By far the biggest loser in terms of men who died was the Ottoman Empire. 86,692 of their men died defending Gallipoli. All these men didn't die in the battles during the campaign. Unfortunately, Gallipoli was a dangerous place to be even when there wasn't fighting.
Robin Prior, in his book Gallipoli: the End of the Myth (UNSW Press, 2009), quotes the British Official History figure of 7,825 killed. British casualties were around 120,000. The French incurred 27,000 casualties and a Turkish figure, while uncertain, is thought to be over 220,000.
Some 8,700 Australians lost their lives and some 18,000 were wounded during the campaign. The most successful operation of the campaign was the evacuation which ended on 19–20 December 1915, conducted under a well-planned deception operation.
Over 50,000 Australians served on Gallipoli during the eight month campaign and over 8,700 lost their lives, while some 18,000 were wounded. The evacuation, which was completed over 19–20 December 1915, was considered a success, with very few men becoming casualties.
The Turkish defenders were victorious. After an eight-month-long campaign British Empire and French forces withdrew, having suffered 44,000 deaths. At least 85,000 Turkish soldiers died in the campaign. Consequently, Gallipoli is of profound importance to the national identity of both Australia and Turkey.
Over 5,500 Australians became casualties. Almost 2,000 of them were killed in action or died of wounds and some 400 were captured. This is believed to be the greatest loss by a single division in 24 hours during the entire First World War. Some consider Fromelles the most tragic event in Australia's history.
The reason is unclear and has been much debated over the years. Most likely, the naval ratings taking the troops ashore were disorientated and simply veered left. The mistake was probably fortunate. Had they landed on the 'correct' beach near Gaba Tepe, there would have been much higher casualty rates.
Over 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in World War I (1914-1918) and around 70 fought at Gallipoli.
"That is, the Turks knew there was an evacuation being prepared but they didn't know exactly when and they didn't know where [the troops] were going.
6. Gallipoli almost derailed Winston Churchill's career. As Britain's powerful First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill masterminded the Gallipoli campaign and served as its chief public advocate. It was no surprise then that he ultimately took much of the blame for its failure.
heavy fire still met the Australians appearing over the rim of the plateau, and was sufficient to force the first men to take what cover they could on the seaward edge - Captain Annear was hit through the head and lay there, the first Australian officer to be killed.
The whole Gallipoli operation, however, cost 26,111 Australian casualties, including 8,141 deaths.
The Gallipoli Campaign
In the nine months of this bitterly fought campaign more than 36,000 Commonwealth servicemen died. The 31 war cemeteries on the Peninsula contain 22,000 graves but it was possible to identify only 9,000 of these.
At the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli and the events that followed had a profound impact on Australians at home.
8700 Australian soldiers died alongside 2779 New Zealanders. Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left their nations a powerful legacy.
Although in the end, they'd be on the losing side of World War I. But despite that, the battle at Gallipoli was considered one of their greatest victories. And it helped build a sense of pride and identity among the Turkish people.
According to Charles Bean's Official History, Fred Pollack was the last Australian off Gallipoli and only narrowly escaped being left behind. Noted Bean: “He had obtained permission for special reasons to have a rest in his dugout, having previously arranged with his mates to call him before they left.
At the other end of the campaign, however, there is no dispute about who was the last allied soldier to leave the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was Joe Maude, the Sandhurst nickname of, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude.
In the trenches Indigenous Australians were considered and treated equal but when they returned home, things went back to the way they were before the war. The men were no longer equal to non-indigenous soldiers who they fought side by side with.
It had a combat role at Gallipoli before being re-formed as a Pioneer Battalion to serve on the Western Front. By the end of the war, 2227 Māori and 458 Pacific Islanders had served in what became known as the Maori (Pioneer) Battalion. Of these, 336 died on active service and 734 were wounded.
First World War
Most Indigenous Australians could not vote and none were counted in the census. But once in the AIF, they were treated as equals. They were paid the same as other soldiers and generally accepted without prejudice.
World War II was the most destructive war in history. Estimates of those killed vary from 35 million to 60 million. The total for Europe alone was 15 million to 20 million—more than twice as many as in World War I.
On 25 April 1915, 16,000 Australians and New Zealanders, together with British, French and Indian troops, landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The invasion was part of a campaign to: capture the peninsula and help naval operations in the Dardanelles straits.
Historian Professor Robin Prior says Gallipoli could never have worked. Winston Churchill's vision of knocking Turkey out of the war to open a fresh front against Germany's junior partner Austria-Hungary, was simply ludicrous.