The Defence of the Dardanelles: From Bombards to Battleships

This WWI history examines the Ottoman Army's defense of the Dardanelle Strait during Winston Churchill's failed Gallipoli Campaign.

The Dardanelles Strait, separating Europe and Asia Minor, was fortified in the fifteenth century with massive bronze bombards causing any unwelcome ships to run a truly formidable gauntlet. And indeed it was on March 18th, 1915, when a powerful fleet of British and French warships attempted to clear the Strait. The attack failed at the cost of three ships sunk ...