Plugge's Plateau Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
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Plugge's Plateau Cemetery is the smallest
Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. It contains some of soldiers killed during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
during the battles at Gallipoli, was an eight-month campaign fought by Commonwealth and French forces against Turkish forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front (France/Belgium) and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
. Plugge's Plateau was located at the top of a steep 100 metre hill overlooking ANZAC Cove and Shrapnel Valley and was captured on 25 April 1915 shortly after the landing, by the 11th Battalion, 3rd Brigade of the
AIF AIF, A.I.F., AiF or aif may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argumenty i Fakty'' (AiF), a Russian newspaper * Australians in Film (AiF), a Los Angeles-based organisation for the promotion of Australian actors and filmmakers * Aspen Ideas ...
. The plateau was later named by the invading troops after 37-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Plugge commanding officer of the Auckland Infantry Battalion of the
New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
, who established his headquarters there. It became a strongpoint within the ANZAC Inner Defence Line and the ANZAC headquarters were constructed lower down on the seaward side of the hill. An artillery position and a water reservoir were also sited on it. The Turkish forces named it ''Hain Tepe'' (Treacherous Hill) because of the effect of the
artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...
located on it. The cemetery is located on the North-West corner, and of the identified remains 12 are troops killed on the day of the landing and the rest are from nearby field artillery positions.


References

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External links

* {{coord, 40, 14, 15, N, 26, 16, 49, E, region:TR_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Gallipoli