During the First World War, the Allied forces wanted to threaten and invade Istanbul thus to obliterate off the Turks.


Çehreler başka, lisanlar, deriler rengarenk
Sade bir hadise var ortada vahşetler denk.
Mehmet Akif ERSOY
With this intent they arrived at Çanakkale, but there they found out that their entry into the sea passage was blocked. The enemy had to take the first blow on March the 18th, 1915; several enemy ships were sunk in the Dardanelles. Then on April the 25th, they landed their soldiers in the Seddülbahir and Arýburnu regions. However, here the Mehmetçik nailed them down, at the point where the enemy soldiers had landed. The battle lasted for nine months; soldiers were fighting incessantly, night and day, until the January 3rd, 1916. Those nine months were decorated with countless legends and heroic stories.

Canakkale is a glorious legend written by Mehmetcik. (a general name given to all Turkish soldiers)… All martyrs’ names are combined in his name… Canakkale legend is a challenge when the whole world came against us with arms power and powerful navies and where greatest bravery was experienced. There was a nation ,defended her honour in Gallipoli against Entente States by losing [many] thousands of her sons to martyrdom.

Dreaming of a great victory, High ranked Turkish officer, Enver Pasha, ordered an attack on ANZAKs. Turkish opposite attack started on May 19 and failed. Unnumbered attacks were stoped each time. Under the heavy enemy fire, Turkish soldiers were dying before reaching enemy treches or a few who were able to reach the trenches, were loosing their lives after the hand to hand fight. Then ANZAKs realized that Turks were brave fighters which were completly different than what was told to them. First time an armitice were accepted and both sides Turks and ANZAKs met each other. It was a beginning of close releation with respect. It was significant that ANZAKs refused to use gas masks later, believing that Turks were fair soldiers.


It is impossible for me without mentioning the fights on the Bomb Hill. Distance between trenches is about eight metres, That's to say, death is certain... The soldiers in the first trench are completely dying and the second group replaces them immediately with such great resignation and coldness that noone can imagine. A Soldier sees those dying soldiers and knows that he will die in a few minutes but doesn't show any hesitation and fear at all. By reading Kuran, some are ready to go Heaven and others are fighting and praying to God. This is one of the instances that shows the astonishing high spirit of Turkish soldiers. This is the high spirit that won Canakkale Wars. ( From the diaries of Ataturk - group commander of Anafartalar)
" Those heroes that shed their blood and
lost their lives...! You are now lying in
the soul of a friendly country, therefore
rest in peace. There is no differences between
the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they
lie side by side here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away
countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now
lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having
lost their lives on this land they have become
our sons as well."
ATATURK, (1934).



Çanakkale war was recorded in history as a field battle with a very long duration, where the Turkish defense was victorious in the end. The Mehmetcik had earned the appreciation and admiration of his enemy as well.


ÇANAKKALE ŞEHİDLERİNE

Şu boğaz harbi nedir, var mı ki dünyada eşi?
En kesif orduların, yükleniyor dördü beşi

ŞÃ¼heda gövdesi, bir baksana dağlar taşlar...
O, rüku olmasa, dünyada eğilmez başlar,

Yaralanmış tertemiz alnından uzanmış yatıyor;
Bir hilal uğruna ya Rab, ne güneşler batıyor!

Ey, bu topraklar için toprağa düşmüş, asker!
Gökten ecdad inerek öpse o pak alnı değer.

Ne büyüksün ki kanın kurtarıyor Tevhid'i...
Bedr'in aslanları ancak, bu kadar şanlı idi...

Sana dar gelmeyecek makberi kimler kazsın?
"Gömelim gel seni tarihe!" desem, sığmazsın.

Herc ü merc ettiğin edvara yetmez o kitab...
Seni ancak ebediyyetler eder istiab.

"Bu, taşındır" diyerek Kabe'yi diksem başına;
Ruhumun vahyini duysam da geçirsem taşına;

Sonra gök kubbeyi alsam da, rida namıyle,
Kanayan lahdine çeksem bütün ecramıyle;

Mor bulutlarla açık türbene çatsam da tavan;
Yedi kandilli Süreyya'yı uzatsam oradan;

Sen bu avizenin altında, bürünmüş kanına,
Uzanırken gece mehtabı getirsem yanına,

Türbedarın gibi ta fecre kadar bekletsem;
Gündüzün fecr ile avizeni lebriz etsem;

Tüllenen mağribi, akşamları sarsam yarana...
Yine bir şey yapabildim diyemem hatırana.

Sen ki, son ehl-i salibin kırarak savletini,
Şarkın en sevgili sultanı Salahaddin'i,

Kılıç Arslan gibi iclaline ettin hayran...
Sen ki islamı kuşatmış, doğuyorken hüsran,

O demir çemberi göğsünde kırıp parçaladın;
Sen ki, ruhunla beraber gezer ecramı adın;

Sen ki; a'şara gömülsen taşacaksın... Heyhat,
Sana gelmez bu ufuklar, seni almaz bu cihat...

Ey şehid oğlu şehid, isteme benden makber,
Sana ağuşunu açmış duruyor Peygamber.


Mehmet Akif ERSOY

i remember the canakkale martyrs with great respect...and while walking on soil i cant help myself thinking about who died for it

Bugün 18 Mart Çanakkale şehitlerimizi anıyoruz ve bu cennet vatan için dökülen kanları asla unutmuyoruz.

Şu Çılgın Türkler

" ... Araba yavaşlayıp durdu. Binbaşınındikkatini esir bir yunan subayını geriye götüren bir asker çekmişti. Yunan subayı eşeğe binmişti asker yayaydı. Asker binbaşıyı görünce selam verdi. Yunan subayı eşekten indi. Hasta suratlı biriydi.
"Kim bu?"
"Bir Esir."
"Nereye götürüyorsun?"
"Geriye. Alay karargahına."
Binbaşı kızdı:
"Ulan sen bunun seyisi misin,hizmet erimisin? Hayvana sen bin o yürüsün"
Asker üçününde yüreğini temizleten bir iç temizliğiyle,"hiç olurmu komutanım..?" dedi "..o şimdi ocağından kopmuş bir gurbet adamı.Misafir.Bana emanet"
Binbaşı gözlerinin dolduğunu belli etmemek için başını çevirip şÃ¶före,"Yürü." diye bağırdı.
Araba hareket etti.Asker selam durdu. Sonra Yunan subayına eşeğe binmesini işaret etti:
"Haydi bin çorbacı.Akşam karavanasına yetişelim .Aç kalma."
Yola düştüler..."


*Turgut Özakman'ın yazdığı "Şu Çılgın Türkler" adlı şahaeserden alınmıştır.

There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us
Where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.

[‘Johnny’ – name signifying an ordinary British/Australian/New Zealand soldier: ‘Mehmet’ – similarly, a symbolic name for an ordinary Turkish soldier.]

MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÃœRK
If you want to visit this site of Anzacs,you can see the perspective of non-turkish people.
http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/2visiting/turkish_intro.html

During the WW1, Çanakkale Savaşı (Dardanelles War) played a key role in the history of todays Turkia. There are three big outcomes from this critical war:
1. Mustafa Kemal becomes a war hero
2. With the victory the Turkish Folk believe on themselves more than ever
3. It becomes clear that "Çanakkale geçilmez" (It's not possible to pass through the Dardanelles)


Satelite picture of Çanakkale.

Many young boys joined the army during the Çanakkale war. 60.000 of them, mostly in their yound twenties, died in Çanakkale in 1915. Soldiers were saying goodbye to their families for the last time before they went there. There was no comeback and they knew this.

Today in London in a weekend Turkish school we were singing this song:



Çanakkale Türküsü

Çanakkale içinde vurdular beni
Ölmeden mezara koydular beni
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale köprüsü dardır geçilmez
Al kan olmuş suları bir tas içilmez
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale içinde aynalı çarşı
Anne ben gidiyorum düşmana karşı
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale içinde bir dolu testi
Anneler babalar ümidi kesti
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale'den çıktım yan basa basa
Ciğerlerim çürüdü kan kusa kusa
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale içinde sıra söğütler
Altında yatıyor aslan yiğitler
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale'den çıktım başım selamet
Anafarta'ya varmadan koptu kıyamet
Of gençliğim eyvah

http://www.gallipolidigger.com/2004.site/006c.dun%20ve%20bugun/Dun.ve.bugun.htm

Thank you Erdinç,
I can't forget the day I saw Çanakkale.
I think everyone should see there.

herkese cok tesekkurler

vatan sağolsun arkadaşlar

herşey vatan için

19 March 2006 8:40 am:
Going to Gallipoli with a ship...

in the ship there was a congress continuing.. actually this trip was orginized with that congress the first international Canakkale Congress.. it was awesome.. they discussed the affect of Canakkale on written art, society.. they informed us about the heros of the war... i saw that there is much more i need to know about canakkale actually shamed on that...
and there was short movies and documanteries about Canakkale.. all was awesome...
the ship took 4 hours to go there... at least we were on Gallipoli... the air i breath was much more different than istanbul.. any way we got on the buses and were driven to the Gallipoli Mevlevihanesi.. it was well decorated i saw the pictures before that time and after decorating... it was all great and they still do some events there... and in all pictures there was one exact signature "LALE(tulip)"-a flower.

then we went through the a newly made presentation center.. it was very modern but i didnt like it that much.. but it was ok... the throgh the conk bayırı to anzac koyu saw them over hill... then the head of the Gallipoli to the big statue... it was HUGE... and i was told that they would construct a flag that would be seen over Greece.. to see the places they fought and the weapons bone parts skulls with bullets... it was exact to see what the WAR means...

but the point is.. i think if those ppl who died there to protect the country saw the state of that place and the country these days.. i think they wouldnt do the same.. it was sad to see the villas over those places... and the arguements about the Anzacs and English ceremonies...
but when you say those ppl where were you before they made those statues and graves there.. they were keeping silence..
and another sad point is.. all the documentaries and the history about those time were sourced by foreigner documents... the percentage was very very little if you compare our documents to their documents...

so we were back at our ship after that amazing trip.. there was another documentary named Gallipoli i wont tell anything about it becoz it must be seen... but there was a dialogue between Churchill and a soldier or sb like that.. they ask winston Churchill using poisonous gasses to humans is illegal in war... but Churchill answers is " Turks are not human " ... and nowadays researchers from England were talking about the English plan there... they said that.. there were no tactics and no calculations about it... they poured humans over Turks like they empty a glass of water... after months passed in the war.. in the documanteries there was this sentence passing in every letter of the soldier.. " this war is nonsense, i dont want to fight anymore"

as a result.. 5 hours were not enough to see those places... and i will go there soon i guess...
God bless all the soldiers soul fought there

Is someone kind enough to translate the song erdinic uploaded?

Imdi seferberlik ilan olanda
Bir od dustu, cumle cihan agladi
Canakkale icinde aynali carsi
Canakkale icinde aynali carsi
Anne ben gidiyorum dusmana karsi
Of, gencligim eyvah!
Anne ben gidiyorum dusmana karsi
Of, gencligim eyvah!
Canakkale icinde bir uzun selvi
Canakkale icinde bir uzun selvi
Kimimiz nisanli, kimimiz evli
Of, gencligim eyvah!
Kimimiz nisanli, kimimiz evli
Of, gencligim eyvah!

The war is declared.
It came down on us like fire.
The whole country shed tears.
The Anyali Carsi,
the market place, in Canakkale
I'm leaving for the enemy Mum
And there goes my boyhood.
The cypress tree grows tall in Cannakale
Some of us were engaged,
Some married,
And there goes my boyhood.
They've shot me in Cannakake
Put me in a grave, I wasn't dead!
And there goes my boyhood.

thank you Janissary, very touching song.. but beautiful. I wish the one who wroth the song, haden't gotten the chance to write this song , in other words, i wish the war didn't happen

The folk song of Çanakkale

They've shot me in Çanakkale,
They put me in a grave but I wasn't dead.
There goes my boyhood

The bridge of Çanakkale is narrow,so it cannot be passed
Red water of Çanakkale cannot be drunk
There goes my boyhood

Çanakkale Türküsü

Çanakkale içinde vurdular beni
Ölmeden mezara koydular beni
Of gençliğim eyvah

Çanakkale köprüsü dardır geçilmez
Al kan olmuş suları bir tas içilmez
Of gençliğim eyvah

Canakkle sehitlerimize minnetariz bize mukemmel bir ulke biraktiklari icin..saygiyla aniyoruz..

click here

new nice sites about gallipoli