Landing at Cape Helles - Prelude

Prelude

The military commanders of the Ottoman Empire were well aware that a land assault on the Dardanelles was being planned. A combined French and British Naval task force had carried out a series of attacks. Particular difficulty had been experienced by the force in sweeping the straits of naval mines because of gunfire from Ottoman forts and well-concealed mobile howitzer batteries. The naval operation culminated with the spectacular failure on 18 March to push a naval force through the straits during which three battleships were sunk and four more capital ships severely damaged by naval mines laid along the Asian shore.

Preparations began for an army landing to help the navy neutralise the forts and batteries guarding the straits. Security surrounding the preparations in Egypt was non-existent. The French commander even spoke of it in an interview with an Alexandria newspaper.

By the time the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF) was ready to land, the Ottoman forces had prepared their defences with the Fifth Army occupying the peninsula and the Asian shore of the straits. The German commander, General Otto Liman von Sanders made no attempt to defend the beaches strongly. He used two regiments of the Ottoman 9th Division to guard the likely landing sites along the Aegean shore of the peninsula from Helles to north of Suvla. He kept his remaining forces in reserve, ready to move quickly to wherever the landing was made.

Consequently, only two battalions were between Achi Baba and Cape Helles. At the foot of the peninsula where the landings were made, there were only companies or platoons guarding the beaches.