In the WWI, one of the greatest, longest and bloodiest battles was fought at the Gallipoli peninsula (at the opposite side of Çanakkale), which forms the northern end of the Dardanelles, between the British (with the addition of Indian, ANZAC-Australian and New Zealand forces) and the French troops on one side, and Turkish forces on the other. The Gallipoli campaign is deeply incised in the collective memory of the Turkish people because this series of battles that lasted nearly nine months (April 1915 – January 1916) placed the foundations of the modern Turkish Republic, which was inaugurated several years later, and prevented dismemberment of the Turkish territory.
The Place Where Atatürk is Seen on The Stage of History for The First Time
Especially notable role in this decisive victory of the declining Ottoman Empire against the superior allied expeditionary forces was performed by Mustafa Kemal, later Ataturk – the father of the Turks, the future founder of the Turkish Republic, who was a Lieutenant-Colonel at that time.
