The Battle Of Gallipoli

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is most famous for being the recognized founder of the Republic of Turkey - as its first President, who formulated the many political and social changes that would distinguish the new Republic from the old Empire – but began his astonishing rise to fame and power with his military successes during the Battle of Gallipoli. This battle was a campaign lasting from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, noted by several key events, where the British intended to seize the strategically significant strait at the Dardanelles. This battle was significant for both sides both in terms of the strategic effects for the war and in the political ramifications that would radiate from this significant Turkish victory and British defeat.

ADRP 6-0 describes this principle as “action in the absence of orders, when existing orders no longer fit the situation, or when unforeseen opportunities or threat arise” (2012, p. 22). Leaders who exercise this principle “create opportunity by taking action to develop the situation” (2012, p. 22), and this is precisely what Kemal did the morning of 25 April 1915 when confronted with the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) that began the land component of the Battle of Gallipoli. The fact that the British would land on the Gallipoli peninsula and attempt to seize it for strategic benefits was not a surprise to Ottoman forces, but their arrival on that day was. LTC Kemal was in command of the 19th Infantry Division as a part of the 5th Army and was tasked as the reserve for the defense (Erickson, p. 15). Due to various factors, Kemal received no orders in the first 2 hours of the invasion. “at 7am, on his own initiative,” Kemal ordered one of his infantry regiments forward towards key hills overlooking the ANZAC landing (Erickson, p. 18). Leading them personally, he arrived at a position known as the Chunuk Bair and came upon fleeing Ottomon defenders from the 9th Infantry Division. Visibly behind them were forward elements of the ANZAC forces. The soldiers said that they were out of ammunition, but Kemal realized in that moment that they must defend this key terrain or risk losing the entire peninsula. He took command of the fleeing soldiers and ordered them to turn around, fix bayonets, and lie down – an aggressive posture that forced the pursuing ANZAC to halt and take cover themselves, buying time for Kemal’s 57th Infantry Regiment to arrive and begin counter-attacks (Bay, p. 6). This sort of decision making and strategic vision is considered by many military scholars, to include Clausewitz, as a sign of the