News:Turkey President has compared Kashmir to Çanakkale — the World War I battle that built several national identities.
Facts:
About the Battle:
- The Battle of Çanakkale also known as the Gallipoli campaign or the Dardanelles campaign is considered to be one of the bloodiest of World War I.
- This battle took place on the Gallipoli peninsula (Gelibolu in modern Turkey) from 17 February 1915 to 9 January 1916.
- The allied powers namely Britain, France and Russia sought to weaken the Ottoman Empire by taking control of the Dardanelles straits that provided a supply route to Russia.
- The Allies’ attack on Ottoman forts at the entrance of the Dardanelles failed and was followed by an amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in April 1915 to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul).
- However,in the end, the land campaign was abandoned and the invasion force was withdrawn.It was a costly defeat for the Allies and the campaign was considered a great Ottoman victory.
Significance of the Battle:
- The battle resulted in a demotion for Winston Churchill, then Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty and the emergence on the Turkish side of the young military hero, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
