Gallipoli

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Winston Churchill was the earliest proponent of the Gallipoli Campaign. The Dardanelle Straights had great strategic value because they connected the Mediterranean Sea with the Sea of Marmora, and provided access to the Turkish Capital and the Black Sea. This route would allow the Allied Forces to supply Russia, but also force Bulgaria and Greece to choose sides in the war. However, the terrain of the Gallipoli peninsula made the straits easy to defend against invasion and several fortresses had been built in positions close to shipping lanes.
Turkey had initially been neutral in the war. However, a debacle involving two battleships being built for them in British shipyards alienated them from Allied Forces and ultimately resulted in their entry into World War I on the side of the Germans. At that time, the campaign on the Western Front was deadlocked in trench warfare and the British and French governments decided to establish another front in the Mediterranean in hopes of improving the tactical situation.
Winston Churchill pitched a detailed plan to the British War Cabinet in th...

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