ANZAC, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, was a combined force of Australian and New Zealand volunteer soldiers. The corps was formed in Egypt during World War I (1914-1918). This force of about 30,000 men took part, with other Allied forces, in a landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 1915. During the eight months that followed, the Australian and New Zealand soldiers gained a reputation for bravery and skill fighting on the peninsula against forces of the Ottoman Empire.
An appeal by the Russian government prompted the decision to attack the Dardanelles. Russian troops were being hard pressed in the Caucasus. They hoped that a British attack might cause the Ottomans to withdraw. After a naval attack on the Dardanelles failed, the United Kingdom decided to try to seize the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The Gallipoli landing was at the time the largest military landing in history. The initial landing force of about 75,000 troops consisted mainly of British and ANZAC forces. Several thousand French troops also joined the invasion force, as did soldiers from India.
The main Allied force landed at the tip of the peninsula. The ANZAC troops landed at Gaba Tepe, more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) farther north, in an area later called Anzac Cove. On the first day, 16,000 ANZAC troops went ashore, the majority of them going into battle for the first time.
The Allied forces—especially the ANZAC soldiers—suffered severe casualties during the landings. Allied naval attacks in the area had alerted the Ottomans, who had strengthened their military defenses on the peninsula. The ANZAC forces were never able to penetrate far inland.
The geography of the region and the limited size of forces available prevented the Allied troops from advancing beyond the narrow positions they commanded. They had suffered heavy losses of men, and the Allied high command, in December 1915, ordered a withdrawal from the Gallipoli Peninsula. The campaign had failed.
More than 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed in action during the Gallipoli campaign. More than 19,000 Australian soldiers were wounded. More than 2,700 New Zealanders were killed, and more than 4,700 were wounded.
