PANEL 7

CHUNUK BAIR

I am prepared for death and hope that God will have forgiven me all my sins.
Lieutenant Colonel William Malone
New Zealand soldier, in a letter to his wife before he was killed defending the position his battalion had seized on the summit of Chunuk Bair

The main attack of the August offensive was made by a mixed New Zealand, Australian, British and Indian force against the heights of Chunuk Bair and nearby peaks. It was believed that if these positions could be captured and held, then the Turkish line at Anzac would be in danger and a breakout towards the Dardanelles possible.

Between 7 and 9 August the attacking troops made their way up the steep slopes and through the deep gullies on the approaches to the heights. Some units became lost in this wild country and planned assaults were often carried out too late and with inadequate support. The New Zealanders, fighting desperately and sustaining great losses, reached the Chunuk Bair summit and gazed upon the Dardanelles. By 10 August New Zealand troops had been replaced by British units when the Turks determinedly counter-attacked and regained the summit.

The August offensive thus ended in failure.

New Zealand soldiers rest in a trench during their assault towards Chunuk Bair on the night of 6 August 1915.
(National Library of New Zealand, F58131)