Chapter 60 – Hamid

Accounts of the Turkish offensive of 19 May 1915 are included in most descriptions of the Gallipoli campaign, as this disastrous attack was the single most costly event for the Turks. A detailed account from the Turkish perspective is provided by Harvey Broadbent in Gallipoli – The Turkish Defence , pp. 172-197. A table is provided on p. 194 stating that over 3,000 Turks were killed and over 6,000 wounded in this attack. In contrast, the allies lost 160 dead and 468 wounded.

Charles Bean describes the hours leading up to the Turkish offensive of the early hours 19 May in Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol II, p. 139-140. Bean states that at 11:35 pm on 18 May the moon went down. Ten minutes later Turkish rifle fire erupted and lasted until 12:10 am. The cause was unknown, but may have been an attempt to throw wire out from Quinn’s Post in anticipation of the charge from close enemy trenches. Then, “except for some uneasiness at Quinn’s, where bombs were being thrown as usual, the night again became tranquil.” Sleeping men were awakened just before 3:00am and lined up with bayonets fixed, in anticipation of the coming Turkish attack. Despite the moon having set, Bean states that “The sky was, for that hour, exceptionally clear, and the pale light could be seen reflected from sheaves of long thin Turkish bayonets.”

Harvey Broadbent describes role of the 57th Regiment in the Turkish offensive of 19 May in Gallipoli-The Turkish Defence, p. 187.  The 57th Regiment was positioned at the left flank of the 19th Division, “near Bombasirti (Quinn’s Post)” and was to charge towards the enemy front line on the second ridge and push the enemy down into Korkudere [translates to ‘Gully of Fear’] (Monash Valley). The 57th Regiment attacked just after 03:30, after the attack had started to its left. The 64th Regiment, to the right of the 57th Regiment (part of the same 19th Division) was blocked at Popes. This implies that at least some of the 57th Regiment attacked at a location between Pope’s and Quinn’s, in areas known by the Anzacs as “Dead Man’s Hill” and “The Bloody Angle.”

Map 6 (opp. p.150) in Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol II by Charles Bean shows Anzac battalion positions and Turkish divisional boundaries at the time of the 19 May Turkish offensive. This map shows the left flank of the 19th Division (ie 57th Regiment) to be just north of Quinn’s Post. It also shows the approximately the foremost positions reached by the Turks during the attack. Much of the information on this map is also shown by Harvey Broadbent in a map on p.196 Gallipoli-The Turkish Defence.

Harvey Broadbent describes some of the reserves sent to Gallipoli Peninsula by the Minister for War Enver in Gallipoli – The Turkish Defence. P. 174: Enver sent 15th Division on 28th April 1915 and the 12th Division on 7 May, even before his visit to Gallipoli on 10 May. On 11 May, the 2nd Division, a well trained Ottoman Army I Corps prime division boarded ferries in Istanbul. P. 183: The 2nd Division, containing 10,946 men, was ordered forward at Lone Pine after nightfall on 19 May. They were crammed into 600m of frontline trench, and overflowed into other areas.

The diary of Ottoman Lieutenant Mehmet Fasih (acting commander of 7th Company, 47th Regiment, 16th division – p. 145) is translated Lone Pine (Bloody Ridge) Diary . Fasih records (p. 46) how a private accused of having fired his rifle at the index finger of his own right hand was sentenced to death. The onus was on the accused man to prove his innocence.

The Turkish attacking war-cry of repeated shouts of “Allah!” is mentioned in a number of references, including Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol II by Charles Bean (p. 141); Gallipoli – The Turkish Defence (p. 190) by Harvey Broadbent; and Gallipoli – The Turkish Story by Fewster, et al (p. 81).

Haluk Oral in Gallipoli 1915 – Through Turkish Eyes , states that the Turks used to attack crying “Allah, Allah” or “Strike, Strike”.

The word “Allah” is often left untranslated to create a distinction between the Muslim God and Christian God. However, the word “Allah” translates to English simply as “God”.