Constantinople Campaign (A Cautious Decision)

The Constantinople Campaign, also known as the Thracian Campaign, took place in the the Thracian region of the Ottoman Empire between October 20, 1915 and February 26, 1916. A military successor to the Gallipoli Campaign, the Constantinople Campaign aimed at securing the Thracian region from the Turks, and taking the capital, Istanbul (Constantinople), allowing supplies lines to the Russian Empire to be reopened.

After the initial victory at Gallipoli, and the subsequent retreat of the Turks back the their capital, the allies moved quickly northwards, not wishing to be held down by the trench warfare that caused thousands of casualties during the days at Gallipoli. This progression was furthered following the battle of Çorlu on Christmas day, and the capture of one of the more notable Ottoman commanders, Mustafa Kemal. This victory allowed allied troops to push towards the capital at an even faster rate, and when French troops arrived at the gates of the city on January 3, 1916, the siege of Constantinople had begun.

After one month of brutal fighting around the city, British troops managed to penetrate past Turkish defences, and after 5 days of mobile fighting back and forth inside the cities walls, Constantinople officially surrendered with the capture of Enver Pasha (the Ottoman minister of war), and the retreat of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V. The victory allowed trade routes to be reopened to Russia, and quickened the defeat of the Ottoman empire, which would eventually come on April 9, 1916.