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| New Zealand Troops on the Spur, 8 August 1915 |
Rhododendron Spur is a prominent ridge rising just east of North Beach in the Anzac Sector at Gallipoli. It continues to run directly east to the heights of Chunuk Bair, part of the Sari Bair Massif dominating the Anzac Sector. The spur was named by a Major Overton, who saw in the scrubby brush some resemblance to a rhododendron. In August 1915, the spur played a key role in the attempt capture the Sari Bair Massif, the most important objective in the effort to reverse the fortunes of the—thus far—failing Dardanelles campaign.
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| August 1915 Attack on Sari Bar |
When the attack was finally launched on 7 August, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles captured the foothills leading up to the westerly end of Rhododendron Spur. New Zealand and British troops then advanced along the spur taking out enemy strong points at the Apex and Pinnacle. Notably, Maori troops were particularly effective as assault units during this stage. The advance had succeeded thus far despite the failure of a supporting column on their left flank to assemble at the designated time and to keep up.
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| Post-Battle View of Rhododendron Spur from the South |
The Wellington Battalion finally reached the summit of Chunuk Bair in the early hours of 8 August. They found it unoccupied—the defenders had withdrawn during the night. It was not long before the Ottomans sent troops to retake the position. The exhausted New Zealanders were eventually relieved by less experienced British forces, who were driven off the ridge by a massive Turkish counterattack on 10 August. New Zealand machine gunners positioned back at the Apex on the spur halted the attack and prevented a rout. Chunuk Bair, however, was lost and this meant the failure of the August offensive and, ultimately, the entire Dardanelles Campaign.
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| Exhausted New Zealanders on the Spur After the Assault |
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