25 April in military history: Gallipoli landings, 1915

Quick answer

On 25 April 1915 British, Australian, New Zealand and French troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in Ottoman Turkey, at Cape Helles and at what became Anzac Cove. They got ashore at heavy cost but never broke through, and the date is Anzac Day. On 25 April 1945 American and Soviet troops met on the Elbe.

Dig, dig, dig

By the evening the Anzac commanders feared a disaster, and re-embarkation was suggested. Hamilton refused: "there is nothing for it but to dig yourselves right in and stick it out". In a postscript he added: "now you have only to dig, dig, dig, until you are safe". The men stayed.¹

Contact on the Elbe, 1945

On 25 April 1945 patrols of the US 69th Infantry Division met the Red Army on the Elbe. At about 11.30 a patrol under Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue came upon Soviet troops at Leckwitz and then crossed the river by boat near Strehla.²

At Torgau, Second Lieutenant William Robertson made an American flag from a bed sheet and paint from a pharmacy, showed it from the castle tower and climbed across the wrecked Elbe bridge to meet Soviet soldiers at about 4 p.m.. Formal meetings of the American and Soviet commanders followed at Torgau. On 27 April the Allied governments announced the link-up; "The enemy has been cut in two," President Truman's statement said.³

Battle of Almansa, 1707: the day Spain chose its Bourbon king

25 April 1707 · 319 years ago

At Almansa, the Bourbon army of Philip V under the Duke of Berwick met the allied army of the Earl of Galway in the War of the Spanish Succession. The decisive Bourbon win regained most of eastern Spain, and an Englishman led the French and a Frenchman the English.

Read the full story of Battle of Almansa, 1707: the day Spain chose its Bourbon king ›

The Gallipoli Campaign

25 April 1915 (the landings) · 111 years ago

The idea was seductive on paper. By 1915 the Western Front had frozen into trenches, and the Allies looked for a way around the stalemate.

Read the full story of The Gallipoli Campaign ›

Frequently asked questions

What happened at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915?

Allied troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula: the British 29th Division on five beaches at Cape Helles, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps north of Gaba Tepe at what became Anzac Cove, and a French regiment at Kum Kale on the Asian shore as a diversion. They got ashore at a heavy cost but could not break through.

Why did the Anzacs land in the wrong place?

They landed in darkness, and the boats came in a mile or more north of the intended beach and became mixed up. Instead of open ground the men faced steep cliffs, ravines and scrub.

What were the six VCs before breakfast?

The six Victoria Crosses won by the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, at W Beach on 25 April 1915. The National Army Museum uses the phrase.

Why is 25 April Anzac Day?

It is the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. The first Anzac Day was held in 1916, with services across Australia and a march of more than 2,000 troops through London; by 1927 every Australian state kept it as a public holiday.

Where did American and Soviet troops first meet on the Elbe?

At Leckwitz, near Strehla, at about 11.30 on 25 April 1945, when Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue's patrol met Soviet troops. Lieutenant William Robertson's meeting at Torgau followed at about 4 p.m., and the formal meetings were held there.

Sources

C. E. W. Bean, The Story of Anzac, vol. I, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1921, 11th edition 1941 via the Australian War Memorial: “Preface to the third edition”, p. xi; “The Landing at Gaba Tepe”, pp. 252-253; “Mustafa Kemal’s Counter-Attack and the First Night”, pp. 458-461 and 477; “The Relief by the Marines”, p. 536

Fred Waite, “The New Zealanders at Gallipoli”, Official History of New Zealand's Effort in the Great War, vol. I, 2nd edition, Auckland: Whitcombe and Tombs, 1921, pp. 78 and 86, via Internet Archive

Australian War Memorial, “Dawn of the Legend” exhibition: “The landing”, “A hard and bloody day”, “The casualties debacle”, “The British landings”, “The Turkish legend”; “Gallipoli” and “The Anzac Day Tradition”

C. F. Aspinall-Oglander, “Military Operations: Gallipoli, vol. I”, Inception of the Campaign to May 1915, History of the Great War based on Official Documents, London: William Heinemann, 1929, pp. 98, 158, 174, 185-186, 198, 227, 232, 238, 263 and 269-270, via Internet Archive (Digital Library of India)

Charles B. MacDonald, “The Last Offensive”, United States Army in World War II, Washington: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1973, ch. XIX, pp. 450-456, CMH Pub 7-9-1 as digitized by the US Army Center of Military History, via Internet Archive

Stiftung Sächsische Gedenkstätten, Erinnerungsort Torgau, “Defeat and liberation - the meeting on the Elbe”; Stadt Torgau and Stiftung Sächsische Gedenkstätten, “Elbe Day 1945-2020”, 2020, pp. 14-16 (in German)

Harry S. Truman, “Statement by the President Announcing the Junction of Anglo-American and Soviet Forces in Germany”, 27 April 1945, The American Presidency Project