Sydney--The chaos and carnage of the bloody Gallipoli defeat helped to forge the identity of Australia and New Zealand as independent nations, with the exploits of those who fought and died still finding relevance 100 years on.
When more than 60,000 Australian and New Zealand troops joined an allied expeditionary landing on the peninsula in what is now Turkey a century ago this week, the objective was for a quick strike.
But the ill-fated plan to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders and 11,500 of them never returned.
The 1915 battle had a profound impact on those back home, culminating in Australia and New Zealand's most important national occasion on the anniversary of the landings on April 25 -- the Anzac Day public holiday.
Many view the bloodshed at Gallipoli as the foundation moment for both of the former British colonies, who were eager to establish their individual reputations.
It was the first time they had fought on such a scale as Australia and New Zealand, with Anzac troops hailed for their comradeship and courage.
"Yes it was, in a sense, the crucible in which our national identity was forged, but it left horrific scars," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in the lead-up to Anzac Day this year.
"Gallipoli was, obviously, in a critical sense our nation's baptism of fire and 8,000 Australians didn't come back."
Today the word Anzac is a national symbol and the legend of Gallipoli a cornerstone of modern Australia and New Zealand, with the values exhibited a century ago taking on a myth-like quality.
"The Anzac legend has changed with Australian society," said Joan Beaumont, from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University.
AFP
