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Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a national public holiday and is considered one of the most solemn days of the year in Australia. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australia as an « independent » nation.

The Gallipoli campaign

The Gallipoli campaign (1915-1916) was the first major battle undertaken¹ by the ANZAC : the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is often considered to mark the birth of national consciousness in both of these countries.

The attack on Gallipoli was one of the most imaginative strategies of the First World War. It was planned by Winston Churchill.

In 1914, the German army had delivered a crushing blow² to Russia at Tannenberg at the start of the war and had been driving³ eastwards. The Russians were threatened⁴ by a Turkish advance through the Caucasus and appealed⁵ to their allies for assistance. Gaining⁶ control of Gallipoli would re-establish communications with Russia and release⁷ wheat⁸ and shipping locked in the Black Sea by Turkey.

The ANZACs landed at Gallipoli at dawn⁹ on April 25^th. Instead of finding the flat beach they expected¹⁰, they found they had been landed at an incorrect position and faced steep cliffs¹¹ and constant barrages of enemy fire. Fighting on Gallipoli soon settled into a stalemate¹². The ANZACs and the Turks dug kilometers of trenches¹³, facing each other with sniper fire and shelling¹⁵. The stalemate ended in retreat with the evacuation of the ANZACs on December 20^th 1915. By then, 8,141 had been killed or died of wounds¹⁶.

The landing at Gallipoli was seen as a story of courage and endurance amongst¹⁷ death and despair, in the face of poor leadership¹⁸ from London, and unsuccessful¹⁹ strategies. The ANZAC legend was born.