Çanakkale War; It is the name of the relentless struggle of the Ottoman Empire against the Allied Powers. A great success was achieved in the war, where the possibility of the Ottomans to win seemed almost impossible. During the Dardanelles War, which changed the history of the world, there were many situations that seemed almost impossible to happen.
Some of the issues and events that have never been heard about the war are as follows;
According to the war statistics, 6000 rounds per square meter were dropped in the War. This rate is the highest in the history of world war. During the post-war investigation, numerous bullets were found colliding in the air and sticking together. The probability of two bullets colliding in the air is one in 600 million. This incident explains how tough the war was.
German General Liman Von Sanders took part in the Turkish command of the Dardanelles Wars. There are many German officers with him under his command. Even though they were very few compared to the Turkish soldiers, German soldiers also fought on the same side with the Turks in the Gallipoli Wars and lost their lives.
Known as “the empire on which the sun never sets”, England suffered its first war defeat in Çanakkale after 200 years. Their ship “Irresistable”, which means never sinking, was the first ship to sink with the mines laid by the Nusret Minelayer.
He came up with the abbreviation ANZAC, using the initials of the words, after a clerk in Egypt, who was recording the soldiers, got bored of constantly writing “Australia and New Zealand Army Company”. This abbreviation went down in world history as Anzac soldiers.
Australian and New Zealand soldiers, who were under British colony, came to Çanakkale on compulsory duty and died for England and its king. At the end of the war, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk addressed the Anzac soldiers and their mothers as follows; “After they gave their lives on this land, they became our children too.” With this word, Mustafa Kemal showed the world that he is an exemplary leader.
30 athletes of Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş, Turkey’s most established sports clubs, were martyred in the Battle of Çanakkale. It is known that after fighting at the front, they traveled for hours and came to play in Istanbul and returned to the front at the end of the match.
The British saw the reason for the defeat on 18 March as minesweepers and shot them all. Later, when the war archives of both armies were opened and examined, the real situation emerged and they apologized to their families and paid compensation.
The French Submarine named Turquoise is one of the 4 submarines that participated in the Dardanelles War. He was shot by Artillery Müstecip Corporal and ran aground and was taken along with the enemies in it. Seyit Onbaşı took the 257-kilogram cannonball on his back and placed it on the ball. He did this three times. In the third cannon shot, the enemy’s ship Ocean was hit and changed the fate of the war.
Two Turks living in New Zealand heard the sultan’s order for jihad and bombarded the train tracks where Australian soldiers passed. They also shot the soldiers who survived the train, causing great casualties. They were also martyred in this battle.
Along with the men, many infantry and sniper women took part in the Battle of Çanakkale. In fact, with the start of the National Struggle, Nezahet Corporal ran from front to front with his father and received the rank of corporal at the age of 12 with his successes.
The French and English divisions of 2000 people, which made a landing in a region during the Dardanelles War, mistook the cypress trees in the region for the Turkish Union and fled away from the region. Years later, this event emerged in the reports in its archives.
Mustafa Kemal was wounded while fighting in Anafartalar and escaped death because the pocket watch on his heart slowed the bullet.
The doctors who took part in the Dardanelles War struggled as much as the soldiers and they were tired. In cases with large numbers of injured, they did not deal with the hopeless cases and gave priority to those who had a chance to survive. In such a case, his own son was brought before a Turkish doctor and he took care of another patient, saying that he had no chance of survival. He was able to go to the grave of his deceased son only a few days later.
All of the first-year students enrolled in the Medical School in 1915 were martyred in the Battle of Çanakkale. For this reason, Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane could not graduate in 1921. The average age of the soldiers who died in the war is 15-42.
Embroidered handkerchiefs with clipped hairs were found on approximately 2500 soldiers who were martyred. They were buried with these relics, which are thought to belong to his fiancee, spouse or child.
The 57th Regiment, known for its heroism in the Arıburnu landing, suffered great losses. Since then, there has been no 57th Regiment in the Turkish army. Known as the most heroic Regiment in the world, the 57th Regiment is known as the unit with the most medals in the world.
