The Anzac legend is often only seen as the Gallipoli campaign, sadly their assistance on other fronts such as Somme or the Western Front is overlooked. The battle of Gallipoli is still very deserving of its credit as it was the first major war for Australia after its federation in 1901, this war was also a way to prove its power to the other nations by supplying the British with around 50 000 troops. The other battles fought by the Anzacs are not to be discredited as many of the troops that were evacuated from Gallipoli were sent north of Somme and to Fromelles, these battles were fought by Australian and New Zealand troops and can be considered a part of the Anzac legend.
As the first battle that Australia was a part of it can be considered a failure in many aspects, the entire Gallipoli campaign suffered 250 000 casualties from the French, British and the Anzacs. These large numbers may be due to poor preparations. Winston Churchill had ordered a navel bombardment on the 19th of February 1915, this attack was put on hold till the 25th due to poor weather conditions but was still a failure as the major advantages that the ottomans held, such as fortified positions or artillery were not majorly affected by the bombardment. On the 25th of April under general Ian Hamilton’s command a full-scale beach landing was planned, 77 battleships and 75 000 were assembled but lacked specialised landing equipment. Many casualties were lost during the establishment of the Gaba Tepe beach, this beach has been renamed Anzac cove in memory of the lives lost there. Weeks later a stalemate was reached inland as trench warfare had been established, both sides were losing many casualties and an evacuation was called for on the 10th of December 1915 with the last troops leaving on the 20th. The evacuation was a success with no lives lost during the retreat.
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The date was July 19th, 1916 and a diversion was planned north of Somme and at Fromelles, the idea of this attack was to stop German troops from being sent down to the Somme. Australian general Harold Elliott was stunned by the German defences at Fromelles and thought this advance would be more of a slaughter, he reported this and intelligence information that the Germans were not being transferred to the Somme to Douglas Haig (British Commander-in-chief). This pointless attack was still going through due to the confidence of success from the British general Richard Haking. The objective was changed slightly to Aubers Ridge (2 miles south of Fromelles), the attack was to take the sugar loaf which was a strongly fortified position held by the Germans. All through the 18th German troops were watching the ally’s preparations for the attack. After a daylong artillery barrage it turned out that the machine guns were not taken out, unaware to this the allies climbed over the top and onto no mans land. The casualties were devastating, 2 100 deaths and almost 4 000 wounded, the Germans only had 1 500 fatalities, the attack was a total failure.
The Anzac sprit is often seen as one of the strongest bonds between soldiers, and extremely important towards Australia’s history as the most significant effort from the Anzacs was the Gallipoli landing. This landing was the first battle fought by the Australians after federation in 1901, this effort can be considered a way that Australia power was shown to other nations. The other battles fought by the Anzacs must be considered a part of their history and their legend as their efforts on the western front cannot go unrecognised as many lives were lost here, it goes without saying that these brave soldiers deserve recognition for the sacrifice that they made and they deserve credit for what they have done for us. The standout war effort was the Gallipoli landing and therefore carries the most significance in creating the Anzac spirit, this is where we see the most examples of true honour and significance in a historic standpoint. Without discrediting the efforts of the western front, the Gallipoli landing is more important towards the Anzac spirt.
In conclusion, the Gallipoli landing plays an extremely important role in our history as it was Australia’s first ever battle fought after our federation in 1901, the other efforts in world war 1 by the Anzacs are not to go without credit as they were a large part of the war effort from a tactical standpoint. The sacrifice made on the Gallipoli campaign made a larger contribution to the Anzac spirit as it is where we see the most examples of true qualities that all Anzacs hold.
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