Gallipoli is the defining battlefield in Australian history and identity, yet the tale of the Second Battle of Krithia has existed largely in the shadows of the bigger Gallipoli story. It is, however, one of the most poignant and tragic tales of World War I, now brought to light by bestselling military historian Mat McLachlan.
In May 1915, British units were trying to capture the village of Krithia in the Helles Sector on the southern tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. On 6 May, Australian and New Zealand units were sent from the Anzac Sector to reinforce the British and, on 8 May, the Anzac troops took part in a bloody battle near Krithia. Advancing across a featureless plain in broad daylight, with no idea where the Turkish defenders were, the Anzacs came under a hail of machine-gun and rifle fire. Even though the Australians managed to advance, they got nowhere near the village and dug in well short of their objective. The New Zealanders on their left fared no better, and by the end of the day more than 1800 Anzac troops had been killed or wounded.
The story of this battle of Krithia is one of bravery and sacrifice, supported by lots of first-hand accounts and oral history. It features the stories of a number of Australians, New Zealanders and Turks, some who survived, some who didn't. The battle wasn't particularly strategically important, but that's the whole story of Gallipoli - a century later we don't remember grand victories or decisive battle strategy. We remember men doing their best under hellish conditions, small, private battles that were intensely personal to all who participated in them and blokes hanging on in situations when others wouldn't. It's a great Australian story that hasn't been told - until now.
