The third attack on Anzac Cove (19 May 1915) was an engagement during the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War. The attack was conducted by the forces of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, against the forces of the British Empire defending the cove.
On 25 April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the western side of the Gallipoli Peninsula, at what thereafter became known as Anzac Cove. The first Turkish attempts to recapture the ANZAC beachhead were two unsuccessful attacks in April. Just over two weeks later, the Turks had gathered a force of 42,000 men (four divisions) to conduct their second assault against the ANZAC's 17,300 men (two divisions). The ANZAC commanders had no indication of the impending attack until the day before, when British aircraft reported a build-up of troops opposite the ANZAC positions.
The Turkish assault began in the early hours of 19 May, mostly directed at the centre of the ANZAC position. It had failed by midday; the Turks were caught by enfilade fire from the defenders' rifles and machine-guns, which caused around ten thousand casualties, including three thousand deaths. The ANZACs had fewer than seven hundred casualties.
Expecting an imminent continuation of the battle, three Allied brigades arrived within twenty-four hours to reinforce the beachhead, but no subsequent attack materialised. Instead, on 20 and 24 May two truces were declared to collect the wounded and bury the dead in no man's land. The Turks never succeeded in capturing the beachhead; instead the ANZACs evacuated the position at the end of the year.
Background Beachhead On 25 April, at the start of the Gallipoli Campaign, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), commanded by Lieutenant-General William Birdwood, landed at Beach Z, later to become known as Anzac Cove. The beachhead was not a large position. Including two isolated outposts in the north, No. 1 Post and No. 2 Post, it stretched south only to Chatham's Post, and at the most had a depth of .Waite 1919, p.136Powles 1928, p.27 Other sources put the dimensions as long, and deep. Two of the central positions, Quinn's and Courtnay's posts, had a steep cliff to the rear of the ANZAC trenches. In places the Turkish trenches were dug as close as from the Allied lines.Moorehead 1997, pp.146–147
The First Turkish counter-attack on Anzac Cove in April, by the 19th Infantry Division (57th, 72nd and 77th infantry regiments) commanded by Colonel Mustafa Kemal, had initially pierced the ANZAC line but was eventually repulsed. On 5 May the Turkish Army commander, the German officer Otto Liman von Sanders, ordered his troops to adopt a defensive posture. However, the Turkish General Staff considered the ANZAC beachhead to be such a precarious position that even a small Turkish success would "drive them back into the sea". Another consideration was that eliminating the ANZAC position would release four or five divisions to move against the British and French beachhead at Cape Helles.Bean 1941, p.132
Turkish forces The Ottoman Turkish Army of the First World War was badly underestimated by the Allies, and during the war it would defeat forces from the British, French and Russian armies.Erickson 2007, p.1 Before the landings, the Gallipoli peninsula was defended by several divisions, based on infantry battalion strong-points overlooking the potential landing beaches.Erickson 2007, p.16 By April 1915, they had 82 fixed and 230 mobile artillery pieces sited to defend the peninsula.Erickson 2007, p.18 Virtually all the Turkish Army commanders, down to company commander level, were very experienced, being veterans of the Balkan Wars. But their command structure was weaker at the non-commissioned officer (NCO) level, with only one NCO in each company.Erickson 2007, p.26 One advantage that the Turkish Army had over the British supplied forces was their hand grenades, which were not used by the British forces.Waite 1919, p.149 The British also acknowledged that the Turkish snipers' "marksmanship was generally superior" to that of the Allies.Nicolle 2010, p.20
The assault was under the direct command of Major-General Essad Pasha.Moorhead 1997, p.146 The plan was to gather the assault force secretly behind the Turkish lines on 18 May. Then at 03:30 19 May, while it was still dark, the Turkish forces would simultaneously attack all along the ANZAC perimeter. The aim was to force the defenders out of their trenches and back into the sea.Bean 1941, p.133 To maintain surprise the attack would not be preceded by an artillery bombardment; but the previous day all the available Turkish artillery bombarded the ANZAC lines between 17:00 and midnight. This was something they had done twice before that month.Bean 1941, p.136 The signal to start the attack was supposed to have been the detonation of a large mine at Quinn's Post, in the centre of the ANZAC lines, but by 19 May the tunnel for the mine had not been completed.Cameron 2013, p.39 The attacking force, from north to south, comprised the 19th Division (now made up of the 27th, 57th and 72nd infantry regiments), 5th Division (13th and 14th infantry regiments), 2nd Division (1st, 5th and 6th infantry regiments), 16th Division (33rd, 47th, 48th and 125th infantry regiments) and the now-independent 77th Infantry Regiment. In total this was around 42,000 men. The 2nd and 16th divisions were fresh, having just arrived on the peninsula, while the other two had taken part in some of the previous counter-attacks at Anzac Cove.Bean 1941, p.135
ANZAC forces
By now the ANZAC Corps comprised two divisions, with around 17,300 men and 43 artillery pieces. The New Zealand and Australian Division defended the northern half of the beachhead, while the 1st Australian Division defended the southern half.Bean 1941, p.139 The perimeter was divided into four sections, from north to south, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in No. 4 Section, the 1st Light Horse Brigade and the 4th Australian Brigade in No. 3 Section, the 1st Australian Brigade in No. 2 Section, and finally the 3rd Australian Brigade in No. 1 Section.Bryne 1922, p.36 The understrength 2nd Australian Brigade, the only corps reserve, was held where Shrapnel Valley met Monash Valley, and was ordered to deploy two battalions to form a reserve defence line. The New Zealand Infantry Brigade had been sent to Cape Helles to support the British.Sumner 2011, p.8
The ANZAC command had no inkling of the impending attack, and as late as 16 May they recorded that they were opposed by only between 15,000 and 20,000 troops. On 18 May an aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Service was sent to direct naval gunfire, and flew across the peninsula on its return. The aircraft's crew observed that the valleys opposite the ANZAC position were "densely packed with Turkish troops". A second aircraft, sent to confirm the sighting, also reported that even more troops were being landed at Eceabat on the peninsula's eastern coast, only around from the ANZAC beachhead. At 17:15 the news was relayed to the two ANZAC divisions, who were told to expect an attack that night.Bean 1941, pp.137–138 Just after dark the British battleship HMS Triumph reported seeing a "considerable" number of mounted troops and artillery moving north from Krithia.Bean 1941, p.138
At about 23:45 on 18 May, a Turkish bomb detonated at Quinn's Post, and the Turks opened fire with their small arms until around 00:10 on 19 May.Bean 1941, p.140 With all the evidence pointing to an impending Turkish assault, the ANZAC troops were ordered to stand-to at 03:00, half an hour earlier than normal, and they improvised defences by throwing out rolls of barbed wire on rests to the front of their lines.Bean 1941, pp.138–139
Attack
No. 2 Section The first sign of the coming battle was shortly after stand-to at No. 2 Section, where the Australian 4th Battalion reported seeing movement, and light reflecting off bayonets, in the valley between Johnston's Jolly and German Officers' Ridge. The 5th Division started attacking without, as was normal, blowing their bugles and shouting war cries.Moorehead 1997, p.149 Their trenches were only from the Australians' trench, and the Australian 1st and 4th battalions opened fire on the advancing Turks. The 5th Division was closely followed by the 2nd and 16th divisions.Bean 1941, pp.140–141 The 2nd Division, coming from Johnson's Jolly, advanced diagonally across the 4th Battalion's front, and the 4th Battalion engaged them in their flank with rifle and machine-gun fire. The Turks that survived the enfilade fire moved either into Wire Gully or back to their own lines. Waves of Turkish reinforcements attempted to follow the first line, but they were also mown down and by daylight the only movement seen was the wounded trying to reach help.Bean 1941, pp.141–142
To the immediate south, opposite Lone Pine, the Australian 2nd and 3rd battalions had been digging a new trench into no man's land. It was intended to provide a better firing position and, starting from both battalions' lines, headed into no man's land at an angle of forty-five degrees to the old line. Eventually it was expected that the two extensions would meet in the middle, but by the time of the attack there was still a gap of around between them. It was here the Turkish 16th Division attacked. At first the Turks were in a gully which sheltered them from Australian fire. The 48th Infantry Regiment, moving through the heavy Australian fire, advanced into the gap between the two battalions. Despite one of the 3rd Battalion's machine-guns jamming, this assault and the following waves were beaten back, although some Turks did reach the Australian trenches. The Turks came so close to the supporting Australian artillery that the artillerymen disabled their guns, so they could not be used against them, and joined the infantry in the trenches.Bean 1941, pp.142–143 The 16th Division attempted four successive assaults, but each wave was mown down by the Australian fire.Bean 1941, p.144 At Wire Gully a group of Turks got close enough to a 2nd Battalion machine-gun to destroy it with a hand grenade, allowing them to move forward and reach the Australian trench. Some individual Turkish soldiers also reached the trench before they were all shot down. This continued until around 05:00, when the surviving Turks started withdrawing to German Officers' Ridge.Bean 1941, pp.147–148
No. 1 Section
Part of the 16th Division also attacked the 3rd Brigade in No. 1 Section from Lone Pine southwards. They advanced in two waves through a field of wheat, but only three men survived the Australian fire to reach the 10th Battalion's trench, and were then shot on the parapet. Turkish wounded and survivors could be seen moving back to a gully, but in the growing light they were in full view of an 11th Battalion machine-gun, which caused devastation amongst their ranks. The Australians continued firing at targets until around noon, but it was obvious the assault by the 16th Division had failed here.Bean 1941, pp.145–146 In the extreme south of the ANZAC beachhead the 9th Battalion trench was attacked by the independent 77th Infantry Regiment. However, here as elsewhere, the attacking Turks were whittled down by the Australian fire, the last of them as they reached the belt of barbed wire in front of the Australian trenches.Bean 1941, p.146
No. 3 Section