January 1, 1970

Introduced by Richard M. Langworth

In 1915 the Western Allies attacked the Dardanelles and Gallipoli, hoping to force Turkey out of the Great War and aid the Russians, bottled up in the Black Sea. Failure of both operations haunted Churchill the rest of his life. Indeed some Second World War historians believe his determination to avoid invading France until there was a near chance of success stemmed from his horror over British and ANZAC losses on Gallipoli. (As Churchill confided to General Marshall in 1943, ‘I see the sea full of corpses’.)

Official biographer Sir Martin Gilbert answers key questions about the Dardanelles: when did Churchill first speak of this attack? Why did he think it vital? Why did he first advocate a pure naval operation? Who agreed with him? What was the effect of the initial bombardment of Turkish forts? Did Churchill underestimate Turkish resistance? Did he overrule his military advisers, or ‘steamroll’ his demands past the War Cabinet? Complete with maps and photographs, this is a definitive account of what Churchill knew, and when he knew it.

Read the full article here: ‘What About the Dardanelles?’ by Martin Gilbert, Finest Hour 126, Spring 2005, scroll to page 23.