Military Geography: the influence of terrain in the outcome of the Gallipoli Campaign, 1915

The Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 was one of the most strategically significan t theatres during the Great War of 1914-1918. The land campaign followed th e failure of the naval expedition which was intended to force the Dardanell es by sea power alone; silencing the Turkish forts on the narrows and forci ng entry to the Sea of Marmara and ultimately to Constantinople (Istanbul), This paper examines the impact of terrain on the outcome of the land campa ign; A land system analysis of the Gallipoli Peninsula was carried out, and five land systems, based on aspects of geology, geomorphology, hydrogeolog y and vegetation, were identified. The landings of 25 April 1915 were made at Cape Helles and Anzac Cove, with objectives to capture the high ground. The land system analysis demonstrates that these landing places-were disadv antaged by terrain, with steep, deeply-incised slopes, narrow beaches and i nadequate water supplies. A later landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915 had m ore terrain advantages, with wide landing beaches and locally available wat er supplies, but the tactical advantages of a lightly held terrain were not exploited. Overall, the Gallipoli Campaign failed primarily because of ina dequate planning and leadership by the Allied forces; poor communications; the efficiency of the Turkish armies in the siting of defensive positions a ccording to terrain; the lack of detailed information with regard to terrai n and geology available to the British and ANZAC troops; and a paucity of l ocally-derived groundwater supplies.