Battle of Gallipoli

The Allied powers attempted to seize the Dardanelles strait and capture Constantinople to knock the Ottoman Empire out of World War I. British, French, and ANZAC forces landed on the Gallipoli peninsula but were pinned down by fierce Ottoman resistance. Mustafa Kemal, later known as Ataturk, distinguished himself as a brilliant defensive commander. After eight months of brutal trench warfare and over 400,000 casualties on each side, the Allies evacuated in defeat. The campaign became a founding national myth for Australia, New Zealand, and modern Turkey.