Cape Helles Landings - World War One Mod

25 April, 1915
Helles Peninsular, Gallipoli. (Best played against a human opponent,
or as British against the Turkish AI). After a short delay, Turkey
entered the war by taking sides with Germany. The Dardanelles
were closed, severing communications between Russia and her Western
Allies. The British Government, frustrated by the stalemate on
the Western Front, saw an opportunity to strike the Central Powers
through their supposedly weak southern flank. There was also
a pressing need to reestablish communications with Russia. Plans
were quickly made for an attack on the Dardanelles. On the 18
March 1915, the British and French navies attempted to force
a passage through the Dardanelles. However, several battleships
were sunk by mines. Heavy gunfire from shore batteries and mobile
howitzers also threatened any further naval actions. The attempt
was called off. Perceiving that the Turks were weak and unlikely
to resist, the British decided to land troops on the Gallipoli
Peninsula and destroy the shore batteries from the landward side.
Then the British forces would advance on Constantinople and knock
Turkey out of the war. The next month was spent cobbling together
an invasion force and requisitioning the necessary supplies.
This effort could not be kept secret and having already been
alerted to British intentions by the naval attack, the Turks
set about preparing Gallipoli for the forthcoming invasion. The
head of the German Military Mission to Turkey, Liman von Sanders
was given command of the Turkish Fifth Army and the responsibility
to organise the defences. Where would the British actually land?
There were several possibilities and with the limited resources
at his disposal, von Sanders had to plan carefully for any contingency.
As the invasion force gathered off the coast, it was only a matter
of time before the pre-invasion preparations and training would
be thoroughly tested.