Chunuk Bair

Chunuk Bair is an unusual place. It is where the nz forces held the high point with great loss of life for a short time. Just down
N the hill at the nek, the Australians fought the Turks on the 6th August while the NZ forces claimed Chunuk Bair on the 8th. Both had huge losses, as did the Turks.  The nek battle was a straight out massacre of the Australians, possibly the bloodiest of the campaign.  The battle of Chunuk Bair would have been equally nasty if orders  from Winston Churchill had been followed, to advance in daylight. INSTEAD They advanced at night and took the hill at Chunuk Bair,  but only 70 out of 700 remained. Lord Kitchener refused to send back up, even though this was the most important site on the peninsula strategically,  and the NZ

forces had to withdraw. There are memorials to NZ there and one to Atuturk,  as he was in charge of the Turks who took Chunuk Bair from the N Z forces. This is where the Gallipoli campaign was lost. Sir Anand Satyanand (former NZ governor general) gave us a speech about what happened at Chunuk Bair,  and how Lieutenant Malone defied the British orders and refused to have certain slaughter for his troops. Heven named it as the day N Z stood up for itself as a nation.

The memorial at Chunuk Bair.

The wall of honor

the trenches of Chunuk Bair. 

Often they fought only meters apart.

I was surprised to see the lines were often only 2 or 3 meters apart.

More plaques at Chunuk Bair. 

And still more. Many of the Graves are unknown,  very few are identified.

Chunuk Bair,  the high point on the peninsula,  looking out to the Dardenelles through the trees.

The signs for this site

The huge military presence.