Chunuk Bair - New Zealand

Chunuk Bair

The Chunuk Bair attack started in August 1915 and was a major attack. The plan which was made by General Sir Ian Hamilton was meant to drive the Turks from the slopes. The attack started on the 6th of August and there were diversion attacks to set the Turks away. The diversion attacks went ahead but when the New Zealanders, the Maori Contingent and the Wellington battalion were ready to attack on the right flank, but the left side never came.

The Indian and British troops had got lost in the darkness and never turned up to fight but the attack went ahead and new Zealanders were able to push up to only 200 metres off the summit. The next day they continued to the top only to find it abandoned and that the Turks had simply moved to higher points. The New Zealanders were still able to hold the point for two days despite heavy fire and it wasn’t until the British troops came to relieve them that Chunuk Bair was lost.

The British troops may not be the only ones to blame. The ground was hard to dig trenches in and they were often just was of sand bags instead of digging. Water was hard to come by and the men were always thirsty from the hot weather and the hill climbing.  Water bottles were also collected from the dead

Perhaps the main reason for the loss was the terrain and the steep slopes of Chunuk Bair. The Turks also had the advantage of knowing the land and using snipers to shoot people down going to and from the beach. The supply lines were also heavily targeted.


After the Chunuk Bair campaign doubts were made in England about General Sir Ian Hamilton and his plan. He wanted more men but people were skeptical. Bad weather ensured the evacuation of the men from Gallipoli.

Chunuk Bair is interesting because it was one of New Zealand’s great successes but one of the many WW1 failures.