Krithia: The Forgotten Anzac Battle of Gallipoli

by Mat McLachlan, Michael Carman (narrator), Hachette Australia (publisher)

The Second Battle of Krithia has existed largely in the shadows of the bigger Gallipoli story. It is, however, one of the most poignant and tragic tales of World War I. The fascinating story has been brought to light at last by bestselling military historian Mat McLachlan, author of The Cowra Breakout .

In May 1915 during World War I, British units tried to capture the village of Krithia on the southern tip of the Gallipoli peninsula. Australian and New Zealand units were sent to reinforce the British. On 8 May, the Anzac troops took part in a bloody battle near Krithia. Advancing across a featureless plain in broad daylight, with no idea where the Turkish defenders were, the Anzacs came under a hail of machine-gun and rifle fire. The Australians managed to advance, but got nowhere near the village and dug in well short of their objective. The New Zealanders on their left fared no better. By the end of the day, over 1800 Anzac troops had been killed or wounded.

Supported by first-hand accounts and oral history, Krithia features the stories of a number of Australians, New Zealanders and Turks - some who survived, some who didn't. The battle of Krithia is a tale of bravery and sacrifice, and a vivid portrait of men doing their best under hellish conditions. It's a great Australian story that hasn't been told - until now.

Audible Audio

Published July 31, 2024

Reviews

[Diane Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched and well written account of a battle I knew little about. Anzac Cove is entrenched in our Psyche here in Australia, as is the battle that took place on the Western Front, but the battle that took place at Cape Helles on the southern tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula is equally horrifying. Glad I read it and gave thought to all those courageous soldiers.

[Peter S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read a variety of accounts of the Gallipoli peninsula campaign, I found this book refreshing as it included the Turkish side of the campaign as well as the Allies. How the Turks were able to defend their territory with inferior numbers at the beginning of the campaign and how Allied opportunities were squandered at the same time. Well told with individual accounts well placed in the overall dialogue of the book.
Easily readable with a dry sense of humour at times covering the blunders that were made with little to no prior intelligence in forming decision making by the Allies. Little is covered in Australian history of the Helles campaign by the British and French 20 KM from Gallipoli. This book will enlighten those who thought the Anzac casualty rate high, but it paled in comparison to the British and French casualties at Helles.