Thread: Anzac Day
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Old 26-04-05, 12:46
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Tony Smith Tony Smith is offline
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Young Winston was never on the ground at Gallipoli or elsewhere in the Dardenelles campaign. His interest and role stemmed from his position as First Sea Lord with the Admiralty and he came up with the concept of taking the peninsula to allow British ships into the Sea of Marmara to attack Constantinople and allow supplies to reach the Russians, enabling a new front to be opened against Germany. Good idea on a map, but for a variety of reasons, would never work on the ground.
11,400 ANZACS died in the fighting, along with thousands more Turks, British, French and Indians, but I don't think Winston's career suffered much at all.
BTW, Australia's first submarine, AE1, forced it's way through the minefields protecting the Narrows and played havoc with Turkish shipping for several days waiting for the British fleet to come. After running out of torpedoes and no sign of the Royal Navy, the sub was scuttled and the crew taken into captivity. The sub was rediscovered only 2 or 3 years ago after snagging a fisherman's net.
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