Most struggled ashore, soaking wet and weighed down by their rifles and sodden packs. Some landed in deep water where they drowned. Bullets began hitting the boats, killing some, wounding others.Īs the boats grounded around the tip of the Ari Burnu promontory, the men jumped out. The men made the last part of their night journey in 36 rowing boats, towed inshore from battleships by small Royal Navy steamboats.Įven before they reached the beach in the half-light, the small Turkish garrison had spotted them. The first wave included units of the 3rd Australian Brigade: three infantry battalions of men from Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Their task was to storm the beach and then push inland as fast as possible. The first wave of men was known as the 'covering force'. Of the 16,000 men who landed during the first day, more than 2000 had been killed or injured by the next morning.Īs dawn approached on 25 April, HMS Ribble eased its way towards the Gallipoli peninsula with the other British destroyers and battleships. The Anzacs held on for the crucial first night. He ordered the troops to begin digging trenches. Hamilton decided against their recommendation. In the evening, Major-General William Bridges, commander of the 1st Australian Division, and Lieutenant-General Sir William Birdwood, commander of ANZAC, both advised General Sir Ian Hamilton, Commander-in-Chief, to withdraw the Allies from Gallipoli. By mid-morning, Turkish reinforcements had arrived under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kemal. Units became separated as they moved through the tangle of complex spurs and ravines in the darkness.
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