First off, thanks to Bülent "Bill" Yilmaz Korkmaz for guiding me around the ANZAC and Cape Helles areas and answering my questions ( http://www.crowdedhousegallipoli.com/testimonials.html or bulentbill@yahoo.com ). I highly recommend him!
To make a long story short, in early 1915, the British and French were appalled by the loss of life and stalemate on the Western Front (they were fighting the Germans since August 1914) and looked to help their ally, Russia. Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty and was looking for alternatives. The Ottoman Empire had joined the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) and had mined the straits leading from the Black Sea to the Aegean (and therefore, the Mediterranean and Atlantic), blocking shipping (Allied aid to Russia and grain from Russia). So it was thought that a fleet of battleships threatening Istanbul could probably bring down the Ottoman government (wouldn't have been the first time the Royal Navy caused a change in government) and open up a route to Russia. First, the mines needed to be swept from the Dardanelles. Ottoman shore batteries were able to harass the minesweepers, so the battleships entered the Dardenelles strait to knock out the shore batteries....
Location Map
Ottoman mine
Shore Battery
Minelayer Nusrat
March 18th -- Victory Day!
ANZAC Commemorative
Escarpment looking up from ANZAC
River Clyde
View looking south from Lone Pine area
Respect to Mehmetçik Memorial
Suvla Bay, Salt Lake
Chunuk Bair Memorials: New Zealand (l), Atatürk (r)