The story of ANZAC troops in the Gallipoli Campaign isn't well known in North America. I learned of it because my son was a history major and had me proofread a paper on it. The story is doubly tragic because so many lives were wasted through poor leadership in a venture that ended up being lost for nothing, while if the campaign had been successful it would have ended WWII years early with millions of lives saved. Not to mention, an earlier end to WWI would probably have left Europe in better shape and would not have led to WWII. As it was, the defeat sidelined Winston Churchill and cost countless lives.
For those who haven't heard the story, the romantic version goes something like this. By the end of 1914 WWI had devolved into a trench war of attrition. Great Britain needed men so they raised an army of Aussies and Kiwis, who had not yet developed a national identity other than being colonies of the crown. Churchill developed an amphibious attack on the Ottoman Turks that depended on surprise and mobility like most amphibious attacks. They had to strike a decisive blow quickly or the invaders would be overwhelmed.
After a series of mishaps, the armies got off their ships and to the beaches. Legend has it that a British army hit the beach and was able to climb to the top of the cliffs without much resistance but they didn't have any direction, so they just stayed there. They lit fires and camped where they were for the night. Meanwhile, they could see and hear fighting in the distance. It turned out that the ANZAC armies had landed out of position and were getting pummeled. The saying was that the Brits stopped to boil tea while the ANZACs were dying. In retrospect, if the Brits had charged seized the initiative and hooked up with the Aussies and Kiwis, they may have been able to strike the critical blow at the decisive moment. Instead, the Turks had enough time to respond and prevent an immediate knockout blow. Eventually the campaign settled into a war of attrition that the invaders could never win, so the invasion was abandoned and the men withdrawn.
About the only thing good that came out of the experience was that Australia and New Zealand developed a sense of national identity and have been ANZAC ever since.
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