Battle of Sari Bair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Sari Bair |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Gallipoli Campaign in the Middle Eastern Theatre of the First World War | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
|
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Ian Hamilton |
 Mustafa Kemal Liman von Sanders Faik Pasha |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 4 divisions (initial) | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Sari Bair (Turkish: Sarı Bayır Harekâtı), also known as the August Offensive (Ağustos Taarruzları), was the last big effort by the British in August 1915. Their goal was to take control of the Gallipoli peninsula from the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
By the time of this battle, the Gallipoli Campaign had been going on for three months. Fighting was happening in two main areas: Anzac and Helles. The Allied land invasion had started on April 25, 1915. The Anzac front was stuck in a stalemate, meaning neither side could move forward. The Allies had tried to attack at Helles, but it cost them many lives for very little gain. In August, the British leaders decided on a new plan. They wanted to capture the Sari Bair ridge. This was a high area that overlooked the middle of the Gallipoli peninsula, right above the Anzac landing spot.
The main part of the operation began on August 6. New British troops landed about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Anzac at Suvla Bay. At the same time, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) attacked north. They moved into the rough hills next to the Sari Bair range. Their aim was to capture the high ground and connect with the new landing at Suvla. At Helles, the British and French troops mostly stayed on defense.
Contents
Background
The battle mainly happened around a ridge called Kocaçimentepe. This Turkish name means "Great Grass Hill." The British called its highest point "Hill 971." They also mistakenly used the name Sarı Bayır, meaning "Yellow Slope," for the whole main ridge. This ridge ended at a large cliff above Anzac Cove known as "The Sphinx."
Planning the Attack
General Sir Ian Hamilton was the commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. For this new attack, he received three new British army divisions. These were the 10th (Irish) Division, the 11th (Northern) Division, and the 13th (Western) Division. None of these divisions had fought in a battle before. Later, he got more troops: two Territorial Army divisions and one division of soldiers who fought on horseback but were now on foot.
The landing at Suvla was to be done by the British IX Corps. This group was led by Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stopford. He had retired in 1909 and had never led soldiers in battle. He was chosen just because he was senior. But he seemed unsure during the preparations, which should have warned Hamilton that he might not be the best choice.
The Ottoman forces knew that a new attack was coming. There had been some doubt if the British would give up the campaign. But this doubt disappeared when Winston Churchill made a speech. He carelessly said that the battle would continue, no matter the cost. Because of this, the Ottoman Fifth Army reorganized. It grew to 16 divisions. Ten of these divisions defended the existing battlefields. Six were at Helles, where most of the early fighting happened, and four were at Anzac. Three divisions defended the Asian side of the Dardanelles. Another three divisions defended the Gulf of Saros north of Bulair, at the narrowest part of the peninsula.
The Ottomans thought the attack would be a breakout from Anzac. But they weren't sure if it would be north (towards Suvla) or south (towards Gaba Tepe). They also thought a new British landing was likely. However, they didn't think Suvla was a strong candidate. So, only a small force of four battalions defended that area. The Ottoman commanders also thought an attack on the Sari Bair range was unlikely because the land was so rough. Only Mustafa Kemal, who led the Ottoman 19th Division at Anzac, expected an attack on the heights. But he couldn't convince his commanding officer, Esad Pasha, to make the defenses there much stronger.
The Battle
Anzac Breakout
The attack from the Anzac area aimed for two peaks of the Sari Bair range: Chunuk Bair and Hill 971. Major-General Alexander Godley was in charge of the attacking force. It included the New Zealand and Australian Division, the British 13th Division, and a few extra infantry brigades.
The plan was for two groups of soldiers to march out of Anzac on the night of August 6. The right group, led by Brigadier-General Francis Johnston, was made of New Zealanders. They would head for Chunuk Bair. The left group, led by Major-General Herbert Cox, aimed for Hill 971 and nearby Hill Q. This group included the Australian 4th Infantry Brigade and Cox's 29th Indian Brigade. Both hills were supposed to be captured by dawn.
To distract the Ottomans, an attack was made at Lone Pine on August 6. This attack was successful in taking Ottoman trenches. But it didn't work as a distraction because it actually drew more Ottoman soldiers to the north. Another costly distraction happened at Helles. This led to a pointless fight over a small area known as Krithia Vineyard. Like at Lone Pine, the British action at Helles did not stop the Ottomans from sending more soldiers to the Sari Bair range.
The right group heading for Chunuk Bair had an easier time finding their way. Their path was somewhat visible from the old Anzac area. In what became known as the Battle of Chunuk Bair, the New Zealanders didn't capture the peak by the morning of August 7. But they managed to do it the next morning.
On the morning after the breakout, other attacks were planned within the old Anzac area. The most famous was the attack by the Australian 3rd Light Horse Brigade at The Nek. This attack had a very small chance of success. It depended on the New Zealanders having captured Chunuk Bair on time, which they hadn't.
The left group's journey through the confusing ravines failed. They got lost and never got close to their target of Hill 971. By the morning of August 8, Cox's forces were organized enough to try an attack on their original targets. However, Monash's brigade was still confused about its location. By the end of the day, Monash's troops had only reached the spot they thought they had started from. Hill 971 was now even harder to reach. The three Australian battalions that attacked suffered 765 casualties. One battalion was reduced to about 30% of its normal strength.
One battalion of the 6th Gurkhas, led by Major Cecil Allanson, got within 200 feet of Hill Q by 6 p.m. on August 8. They were joined by other soldiers and sought shelter from heavy Ottoman fire. After a naval artillery bombardment, the battalion attacked the top of the hill shortly after 5 a.m. on August 9. The plan involved many other battalions, but they were lost or stuck. So the Gurkhas went on alone. They managed to push the Ottomans off the hill. But then they were hit by more naval gunfire from their own side or from an artillery battery at Anzac. After suffering many losses and with no help, Allanson's force was pushed back off the hill soon after.
By the end of August 9, the Allies only held a small part of Chunuk Bair. On August 10, the Ottomans, led by Colonel Mustafa Kemal, counter-attacked. They regained control of the entire Sari Bair ridge.
Suvla Landing
Stopford's IX Corps included the British 10th (Irish) and 11th Divisions. When they landed on August 6, the British faced three Ottoman battalions. These were led by a German cavalry officer, Major Wilhelm Willmer. His job was to slow down the British until more Ottoman soldiers could arrive from Bulair, 30 miles (48 km) away.
Stopford decided to command the landings from a ship called HMS Jonquil offshore. He reportedly slept during the attack. The 11th Division landed on the night of August 6. Two brigades of the 10th Division landed the next morning. The landings happened in the dark without good reconnaissance (scouting). They suffered from the same confusion as the Anzac landing on April 25. Landing boats got stuck on sandbars, so troops had to wade a long way to shore. Many units got mixed up, and officers couldn't find their targets. Lala Baba was captured by the 6th Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. This was the first battle action for any unit of Lord Kitchener's new army. The original goals were to capture the ridges to the north and east, and the hills to the south. But Stopford's careful approach and Hamilton's failure to push his commanders meant the goals were changed. They focused on just securing the beach.
By the evening of August 7, the chain of command was breaking down. Progress was very slow. This was mostly because Stopford was still "commanding" from offshore. Also, there was a lack of supplies, especially drinking water. To the southeast, Chocolate Hill and Green Hill were taken that evening with little resistance. But there was constant harassment from shrapnel and sniper fire. The British suffered 1,700 casualties on the first day at Suvla.
General Sanders was very angry at Colonel Fevzi Bey, who commanded the 7th and 12th divisions. He felt Fevzi Bey didn't take advantage of the Allied confusion at Suvla to attack them before they got organized. The Turks didn't expect a big landing at Suvla. So they had to rush in two divisions. Fevzi Bey was afraid of night attacks, which were rarely successful. Sanders immediately removed Fevzi Bey from command. He gave the responsibility to Mustafa Kemal. Kemal was the commander of the 19th division and was now in charge of the front from Anzac Cove to Saros. He immediately planned an attack along the Anafarta Hills. Mustafa Kemal's arrival boosted the Ottoman morale, especially after his success at Ariburnu earlier in the spring.
The first serious Allied attempt at the Anafarta Hills to the east happened on the night of August 8. This followed Hamilton's involvement. But on the morning of August 9, Ottoman reinforcements started to arrive, and the British were pushed back. The fighting focused around Scimitar Hill. This hill stuck out north from the Anafarta Spur and overlooked the southern approach to the Tekke Tepe ridge. Scimitar Hill had been captured and then abandoned on August 8. Attempts to retake the hill on August 9 and 10 were stopped by the Ottomans. The gunfire was so strong it set the plants on fire. Many wounded soldiers were burned in the fires where they lay.
As the fighting continued, the landing was strengthened by the arrival of the British 53rd Division on August 9. The 54th Division followed on August 10. Stopford now had four divisions under his command. But he faced a similar number of Ottoman defenders. The 53rd Division suffered heavy losses in another attack on Scimitar Hill on August 10.
On August 15, Hamilton removed Stopford and several other commanders. Command of IX Corps was given to Major-General Beauvoir De Lisle. He was the commander of the 29th Division. This was until Lieutenant-General Julian Byng could arrive from France to take over.
Aftermath
Later Operations
As the new front line became clear, General Hamilton planned one more attack. He wanted to try and connect the Suvla landing to Anzac. This required capturing a group of hills: Scimitar Hill and the 'W' Hills from Suvla, and Hill 60 from the new Anzac area. The attacks were to start on August 21. At Suvla, de Lisle had his 29th Division and the 2nd Mounted Division. These had been moved to Suvla as extra help.
The 29th Division was to attack Scimitar Hill. The 11th Division was to take the W Hills on the south of the Anafarta Spur. The 2nd Mounted Division was waiting near Lala Baba, on the other side of the salt lake. This attack was the largest one the Allies made at Gallipoli. Scimitar Hill was captured for a short time. But the attackers were driven off or killed by the Ottoman defensive fire from higher up the spur. Again, the plants caught fire, burning many of the wounded. The 2nd Mounted Division was called to join the attack. They marched in a spread-out line, straight across the salt lake, under fire the whole way. For a second time, the hill was captured briefly, before being lost for good. The 11th Division's attack towards the W Hills was stopped by strong Ottoman defenses.
In the Anzac area, Hill 60 had been empty on the morning of August 7. Australian scouts had passed through it. But the Ottomans quickly moved in and built defenses on the hill. The Battle of Hill 60 lasted for eight days. While the top was eventually reached, the Allies could not completely remove the Ottoman defenders. They fought hard to hold their positions.
Images for kids
-
Map of the British attack, August 6–8
-
Map of the Turkish counter-attack, August 9–10
