Chunuk Bair
New Zealand soldiers rest during the assault towards Chunuk Bair
Why was this image chosen?
Before anything else this panel is a reminder that the Anzac Commemorative Site is just that – a site dedicated to the
Australians and New Zealanders who fought at Gallipoli. For New Zealand, the
pre-eminent battle on Gallipoli was the effort made by the men of the New
Zealand Mounted Rifles and the New Zealand Infantry Brigade to take the heights
of Chunuk Bair between 7 and 10 August 1915. If this assault had succeeded then
the outcome of the Gallipoli campaign might have been very different. As it
was, the Turkish defence of Chunuk Bair, in the last stages led by Mustafa
Kemal, prevented a breakout from Anzac by New Zealand, British, Indian and
Gurkha troops.
On Chunuk Bair today two great memorials face each other – the New Zealand
Memorial and the (Mustafa Kemal) Ataturk Statue. Kemal’s leadership here
on the night of 9–10 August was decisive in rallying the Turkish defenders
of Chunuk Bair to a supreme effort at dawn on the 10th to drive the
enemy from the summit. Over the days of the ‘August offensive’ in
this area thousands were killed or wounded on both sides. Australians, proud
of their countrymen’s efforts at Lone Pine and the Nek during the initial
stages of the great offensive, when visiting Gallipoli should now and then cast their eyes to that summit whose name was once a byword for courage and sacrifice
across the Tasman.
Chunuk Bair
I am prepared for death and hope that God will have forgiven me all my sins.
Lieutenant Colonel William Malone
New Zealand soldier, in a letter to his wife before he was killed defending
the position his battalion had seized on the summit of Chunuk Bair
The main attack of the
August offensive was made by a mixed New Zealand, Australian, British and Indian
force against the heights of Chunuk Bair and nearby peaks. It was believed that
if these positions could be captured and held, then the Turkish line at Anzac
would be in danger and a breakout towards the Dardanelles possible.
Between
7 and 9 August the attacking troops made their way up the steep slopes and through
the deep gullies on the approaches to the heights. Some units became lost in
this wild country and planned assaults were often carried out too late and with
inadequate support. The New Zealanders, fighting desperately and sustaining
great losses, reached the Chunuk Bair summit and gazed upon the Dardanelles.
By 10 August New Zealand troops had been replaced by British units when the
Turks determinedly counter-attacked and regained the summit.
The August offensive
thus ended in failure.
New Zealand soldiers rest
in a trench during their assault towards Chunuk Bair on the night of 6 August
1915.
(National Library of New Zealand, F58131)
CONK BAYIRI
Ölmeye hazirim, insallah Tanri bütün günahlarimi affeder.
Yarbay William Malone, Yeni Zelanda askeri; birliginin ele geçirdigi
Conk Bayiri zirvesini savunurken ölmeden önce karisina yazdigi mektuptan
Agustos harekatinin esas saldirisi,
Yeni Zelanda, Avustralya, Ingiliz ve Hint karma kuvvetleri tarafindan Conk Bayiri
ve çevredeki tepelere karsi gerçeklestirildi. Bu pozisyonlar ele
geçirilebilir ve elde tutulabilirse Anzak’taki Türk hatlarinin
tehlikeye düsecegine ve Çanakkale bogazina dogru bir açilimin
mümkün olabilecegine inaniliyordu.
Birlikler, 7-9 Agustos tarihleri arasinda
Conk Bayiri tepesinin dik yamaçlarina ve derin vadilerine saldiriya giristiler.
Bazi birlikler bu yabani arazide kayboldular. Planlanan saldirilar gecikmeli
ve yeterli destekten yoksun olarak gerçeklestirildi. Disini tirnagina
takarak çarpisan Yeni Zelanda birlikleri büyük kayiplar vererek
zirveyi ele geçirdiler. Çanakkale Bogazi artik görüs
alanlari içine gimisti. 10 Agustos’tan önce, onlarin yerine
Ingilizler geçti. Bu tarihte Türkler kararli bir karsi saldiriyla
Conk Bayiri zirvesini geri aldi. Böylece Agustos saldirisi basarisizlikla
sonuçlanmis oldu.
6 Agustos 1915 gecesi Conk Bayiri’na
yapilan saldiri sirasinda siperde dinlenen Yeni Zelanda askerleri.
(Yeni Zelanda Ulusal Kütüphanesi F58131)
Original Art
National Library of New Zealand, F58131
