the 29th division
The Battle of Gully Ravine
By June 1915 all thoughts the Allies had of a swift decisive victory over Turkey had vanished. The preceding Third Battle of Krithia and the attack at Gully Ravine had limited objectives and had much in common with the trench warfare prevailing on the Western Front. Unlike previous Allied attacks at Helles, the Gully Ravine action was largely successful at achieving its objectives though at a typically high cost in casualties.
Prelude
The Third Battle of krithia on the 4th June had made some progress in the centre of the line at Helles but had failed on the left flank ( west ) along Gully Spur and Gully Ravine and on the right flank ( east ) where the French contingent were confronted by a number of strong Turkish redoubts on Kereves Spur. As a prelude to a new offensive the Hunter-Weston ordered separate limited attacks to advance the flanks. On the 21st June the French, with overwhelming artillery support, attacked two redoubts controlling the crest of Kereves Spur. Over 40,000 shells fell on the Turkish 2nd Division defending this area.
The French succeeded in capturing Haricot Redoubt but the second objective, the Quadrilateral, was not captured until 30th June. The French suffered 2,500 casualties, but the Turks on th receiving end of the bombardment suffered 6,000. Remnants of the Turkish 2nd Division were pulled back to the Asian side after the battle. This minor gain was cause for much celebration for the Allies who were at that point very anxious for any good news.
On the 28th June a similar attack was planned for the left flank along Gully Spur, Gully Ravine and neighbouring Fir Tree Spur. The terrain around Gully Ravine was closer to the wild and rough terrain at Anzac Cove than to the ground elsewhere at Helles. The plan was for the British 29th Division and the 29th Indian Brigade to attack along Gully Spur and the ravine while one newly arrived brigade on load to the 29th Division, the 156th Brigade from the British 52nd ( Lowland Division ), would attack along Fir Tree Spur.
After two days of heavy bombardment, battle began at 10.45am on the 28th June with a preliminary raid to capture the Boomerang redoubt on Gully Spur. The General advance commenced shortly afterwards. The artillery fire on Gully Spur was overwhelming and the 2/10th Battalion of the Gurkha Rifles and the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers advanced rapidly a distance of half a mile to a point named " Fusilier Bluff " which was to become the northern-most Allied position at Helles.
In the ravine the 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment did not advance as far as those troops on the spur since Turks there were somewhat sheltered from the deadly bombardment from the sea. Their final position was fortified with rocks and boulders and became known as ' The Border Barricade '
On the right of the advance, along Fir Tree Spur, the battle did not go so well for the British. The inexperienced soldiers of the 156th Brigade lacked artillery support and were massacred by the Turkish machine guns and bayonet attacks. Despite the opposition they were ordered to press the attack and so the support and reserve lines went sent forward but made no progress. By the time the attack was halted the Brigade was at half strength, having suffered 1,400 casualties of which 800 had been killed. It is at times like this that one wonders if madness was evident amongst the British ' Donkey ' Generals, but the slaughter would continue. Some battalions were so depleted they had to merge into composite formations. When the rest of the 52nd Division landed, the commander, Major General Granville Egerton, was enraged at the manner in which his 156th Brigade had been sacrificed.
On the 28th June a similar attack was planned for the left flank along Gully Spur, Gully Ravine and neighbouring Fir Tree Spur. The terrain around Gully Ravine was closer to the wild and rough terrain at Anzac Cove than to the ground elsewhere at Helles. The plan was for the British 29th Division and the 29th Indian Brigade to attack along Gully Spur and the ravine while one newly arrived brigade on load to the 29th Division, the 156th Brigade from the British 52nd ( Lowland Division ), would attack along Fir Tree Spur.
After two days of heavy bombardment, battle began at 10.45am on the 28th June with a preliminary raid to capture the Boomerang redoubt on Gully Spur. The General advance commenced shortly afterwards. The artillery fire on Gully Spur was overwhelming and the 2/10th Battalion of the Gurkha Rifles and the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers advanced rapidly a distance of half a mile to a point named " Fusilier Bluff " which was to become the northern-most Allied position at Helles.
In the ravine the 1st Battalion of the Border Regiment did not advance as far as those troops on the spur since Turks there were somewhat sheltered from the deadly bombardment from the sea. Their final position was fortified with rocks and boulders and became known as ' The Border Barricade '
On the right of the advance, along Fir Tree Spur, the battle did not go so well for the British. The inexperienced soldiers of the 156th Brigade lacked artillery support and were massacred by the Turkish machine guns and bayonet attacks. Despite the opposition they were ordered to press the attack and so the support and reserve lines went sent forward but made no progress. By the time the attack was halted the Brigade was at half strength, having suffered 1,400 casualties of which 800 had been killed. It is at times like this that one wonders if madness was evident amongst the British ' Donkey ' Generals, but the slaughter would continue. Some battalions were so depleted they had to merge into composite formations. When the rest of the 52nd Division landed, the commander, Major General Granville Egerton, was enraged at the manner in which his 156th Brigade had been sacrificed.
The Battle
The Counter Attacks
Turkish commanders were very concerned about this advance near the Western coast of Gallipoli which threatened to encircle their right wing. Gully Ravine became the scene of vicious and bloody fighting as the Turks commenced a series of counter-attacks on the night of 1/2 July. Two soldiers of the 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Captain Gerald O' Sullivan and Corporal James Somers, were awarded the Victoria Cross for recapturing a trench taken by the Turks during a counter-attack. ( The actions of these two men has been covered in a previous page )
The Turks with plentiful manpower in reserve but lacking any significant artillery and machine guns, made incessant and fanatical counter-attacks culminating with the strongest on the 5th July but all were repulsed. Still the control of the strategic hills overlooking Sigmdere and Kerevizdere were denied to the Allies by massive Turkish bayonet attacks. The Turkish casualties for the period between 28th June and 5th July are estimated at between 14,000 and 16,000, four times the British losses. Where possible the Turkish dead were burned but a truce to bury them was refused. The British believed the dead bodies were an effective barrier and that Turkish soldiers were unwilling to attack across them. This was one of the few truly unvalorous and unmagnanimous acts committed by the Allies which infuriated the Turks greatly.
In the face of immense losses, Faik Pasa had stopped first the counter-attack on the morning of the 30th June. In spite of strong and direct urging from Liman Pasa ( Otto Liman von Sanders ) and pressure to continue the counter-attack, he wanted to rest his badly decimated troops for a day. Hesitation of Faik Pasa unnerved Weber Pasa who was in command of the front there. He contemplated pulling back behind the ever strategic Alci Telpe as a last resort. This would have given over complete victory to the Allies. He had to be strongly dissuaded by Liman Pasa.
Finally the 1st Turkish Division led by Lieutenant Colonel ( Yarbay ) Cafer Tayyar Bey commenced another counter-attack at 18:00 hrs on the 2nd July. Again though they reached within 30 metres of the British trenches, the losses were unbearable. Men were literally being blown away in front of rows of machine guns.
The Turks with plentiful manpower in reserve but lacking any significant artillery and machine guns, made incessant and fanatical counter-attacks culminating with the strongest on the 5th July but all were repulsed. Still the control of the strategic hills overlooking Sigmdere and Kerevizdere were denied to the Allies by massive Turkish bayonet attacks. The Turkish casualties for the period between 28th June and 5th July are estimated at between 14,000 and 16,000, four times the British losses. Where possible the Turkish dead were burned but a truce to bury them was refused. The British believed the dead bodies were an effective barrier and that Turkish soldiers were unwilling to attack across them. This was one of the few truly unvalorous and unmagnanimous acts committed by the Allies which infuriated the Turks greatly.
In the face of immense losses, Faik Pasa had stopped first the counter-attack on the morning of the 30th June. In spite of strong and direct urging from Liman Pasa ( Otto Liman von Sanders ) and pressure to continue the counter-attack, he wanted to rest his badly decimated troops for a day. Hesitation of Faik Pasa unnerved Weber Pasa who was in command of the front there. He contemplated pulling back behind the ever strategic Alci Telpe as a last resort. This would have given over complete victory to the Allies. He had to be strongly dissuaded by Liman Pasa.
Finally the 1st Turkish Division led by Lieutenant Colonel ( Yarbay ) Cafer Tayyar Bey commenced another counter-attack at 18:00 hrs on the 2nd July. Again though they reached within 30 metres of the British trenches, the losses were unbearable. Men were literally being blown away in front of rows of machine guns.
