Port in European Turkey, giving its name to the peninsula (ancient name
Chersonesus) on which it stands. In World War I, at the instigation of Winston Churchill, an unsuccessful attempt was made between February 1915 and January 1916 by Allied troops to force their way through the Dardanelles and link up with Russia. The campaign was fought mainly by Australian and New Zealand (
Anzac) forces, who suffered heavy losses. An estimated 36,000 Commonwealth troops died during the nine-month campaign.
© RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.