The Victory That Changed History: The Battle of Canakkale with Photos

Exactly 108 years ago, one of the most brutal wars in the history of mankind took place in Canakkale, and then the most glorious epic in the history of mankind. The unprecedented victory of the Turkish army changed the history not only of Anatolia, but of all mankind. The allied powers, stationed on the shores of Canakkale with hundreds of warships, planned to easily pass through the Dardanelles and reach the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul, without any problems. Thus, they would be able to support tsarist Russia and end the First World War in their favor. Yes, perhaps the Entente powers managed to emerge victorious from the First World War. However, after the defeat at Çanakkale, they had to wait a few more years.

On the other hand, the postponement of the end of the First World War was not the only important event after this historic victory. The glorious resistance of the Turkish army in Canakkale would have led to the collapse of tsarist Russia and the creation of the Soviet Union. But more importantly, after the battle of Gallipoli, the name “Mustafa Kemal” turned into a great legend, first in all of Anatolia, and then in the whole world.

Step by Step What You Need to Know About the Battle of Gallipoli and Victory

The “combined fleet” of the Entente states reached the shores of Canakkale on February 19, 1915.

Dozens of ships from the British and French fleets were ready to hold the Dardanelles. The British and French commanders were confident that they would defeat the Turkish army and soon leave the Dardanelles behind and head towards Istanbul. After all, the Combined Fleet included “death machines”, such as the “Queen Elizabeth”, “Agamemnon” and “Lord Nelson”. Dozens of destroyers, cruisers and submarines pointed their guns at Canakkale.

The Ottoman army, which had to defend Çanakkale against a sparse fleet, had limited funds.

A few naval mines needed to be placed in the right place, and this was done. A limited number of artillery batteries should not have missed, and they did not miss …

The bombardment of the United Fleet, which began on February 19, continued until March 17.

However, during this time, the nerves of the Allied commanders in Çanakkale were on edge. Because the fleet, which a few days ago approached the shores of Canakkale, as of March 17, was much further from Istanbul.

On March 18, the Allies attacked again.

Moreover, this attack was the most vicious and brutal attack of the Dardanelles Naval War. Because the Combined Fleet, faced with the unsurpassed resistance of the Turkish soldiers, could not move a single step, let alone cross the Dardanelles.

Mines laid by the Nusrat minelayer on the Asian side of the strait resulted in the death of battleships attempting to pass through the strait. The British ships HMS Ocean and HMS Irresistible and the French ship Bouvet were buried in the cool waters of the strait.

March 18, 1915 went down in history as the day when the Turkish army won a rare victory.

The Dardanelles naval war ended on 18 March. Realizing that it would not be possible to pass the Dardanelles intact, the allies decided to transfer the war to land. But this time they forgot to take into account the genius of a Turkish officer named Mustafa Kemal…

A Turkish soldier led by Mustafa Kemal Pasha once again defeated the enemy forces that first set foot on the Gallipoli peninsula on April 25, 1915.

The last part of the allied troops, who realized after the bloody battles the impossibility of passing Çanakkale either by sea or by land, left Çanakkale on January 9, 1916.

Canakkale Victory changed the course of history

This important victory of the Turkish army, which surprised the whole world, caused the First World War to continue for some time, the collapse of tsarist Russia and the creation of the Soviet Union, the British Empire being drawn into great chaos and many other important events. Also, the whole world recognized the most important genius behind this glorious victory, so as never to forget the name of Mustafa Kemal…