By James Holmes
April 24, 2015
Today marks the centennial of the Allied landings at Gallipoli, the narrow peninsula that constitutes the north shore of the Dardanelles. French and British leaders meant the expedition to reopen the Dardanelles and Bosporus, the narrow waterways connecting the Mediterranean and Black seas. It’s a time of remembrance for all of the former warring states.
Piercing Turkish sea and land defenses promised big things. Western forces would bypass the deadlock on the Western Front, restoring maneuver to the war. Forcing the straits would reestablish shipping lanes connecting the Western combatants with beleaguered Russia—an empire hard-pressed not just by German armies but by a Turkish assault on the Caucasus. It would turn the Central Powers’ southern flank, menacing German ally Austria-Hungary through the Balkans. And everyone loves a winner. Allied leaders hoped to woo new allies while discouraging others from bandwagoning with Germany.
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