Turkish Forces for the Defence of Gallipoli
See also: Gallipoli; Monash's account of the evacuation of Gallipoli; WW1 - Gallipoli; Images of WW1
  • 5th Turkish Army - Special force for defence of Dardanelles formed 24th March 1915.
  • Commander Liman von Sanders
  • Chief of Staff (a very competent Turkish Officer) LTCOL Kiazim Bey.
  • Composition of 5th Army:
    a. III Army Corps (on the Peninsula)
    b. XV Army Corps (on the mainland south of the Peninsula)
    c. 5th Division and an Independent Cavalry Brigade on the mainland north of the peninsula
    - total strength (Bean) 62077

    Pic: Australian War Memorial
    Gallipoli, Turkey. 1915. A group of wounded Turkish prisoners of war sits quietly in a heavily sandbagged Australian trench at Anzac Cove.
    See the Image Library
  • III Corps structure: (Commander Essad Pasha – oldest Turkish General on active service – also very experienced and battle wise.)
    a. 7th Division –
        19th Regiment
        20th Regiment
        21st Regiment*
    (*note – a Turkish Regiment of 3 Battalions was equivalent to a weak British Infantry brigade.)
    b. 9th Division –
        25th Regiment
        26th Regiment
        27th Regiment
        Broussa Field Battalion of Gendarmerie
    c. 19th Division –
        57th Regiment
        72nd Regiment
        77th regiment
  • III Corps deployment:

    a. 7th Division – Bulair Lines and adjacent coastline.
    b. 9th Division – The remaining coastline on the Peninsula itself.
    c. 19th Division – Corps Reserve – concentrated near Maidos.
  • 9th Division deployment based around several defence zones, built around anticipated landing sites. These were:

    a. Gaba Tepe Zone (from Aghyl Dere 4 miles north of Gaba Tepe to the mouth of the Asmak Dere half mile south of Gaba Tepe)
    b. Kum Tepe Zone (south of Asmak Dere to the beginning of the cliff line.)
    c. Sedd-el-Bahr Zone. (from the cliff line slightly north of Krithia south around the coast to Morto Bay and Domuz Dere inside the Straits).
    d. The coast north of Gaba Tepe was outside this structure but was guarded by the Broussa Field Battalion of the Gendarmerie (rated by Bean as excellent soldiers.
  • 9th Division deployments:

    a. Gaba Tepe Zone: 27th Regiment
    - 1 Battalion in trenches around Gaba Tepe with posts along the coast;
    - 2 Battalions in reserve in camps behind Maidos.
    b. Kum Tepe Zone 25th Regiment and Sedd-el-Bahr Zone:
    - 1 Battalion entrenched in Kum Tepe Zone
    - 2 Battalions in Sedd-el Bahr. (In the Sedd-el-Bahr Zone a line of four strong points, entrenched and surrounded by barbed wire entanglements was constructed. A Company was put into each as it was finished.)
    c. Divisional Reserve: 26th Regiment, on the Kilid Bahr Plateau, enabling it to be quickly rushed to anywhere in the Division’s zone.
  • Turkish defences at ANZAC:

    a. Gaba Tepe was the key; surrounded by trenches and barbed wire (even some old earth works dating back to the Balkan Wars.)
    b. The beach north of Gaba Tepe covered by more earth works and a line of gun pits.
    c. Further north, scattered outpost positions and gun pits.
    d. Four large gun emplacements one and a half kilometres south west of Gaba Tepe (later known to the ANZACs as “The Olive Grove” were zero’d onto the beach in front of Gaba Tepe.


NOTE: Despite myths to the contrary, the Allies had accurately surveyed the Turkish defences, including by aerial reconnaissance. They possessed reasonably accurate maps, based on details provided by individuals who had toured the Peninsula pre-war, from observations from the sea and from aircraft.
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© 2004 Dept of Defence