Page 332 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

332 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

Turkish joint operation
in Channakkale (Gallipoli) battles

Esat ARSLAn 1

1. Dardanelles and Turkish Straits
orthwestern Turkey is divided by a complex waterway that connects the Black
N Sea to the Sea of Marmora and the Aegean Sea. The channel passing between the
Black Sea and the Sea of Marmora is named the Istanbul Bogazi, more commonly called
the Bosporus. Istanbul is positioned at the south end of the Bosporus. The Sea of Mar-
mora is connected to the Aegean Sea by a channel called the Channakkale Bogazi, also
known as the Dardanelles. The Turkish Straits, comprising the Strait of Channakkale,
the Strait of Istanbul and the Sea of Marmora are unique in many respects throughout
our globe. Dardanelles strait is one of the Turkish straits. The very narrow and winding
shape of the strait is more a kin to that of the river. It is an established fact that the Turk-
ish Straits are one of the most hazardous, crowded, difficult and potentially dangerous,
waterways in the world for marines. All the dangers and obstacles characteristic of nar-
row waterways are present and acute in this critical sea lane. A very sharp course altera-
tion is needed at the narrowest point. (More than 90 degrees) The length of the strait of
the Channakkale is about 37.8 nautical miles with a general width ranging 0.7 nautical
miles to 1.08 nautical miles.
• The distance between northern and southern mouths of the Straits is about 65 km and
its length with all its zigzags in the European part is 7 km and 94 km in the Asian part.
• The width of the straits at its northern mouth is 3,2 km, 1,9 km off the Nora Cape,
1,22 km between Channakkale and Kilitbahir. 7,5 km between Erenköy Bay and
Tengerdere, and 3,6 km at its southern mouth.

2. Conceptual framework and initials
It was broken grounds during Dardanelles War. Within this framework, it was the
first major amphibious operation in modern warfare, using such novelties as
- aircraft (and an aircraft carrier),
- aerial reconnaissance and photography,
- steel landing craft,
- radio communications,
- artificial harbors, and submarines.
Yet, following the Great War, many western war Annalists and theorists believed that
the Allied experience at Gallipoli had demonstrated the folly of amphibious operations
in the face of “modern” weapons.

1 Cag University, International Relations Department , Yenice-Mersin / Turkia; e-post esat@cag.edu.tr