they gradually became accustomed to less activity on the Anzac Front. The soldiers set booby traps and tricks, left messages, and rigged up rifles in the trenches to make it look as if they were still there. Clever devices of water and sand tins were hung on the triggers of rifles so they would periodically fire, even after the troops had gone.
Gallipoli was a costly campaign, for both sides. 44,000 Allied soldiers died trying to take the peninsula from the Ottoman Empire, including 2779 New Zealanders. For the Ottoman Empire, victory on the peninsula came at a high price with the loss of 87,000 troops. Today, we commemorate not a military triumph, but the more humbling triumph of human courage.
2006-88: General view of Gallipoli. National Army Museum Te Mata Toa.
