At the beginning of May, 1915

Chapter I – The Struggle for Krithia
At the beginning of May, 1915, both the forces which had landed a week earlier on the Gallipoli Peninsula had secured a foothold. But neither had approached its objective. Even the positions intended to be reached by the covering forces, namely, Achi Baba at Helles and the “Third” ridges at Anzac, had not been attained. The British had gradually advanced two miles, nearly half of the projected first stage; the Anzac troops remained where all except a few advanced elements had from the earliest hours been ordered to entrench-that is to say, on the “Second” ridge. Of this the main prominence, Baby 700, had been lost in the fierce struggle following the Landing, and the enemy had gained a footing on the almost equally important 400 Plateau and on all parts of the Second ridge between the two. The result was that, while the British foothold at Helles might at the beginning of May be considered secure, that at Anzac, where the enemy dominated the centre of the position, was still tactically unsafe.