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The ships sailed silently along the dark coast of the Gallipoli Peninsular. They bore men from a distant country, come to invade this one to further the designs of leaders in a different one, to help further their war aims to aid a fourth.

"Right! Boats out!" Came the whispered words of command and the boats were swung out on davits. "Lower away!" The boats were silently lowered into the water on ropes going over heavily greased pulleys to ensure no noise was heard. "Ladders away!" The rope boarding ladders were thrown over the ship's sides. "Over the side!" The men, lined up silently on the decks filed quietly forward, burdened down with their heavy equipment. Sun bronzed, sons of ANZAC, hailing from the distant antipodes, from the dominions of Australia and New Zealand, they climbed over the side and crawled down the rope ladders to the boats below.

The currents were strong here, along the coast so the boats would be pulled by steam pinnaces towards the coast. The Royal Navy's navigation was spot on. To the south, the coastal cliffs climbed against the starlit sky. To the north, there was a long ridge, running along the coast which bent back towards the north-east. In front, the land was low and the sound of gently breaking surf on the beach in front of them could be heard against the quiet hum of the ships.

After floating, awaiting the signal, a brief red light shone from the command ship and the run in to the coast began. 200 yards from the beach, the lines were cast off by the pinnaces which turned back. As the men began to row and as the pinnaces past, whispered words of encouragement and banter were uttered. The boats approached to line of white surf and soon their keels crunched onto the white sands.

The men, clutching their rifles with the bayonets fixed, wearing their heavy great coats against the cold of the early dawn, with their distinctive Slouche Hats on their heads, leapt over the sides and moved smartly up the beach. Once off the gently shelving beach they entered low scrub, moving rapidly, keeping low, waiting for the expected crack of a rifle as the defences detected them and opened up on them. However, no shot came. Suddenly, a section of Australians stumbled on some trenches. Asleep in it were a group of Turkish soldiers. Using their bayonets, the Australians killed them even as they woke, before they could call out.

The scene was repeated, several times before one sentry, more alert than the others, made the alert. Shots rang out as the sun began to lighten the sky. The ANZAC troops were already well inland, in some cases as much as 2,000 yards. The Turks found themselves completely surprised and their resistance began to crumble.

The Australians and New Zealanders, coming ashore at Suvla Bay had surprised the Turkish 4th Gendarmie Battalion. Not made up of the best troops to start with, they had been assigned what was believed to be a "quiet sector" where the terrain favoured the defence (in fact it actually favoured the attack). By now, at D+4 hours, the initial wave of landings were being rapidly reinforced with artillery starting to come ashore across the beach from lighters (landing craft) and other units by more boats. Off shore, several battleships and cruisers were starting to shell the heights in front of the ANZACs as they moved further inland.

The Turks, in disarray were starting to rout, fleeing before the devils who had appeared amongst them, bayoneting and shooting them in their trenches. A few braver Turks managed to get a machine gun here and there operating but they were quickly and efficiently outflanked and killed.

By D+8 hours, the coastal plain was basically in the possession of the ANZAC forces. Further south, the British had landed at Cape Helles but were not fairing as well. The French had made a small diversionary landing, across the Dardenalles at Kum Kale on the Asian shore but that was never intended to do more than try and distract the Turks.

The small town of Turcheon Kuei was just over the ridge, with a road leading to the left towards it. On the right, the village of Buyakfarnafarta with another road leading to it. The Australians were following a stream of fleeing Turks. Their objective was to secure the road to what rapidly came known amongst them as "Farta", which was the quickest and easiest route across the Peninsular.

[To be continued]
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