Gelibolu - Part II

I'm more than a little slow posting on the rest of the field trip. I've been enjoying time this past week with former students. Four of my seniors from last year are back in Turkey for a visit, so I've been spending time with them.

But now, back to Gelibolu, or as we know it in English, Gallipoli. Gallipoli was a major battle in World War I. The Allies wanted to gain control of the Dardanelles so they could cross the Black Sea to help the Russians. So for 8 months, they dug in on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

It was a nasty landing, attack by water is never easy. The failure at Gallipoli was a major concern when they were planning the Allied invasion of Europe during World War II. The Turks were much tougher soldiers than the Germans. There are many stories telling of the great respect that the ANZAC forces gained for the Turks. They were outnumbered, outgunned, but they held on. Trench warfare was especially brutal. On average 2,000 soliders died a day.

There is a good museum at Gallipoli with some artifacts, but the most moving part is just to go where they fought. My students who had studied World War One and trench warfare, suddenly understood more of the senselessness of war. For more on the Gallipoli campaign and just a good overview, here is an article from BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/203383.stm


Mehmet's ancestor fought at Gallipoli. Most Turks have an ancestor who fought at Gallipoli.