The landing
Anzac, the landing 1915 (detail) by George Lambert
Why was this image chosen?
The choice of illustration for this panel presented little problem. There
are no photographs of the initial landing of the first wave of Australians
on Gallipoli – the 9th, 10th, and 11th
Battalions, closely followed by the 12th – as dawn was breaking
on 25 April 1915. In March 1919, Charles Bean, by then Australia’s official
war historian, returned to Gallipoli with, among others, the well-known painter,
George Lambert. Bean asked Lambert to paint three major works showing
the experiences of the Australians in battle – the landing, the charge
of the 2nd Brigade at Krithia on 8 May and the charge of the 3rd
Light Horse Brigade at the Nek on 7 August. Lambert completed the first and
the last of these and Charles Wheeler took over the Krithia canvas.
Another purpose behind the choice of Lambert’s Anzac, the Landing
was to show this tremendous work of art at the spot where the action that
it depicts took place. The new Anzac Commemorative Site is situated at the
very bottom left of the picture where a small section of beach is visible.
This is North Beach and many of the first wave landed there beneath the Sphinx,
the dramatic landform in the top centre of the canvas. In the painting, dawn
is breaking as the men of the 10th and 11th Battalions
– South Australians and Western Australians – make their way under
Turkish rifle and machine gun fire up the northern slope of Plugge’s
Plateau.
LANDING
You have got through the difficult business, now you dig, dig, dig, until you are safe.
General Sir Ian Hamilton
British commander-in-chief, Gallipoli
At dawn on 25 April 1915
soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) began landing on Gallipoli here
at North Beach and around Anzac Cove (Anzac Koyu) to the south of the nearby
headland, Ari Burnu. They were followed by the New Zealand Infantry Brigade.
The aim that day was to capture the heights of the Sari Bair range and then
press inland to Mal Tepe to cut off Turkish reinforcements to Cape Helles. From
the beach, groups of men rushed up steep, scrub-covered slopes towards the high
ground.
At first the few Turkish defenders were pushed back. Isolated groups
of Australians and New Zealanders fought their way to where they could see the
Dardanelles. As the day progressed Turkish resistance strengthened. By nightfall
none of the objectives had been reached. The commanders on the spot recommended
withdrawal but were ordered instead to dig in and hold on. This area of Gallipoli
captured on 25 April became known for the rest of the campaign as Anzac.
Anzac, the landing, 1915
(detail) by George Lambert.
(Australian War Memorial)
ÇIKARTMA
Isin zor kismini atlattiniz, simdi kendinizi emniyete alincaya kadar siper kazin, kazin, kazin.
General Sir Ian Hamilton
Ingiliz Baskomutani, Gelibolu
25 Nisan 1915 günü sabaha
karsi, Avustralya Imparatorluk Kuvvetleri (AIF) askerleri Kuzey Sahiline ve
yakindaki Ari Burnu’nun güneyindeki Anzak Koyu’na çikartma
yapmaya basladilar. Onlari Yeni Zelanda Piyade Birligi izliyordu. O günkü
hedefleri, Sari Bayir sirtlarinin güney yamaçlarini ele geçirmek
ve Türklerin Helles Burnu’na ulasmalarini engelleyebilmek için,
denizden içerideki Mal Tepe’ye saldirmakti. Kiyiya çikan
asker birlikleri çalilarla kapli dik yokuslari tirmanarak daha yüksek
mintikayi ele geçirmeye çalistilar.
Az sayidaki Türk savunma birlikleri
baslangiçta geri itildiler. Bazi Avustralya ve Yeni Zelanda birlikleri,
çarpisa çarpisa Çanakkale Bogazi’ni görebilecekleri
mevkilere kadar gelmeyi basardilar. Ne var ki, günün ilerleyen saatlerinde
Türklerin direnisi güçlenmeye basladi. Gece çöktügünde
hedeflerin hiçbirisine ulasilamamisti. Savas alanindaki komutanlar geri
çekilme önerisinde bulundularsa da, kendilerine, siper kazarak dayanma
emri verildi. Gelibolu yarimadasinin 25 Nisan günü ele geçirilen
bu bölgesi harekatin geri kalan süresi boyunca "Anzak" olarak anildi.
Anzak Körfezi çikartmasi. 1915
(Foto George Lambert) (Avustralya Savas Aniti)
