Battle for Height 60 (Gallipoli)

Battle for height 60

Part of: Battle of Gallipoli

Map of the Dardanelles

date	August 21st bis 29. August 1915
place	Gallipoli , Ottoman Empire
output	Turkish victory

Parties to the conflict
Australia New Zealand British India United Kingdom	Ottoman Empire
Commander
William Birdwood	Mustafa Kemal
Troop strength
5,000	Unknown
losses
2,500	Unknown

The Battle of Height 60 was the last major British attack at the Battle of Gallipoli . It began on August 21, 1915, at the same time as the attack on Scimitar Hill , carried out from the Suvla Front by General Frederick Stopfords IX. Corps was attacked.

Altitude 60, in Turkish Kayacık Ağılı or Bomba Tepe , is a small, 60-meter-high hilltop at the northern end of the Sari-Bair ridge that dominates the area of ​​the landing zone near Suvla. The capture of these two heights, Height 60 and Scimitar Hill , would have enabled the troops in Anzac Bay and Suvla to join forces.

The location

The aim of the Battle of Sarı Bayır , which began on the night of August 6, was Altitude 971 and Chunuk Bair. This peak was actually conquered by the New Zealand infantry, but had to be abandoned after a successful Turkish counterattack. The attack at Height 971 never took place because the attackers had lost their way and could be held down by the Turkish defenders.

After the bigger battles were lost, British commanders focused on consolidating their meager successes. With Elevation 971 now out of range, Elevation 60 appeared as an achievable destination instead. Most of the attackers were members of General John Monash's 4th Australian Infantry Brigade , which spearheaded the attack at Level 971 and had now taken up positions in a gully leading to Level 60, now known as the Australia Valley . Also involved were the remnants of the 29th Indian Brigade, two regiments of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and three British New Army battalions. All units fought well below their normal manpower; many soldiers suffered from dysentery .

The battle

On the afternoon of August 21, the Australian 13th and 14th Battalions launched the first attack. Without effective artillery support, under enemy fire from Height 60 and the neighboring Height 100, the infantry was decimated. The dry undergrowth caught fire and burned many of the wounded soldiers lying there. By nightfall the Indian brigade had managed to cling to the base of the hill.

On August 22nd, the attackers were reinforced by the Australian 18th Battalion, which was part of the newly arrived 2nd Australian Division. In contrast to the 'long-serving' troops, the men were fresh and rested, but inexperienced and poorly equipped - even by Gallipoli standards. They carried out an attack with bayonets attached and lost 383 men.

On August 27, the attack resumed and the Allies also managed to work their way up the embankment, but the summit was still in Turkish hands. To reinforce the attackers, the Australians of the 3rd light cavalry brigade, who had already fought at the Nek, were thrown into battle. On August 28, they managed to capture some Turkish trenches on the summit, but the Turks were able to hold onto the important north side that ruled Suvla.

The attacks and counter-attacks continued until August 29, when the offensive was finally canceled.

aftermath

In the last legs of the battle at Height 60, Lieutenant Hugo Throssell acquired the Victoria Cross from the Australian 10th Light Horse Regiment .

Allied casualties during the eight days of fighting amounted to 2,500 men. The Australian 18th Battalion had been reduced to a third of its original strength in less than two weeks on its first deployment.

literature

• Charles Edwin Woodrow Bean : Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918 . The Story of ANZAC from May 4, 1915, to the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula . 11th ed. . Volume II , 1941 (English, online [accessed June 4, 2018]).

Web links

• Brad Manera: Hill 60 - the last battle: 29 August 1915 , Australian War Memorial (Engl.)
• Fight for height 60 to firstworldwar.com (Engl.)