Learn about the tragic battle of Gallipoli via annotated BBC drone footage

Friday marks the beginning of commemorations of the battle of Gallipoli

(Image credit: BBC/YouTube)

published 24 April 2015

Friday marks the beginning of international commemorations of the battle of Gallipoli, one of the bloodiest of World War I, which began 100 years ago this month. Britain is being represented at the ceremonies, at the battle site in modern-day Turkey, by Prince Charles and Prince Harry; Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is attending, as are the prime ministers of New Zealand and Australia, plus scores of visitors.

If you're not familiar with the battle, it was an attempt by Allied forces — Britain and troops from its empire, France, and newly independent New Zealand and Australia — to capture the Gallipoli peninsula, then Constantinople (now Istanbul), from the Ottoman Empire to bring an end to World War I. The attempt failed, and after a year of fighting and some 141,000 casualties, the Allies retreated. BBC News has more information about the notorious campaign in the video below, combining drone footage of the battle area with brief notes describing what happened and what you're seeing. Watch below. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.