WHAT WENT WRONG
AND WHY?
As a result of missing the intended landing spot, the Anzacs faced steep and rugged terrain when they arrived at Gallipoli. It also took longer than expected for several of the boats carrying men to make it ashore. Some got lost. Many were wounded or killed straight away.
On the first day, 152 New Zealanders died. An evacuation was recommended.
But the British commanders were determined to dig in, consolidate the ground they had made and push forward over the peninsula. The New Zealanders were heavily involved in two assaults on Ottoman positions on May 2 and 8, which both led to heavy casualties for little or no gain.
Fighting on the peninsula soon degenerated into the stalemate of trench warfare. Conditions were extremely difficult in the tiny Anzac perimeter, and as the campaign dragged on, many troops started to suffer from dysentery and disease as a result of the poor diet and inadequate sanitation.
They were being sent to chaos and slaughter, nay murder.
Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone,
whose diary entries showed growing disenchantment with his
superiors and the conduct of the campaign.