Battle of Scimitar Hill
Naval Operations - Ari Burnu - Bright - Krithia I - Krithia II - Krithia III - Zığındere - Sari Bayır - Kirte Baglari - Kanlısırt - Anafartalar - Kılıçbayır - Conk Bayiri - Scimitar Hill - Height 60
The Battle of Scimitar Hill, Turkish yusufçuk Tepe, was the last offensive of the British army at Suvla. It took place on August 21, 1915 as part of the Gallipoli expedition during the First World War at the Suvla front instead - simultaneously with the attack on level 60 at the ANZAC front.
She was the largest conducted in a single day attack of the entire Gallipoli expedition. It was attended by three British divisions.
Target of the attack was to eliminate the immediate threat of the Turkish Suvla landing zone and reach a shoulder to shoulder with the more southern ANZAC sector. Both offensives, the Battle of Scimitar Hill and the fight for height 60, ended for the attackers as lossy failures.
Starting position
The British Dardanelles campaign had come to a standstill after after the initial landing at Cape Helles at the extreme southwestern tip of the peninsula, several attempts had failed to advance and move the front line inland. In order to regain the initiative, in August an offensive was undertaken, known as the Battle of Sari Bayır. Two divisions of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Stop Fords IX. Corps had landed on the night of August 6 in the Suvla Bay, while an attempt to escape from the located south of Suvla Anzac Cove had been done, the front line stagnated for a long time.
The Scimitar- height had also given its name because of the crescent-shaped curvature of their summit, resembling a scimitar, a Turkish scimitar, reminded the British. You and the W- heights in the south were part of the Anafarta - spur, which formed the southern boundary of the Suvla sector. Taking these heights was actually the stage finish of the first day of fighting the August Offensive ( August 7th) was, however, the target because of the extremely hesitant stop guide Fords was not reached, who wanted to carry out any major forward movements without artillery support. This hesitation had the consequence that the men of the British 11th (Northern) Division, which had landed on the night of August 6, the first and the 10th (Irish ) Division, which had followed the next morning, to the August 8 had remained in the immediate vicinity of their landing zone. They were now exhausted and worn out by lack of water and because of the permanent Schrapnellfeuers and the shelling by Turkish snipers.
On the morning of August 9, the British had taken the first attempt to advance on the eastern ridge of Tekke Tepe. Scimitar Hill, who controlled the access to this range of hills from the south-west, along the Anafarta - spur, was the day before, August 8, was conquered from the 6th Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment, without resistance and then leave again. The British had tried on August 9, taking it over again, and he had several times changed hands in heavy fighting before the British were finally beaten back by noon. Although reinforcements in the form of the 53rd ( Welsh ) Division on 9 August and the 54th (East Anglian ) Division had been brought up on 10 August, all the hopes of the British on a quick victory at Suvla had been dashed after it succeeded the Turks was to consolidate their positions on the surrounding heights.
On August 10, the 53rd Division had undertaken a renewed attack on Scimitar Hill, who had also ended in a debacle for the British. After this failed attack, the losses of the division were so large that they - just two days after their landing - was no longer able to fight.
The battle on August 21,
On August 15, Stopford his command had been removed and had the General Beauvoir de Lisle, commander of the 29th Division temporarily in command of the IX. Corps received - Lieutenant General Julian Byng until who had been favored candidate from the outset Sir Ian Hamilton, should arrive from France. De Lisle was in any immediate thoughts of a major offensive after the 54th Division had taken this test on August 12, with heavy losses, but with little success. Instead, he intended to secure the conquered terrain and to provide a stable connection to ANZAC in the south, the objectives of the August offensive had proved as elusive. This plan required the taking of Scimitar Hill, and W - heights and the height 60
In order to launch an attack from Suvla from de Lisle parts of the 2nd Mounted Division ( Yeomanry, that is mounted militia ) had provided as an infantry and the 29th Division, which had been moved from Cape Helles here and there already had borne the brunt of the fighting since the landing on 25 April.
The schedule for the 21th of August, only to attack Scimitar Hill with the 29th Division and the W- heights with the 11th Division. The dismounted militia should remain as a reserve near the beach. As is often the initial barrage of artillery was impressive during the Dardanelles campaign, but achieved little. The British had no direct line of sight, while the higher-lying Turkish artillery had on their goals, were obscured by fog and smoke a very good view of the whole Suvla battlefield and ample opportunity to identify their goals.
The attempt of the 11th Division to take the W Heights, collapsed in disarray when he came across a Turkish position and heavy artillery fire. The result was that the 1st Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was located at the intersection of fierce fire from the heights of Anafarta - tail in the east and the west hills to the south, as they managed to occupy the summit of Scimitar Hill. The Irish Division was forced to withdraw from the summit, as the undergrowth was set on fire by shell fire. The lying therein helpless wounded burned.
About 17:00 clock the soldiers of the 2nd Mounted Division were ordered to leave their reserve positions near the beach at Lala Baba. They moved over the bed of a dried salt lake before in marching order. As the sky at the time was covered with mist and clouds of smoke, they could not see well where they were going. The 5,000 men of the five brigades, marching regiment, in columns, were good targets for the Turkish shrapnel. After this ordeal, most brigades halted their advance in the protection of the "Green Hill ", green hill, called elevation, west of the Scimitar- height. Only Brigadier General Lord Longford led his 2nd (South Midland ) Brigade in an attack from the green hills toward the Scimitar summit. Lord Longford was finally cut off and killed by his troops. The militia was thrown back from the summit.
Hindsight
The British had suffered in a single day of struggle 5,300 casualties. Private Frederick Potts was awarded the Victoria Cross for the recovery of wounded on Scimitar Hill on this day. The only other Cross, which was awarded at Suvla, had Captain Percy Hansen, a Dane, obtained from the same base on August 9.
The attack on Scimitar Hill on 21 August 1915, the last attempt of the British to bring the deadlocked front line at Suvla forward. The front ran after the failed attack between Green Hill and Scimitar Hill and should not even until the evacuation on 20 December move.