POLITYCZNO-MILITARNE ASPEKTY ATAKU CIEŚNIN TURECKICH W ŚWIETLE PLANU CHURCHILLA–CARDENA

Abstract

Since the beginning of the WWI Royal Navy suffered from many heavy defeats which evoked a strong wave of public criticism against the Board of Admiralty for its inability. Having been worried about his position, the first lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill tried to look for a way out of a difficult situation. As the German navy was strong enough to fight a successful war on the open sea, he attempted a mixed land and naval action put into operation. He expected his Fleet would be successful while being helped with the Army. Such circumstances as well as heavy losses on the western front inclined Mr. Herbert Asquith’s cabinet to look for an auxiliary front which would bring some relief for British Expeditionary Forces in France. After long discussions that were held over military and political situation at the turn of 1914, the Army and Navy high commands, the War Council and the government decided to launch an attack on the Turkish straits by ships. According to Vice Admiral Sackville Hamilton Cardens’ plan the naval attack on the strait of Dardanelles was put in operation. However, after heavy assaults it failed. The author of the paper is trying to explore the complicated political and military issues which helped Churchill-Carden’s plan to be developed, accepted by the state’s authority, and many far reaching consequences which it brought in the end.

Keywords

• Churchill-Carden’s plan
• Dardanelles
• Gallipoli
• Winston Churchill
• Maurice Hankey
• Sackville H. Carden