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Chapter Twelve - The TurksTarih
As the days and weeks wore on, respect between the Turks and the Anzacs for each others' bravery and tenacity grew. Small but significant events illustrated the changes in the soldiers' attitudes. Some Turkish defenders around Quinn's Post tasted chocolate for the first time when Anzacs threw some of their rations instead of grenades. The Turks reciprocated with tomatoes and apples. One day a white handkerchief tied to a bayonet appeared in the Turkish lines. A small boy dashed out unhindered and ran to the Anzac trenches, dropped some bags and ran back. When the Anzacs opened the bags, they found fine-cut tobacco with a note saying, 'I tobacco ... you papier every day, every day.' The Anzacs responded in kind. They scrounged all the paper they could - old letters, newspapers, some 'rollies' (cigarette papers) - and tossed them over. For a brief moment amid the bloodshed, there was an unofficial ceasefire as both sides contentedly puffed away.
Chapter Twelve - The TurksTarih
Turkey was a secular country but the soldiers' underlying religious beliefs were Islamic. They believed that the spirit of any Turkish soldier killed on a battle ground would go directly to paradise as a martyr.
The dead of both sides were horribly mixed as we tried to sort them out for a decent burial. The old bloke [a Turkish soldier] was near me when he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one, and before I realised what I was doing, I was beside him and lightning my fag off his match. Then a funny feeling came over me. This is the enemy; in a couple of short hours I'll be doing my best to kill this old bugger and he'll be doing his best to kill me."
The Allied commanders were now in a quandary: they couldn't crush the Turkish guns unless they came in close eneough to bring their massive firepower to bear, but they couldn't be sure that the mines had been cleared so that it was safe for them to venture in that close.
Following a last-minute change in command after Admiral Carden suffered a breakdown, Rear-Admiral John de Robeck led the Allied fleet - 18 battleships in all, including four French ships - back to attack the Turks on 18 March.
After some early successes against the shores batteries, the atackers' worst fears became reality. The Turks had secretly laid a line of mines parallel to the Asian shoreline a week before the attack. (The minelayer responsible, Nusrat, is today proudly on display at Canakkale's military museum, along with examples of the mines that turned the course of the campaign.)
Just when de Robeck may have entertained thoughts of victory, the ageing French cruiser Bouvet struck one of the Nusrat's mines while reversing and sank, losing almost all her crew.
In quick succession, the British warships, Irresistible and Ocean, also struck mines and were both disabled and eventually sunk. Many other ships were hit by the relentless Turkish artillery. In total, one third of the fleet was sunk or disabled on that day.
Sensibly, de Robeck pulled back and licked his wounds. 18 March 1915 is a revered national day of remembrance in Turkey - it was the day their brave gunners sent the British fleet packing.
Some historian argue that had de Robeck returned to the fight immediately he might have ultimately prevailed. Some go further and claim that the Turkish commanders thought the British would return and had given their men orders to fire off their remaining ammunition and withdraw
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