25 April 1915, morning
Anzac Cove: the 57th Regiment
At 8.00 Mustafa Kemal, whose 19th Division is the corps reserve, is ordered to send one battalion against the landing. He decides instead to go himself with the whole 57th Regiment and a battery of guns towards Chunuk Bair, which he sees as the key to the heights. At about 10.00 he reaches Scrubby Knoll (later Kemalyeri), turns back retreating troops and puts them into a defensive position.
Mustafa Kemal on the Gallipoli front, 1915Wikimedia Commons, unknown author, Public domain (Mustafa Kemal in Gallipoli.jpg)
From the knoll Mustafa Kemal places the battery and gives the 57th its orders. The 1st Battalion is to attack Baby 700 and Mortar Ridge from the north east, while the 2nd Battalion circles round to attack Baby 700 from the west. The 3rd Battalion stays in reserve. At 10.30 he reports to the corps that he is attacking.
Sources
- C. E. W. Bean, The Story of Anzac, volume 1 (1921).
- Andrew Mango, Atatürk (1999).
Prev: Anzac Cove: the landing at dawnNext: Anzac Cove: the counterattack