Landing at Anzac Cove

The landing at Anzac Cove was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915. The landing, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast of the Peninsula, was made by soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and was the first major combat of the war for these two countries. Another landing was made several miles to the south west at Cape Helles by British and French troops.

The purpose of the invasion was to overtake the Ottoman forts that controlled the passage of the Dardanelles straits. The Anzac Cove landing went awry when those members of the leadership cadre with the knowledge of the operational plan were either killed or evacuated wounded leaving the organisation at the beachhead in chaos and so, what was planned as a swift operation became a protracted and bloody eight-month struggle. In that period the frontline of the Anzac battlefield remained little changed from the ground captured on the first day of the landing, a space less than three-quarters of a square mile (2 km²) in size—home to over 20,000 men. Winning control of the Dardanelles was originally intended to be a purely naval operation but after the loss of three battleships during the attack of 18 March it was decided that the aid of the army would be required to defeat the forts that guarded the straits. See Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign.

The Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was formed under General Sir Ian Hamilton and a two-pronged landing on the peninsula was planned. The British 29th Division would carry out the main landing at Cape Helles on the tip of the peninsula and advance along its length towards the forts at Kilitbahir which controlled the passage of the Narrows of the Dardanelles. However, because it was not possible to land the entire force on the limited beaches at Helles, a secondary landing by the Australian (and) New Zealand Army Corps, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast, was planned. If resistance was strong, this secondary landing would be treated as a feint to draw defenders from Helles and the attacking force would be withdrawn. If successful, the attacking force would be a mere five miles (8 km) from the Narrows and in command of the high ground thereby denying the passage of reinforcements to Helles.

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was formed in Egypt from the Australian and New Zealand infantry that had been in training prior to moving to the Western Front in France. When the need for infantry at Gallipoli arose, they were ideally placed to participate. Two divisions were formed; the Australian 1st Division containing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades, and the New Zealand and Australian Division containing the Australian 4th Brigade and the New Zealand Infantry Brigade.