Turkish National Defense Ministry marks 109th anniversary of Canakkale victory

By Oguzhan Sari

ANKARA (AA) — Türkiye's National Defense Ministry on Monday released a message to observe the Canakkale Victory and Martyrs' Day, which marks the anniversary of a key 1915 victory during World War I.

"On the March 18 Martyrs' Remembrance Day and 109th anniversary of the #ÇanakkaleVictory, we wish Allah's mercy on our glorious forefathers, who, especially our Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, made Canakkale impassable and gave us this paradise homeland by watering every inch of the land with their blood, and we remember them with respect and gratitude," the ministry said in a post on X.

- Gallipoli campaign

Tens of thousands of soldiers died in one of the world's most ferocious battles 109 years ago in the Gallipoli campaign in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

The battle took place between April 25, 1915, and Jan. 9, 1916.

Britain and France wanted to secure a sea route through the Canakkale Strait to what was then the Russian Empire, their ally.

Their aim was also to capture the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul.

The Turks repelled a naval attack, with many casualties on both sides during the eight-month Allied offensive.

When a subsequent land campaign also failed, the invading forces withdrew.

Victory against the Allied forces boosted the morale of the Turkish side, which then went on to wage a War of Independence in 1919-1922, and eventually formed the Republic of Türkiye in 1923 from the ashes of the old empire.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel