Battle for Baby 700

At 19:15 as the bombardment lifted, the 16th Battalion climbed out of Monash Valley and as they cleared the ridge, came under heavy Turkish small arms fire, from The Nek and the Chessboard to their rear. Advancing a few yards, the battalion started digging in, extending the forward trench of Quinn's Post.^[21] Another section of the battalion occupied an abandoned Turkish trench five yards (4.6 m) from the opposite crest, and the rest of the battalion fought and extended their trenches through the night. However, supplying the forward troops was difficult during the night and impossible during daylight, with the Turkish machine-guns firing from their rear.^[22] At daylight the Australians charged another Turkish trench about eighty yards (73 m) away, but Turkish machine-guns on Baby 700 opened fire and forced them back. When the Turks started moving forwards towards the Australians trench around 05:00 a shell from an ANZAC battery landed behind them and part of the 16th Battalion withdrew back to their start position.^[23]

The 13th Battalion, in the centre, could only initially advance in single file due to the nature of the country. The head of the battalion led by its adjutant, Captain James Durrant, reached the slope of the Chessboard undetected. There, he stopped and counted 250 men, then ordered a right turn and advanced and captured a Turkish trench.^[24] Meanwhile, part of the remainder of the battalion continued towards the Chessboard. A guide left in the valley had been killed and one platoon, with no one to direct them, went to assist the 16th Battalion, who were calling for reinforcements. Another platoon missed the turning, continued up the valley and were never seen again. Durrant, waiting for the rest of the battalion, returned to the valley in time to direct the remainder along the correct route. The 13th Battalion was now in a position to continue the attack, but there was no sign of the New Zealanders.^[25] While they waited, they dug a trench system on Dead Man's Ridge. Their efforts during the night had cost two hundred men.^[26]

Elsewhere, the Otago Battalion located on Walker's Ridge, had to move down to the north beach then south into Monash Valley to get into position to start the attack, a distance of around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and it was not until 20:45 that they reached their start point.^[27] They climbed out of the valley to the left of Pope's Post, but by now the Turks were ready and opened fire on them. The New Zealanders made several attempts to move beyond the crest and eventually established a rough defence line at the foot of the Chessboard.^[28] There was, however, a gap between the New Zealanders and the 13th Battalion, which was filled at midnight by a company from the 15th Australian Battalion. But like the other assault battalions they were short of where they were supposed to be by now; The Nek, Baby 700 and the head of Monash Valley were still held by the Turks.^[26]

Godley believed the attacks had been partially successful and with a little extra effort they could achieve their objective. As a result, he instructed both brigade commanders to send more troops to support the attack.^[29] At 23:00, a company from the Canterbury Battalion left their trench on Walker's Ridge and headed towards The Nek. Encountering heavy fire from the Turkish positions they returned to their own trenches. In response, Colonel Francis Johnston, the brigade commander, ordered the whole Canterbury Battalion to try again, but the second attempt also failed. At 03:00, the battalion was ordered down into Monash Valley to help the Otago Battalion dig in and construct communications trenches; the leading troops reached them an hour later. They were directed to extend the left of the Otago Battalion's trench at the foot of the Chessboard.^[30] At daylight the Turks could be seen along the Otago trench and opened fire, forcing the battalion and the company from the 15th Battalion back into cover.^[31]

At 01:35, Godley assigned two Royal Marine Light Infantry battalions to Colonel John Monash as the 4th Australian Brigade reserve. But the battalions heading up Monash Valley, by now crowded with wounded, did not arrive until dawn.^[32] Shortly afterwards, part of the 16th Battalion came running back from the front line, and some of the Marines went with them. By the time order was restored, it was daylight, and the Marines went forward to support the remainder of the 16th Battalion. Caught in the open by Turkish machine-guns to their front and rear, they were forced back. Left on their own and exposed to Turkish fire, small groups of the 16th Battalion started back, and eventually the Turks occupied their trench.^[33]

The Royal Naval Nelson Battalion was sent forward to support the 13th Battalion, and as they approached the front line, they took the digging Australians for Turks and opened fire on them, until Durrant managed to get them to stop. They then moved into the line to the right of the 13th Battalion. After artillery began falling on the positions of the Nelson Battalion, they were ordered to withdraw. Elements of the 13th Battalion heard this order and also began to move back, before they were called back into the position. Royal Marines from the Portsmouth Battalion then advanced to Dead Man's Ridge via the western approach, having earlier been heavily engaged while attempting to climb the eastern slope. On gaining the position, the Marines came under heavy machine gun fire from the German Officers' Ridge, which was to their right, and behind them. After suffering heavy casualties, the Marines were forced to withdraw, leaving their dead, who remained on the position for several days before a solo effort by one of the survivors allowed them to be brought down and buried.^[34]

The failure of the effort to reinforce the position held by the 13th Battalion meant that they remained exposed, and alone out in front of the line. Unable to raise their brigade headquarters via telephone, or by runner, the battalion had no information about the situation. The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Granville Burnage, left Durrant in charge and made a solo effort to reach Monash at brigade headquarters after 15:00 on 3 May. Reaching brigade headquarters, he was told to withdraw his battalion and subsequently headed back up the slope to direct the withdrawal after nightfall. Bringing their wounded with them, the 13th Battalion withdrew from the position in an orderly fashion and in the aftermath, the Turks occupied the trenches previously dug by the 13th Battalion, consolidating them into the Chessboard position.^[35]

The unsuccessful effort by British, Australian and New Zealand troops to capture Baby 700 resulted in heavy casualties. The exact number of casualties is not recorded, but historian Chris Coulthard-Clark estimates them at around 1,000.^[36] Ultimately, the high ground offered by Baby 700 remained in Turkish possession throughout the remainder of the campaign, and from it they were able to dominate the Monash Valley and provided observation of the rear areas of the Allied posts throughout the eastern part of the valley. In the weeks following the failed assault on Baby 700, the Turks launched several of their own attacks, aimed at Quinn's Post, which were repulsed with heavy casualties.^[37] A period of stalemate followed, as both sides began to dig in, consolidating their positions.^[38] As the campaign continued, the British, Australians and New Zealanders made plans for another effort to capture the high ground during the August Offensive, including another effort to take Baby 700 once the summit of Hill 971 had been taken.^[39] During this effort, coupled with the Landing at Suvla, the Allies attacked again, hoping to break the deadlock. This time they experienced some limited success initially before a strong Turkish counterattack regained Chunuk Bair. Meanwhile, the deception raids at The Nek and Lone Pine resulted in severe casualties.^[40]

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

• Bean, Charles (1941a). The Story of ANZAC from the Outbreak of War to the End of the First Phase of the Gallipoli Campaign, May 4, 1915. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. I (11th ed.). Sydney: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 220878987.
• Bean, Charles (1941b). The Story of ANZAC from 4 May, 1915, to the Evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918. Vol. II (11th ed.). Sydney: Angus & Robertson. OCLC 39465972.
• Broadbent, Harvey (2005). Gallipoli: The Fatal Shore. Camberwell, Victoria: Viking/Penguin. ISBN 978-0-670-04085-8.
• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1998). The Encyclopaedia of Australia's Battles (1st ed.). Sydney, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-611-2.
• Fewster, Kevin; Basarin, Vecihi; Basarin, Hatice Hurmuz (2003). Gallipoli: The Turkish Story. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen and Unwin. ISBN 1-74114-045-5.
• Hart, Peter (2011). Gallipoli. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19991-187-5.
• Hart, Peter (2013). Gallipoli. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84668-161-5.
• Hutchinson, Garrie (2006). Pilgrimage A Traveller's Guide to Australia's Battlefields. Collingwood, Victoria: Black Inc. ISBN 1-86395-387-6.
• Macleod, Jenny (2004). Gallipoli Making History. Oxford: Routledge. ISBN 1-13577-156-1.
• Stevenson, Robert (2012). To Win the Battle: The 1st Australian Division in the Great War 1914–1918. Australian Army History Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-10702-868-5.
• Turkish General Staff (2004). A Brief History of the Canakkale Campaign in the First World War. Ankara: Turkish General Staff Printing House. ISBN 978-9-75409-307-0.