In January 1915, Allies approved the plan to invade Constantinople to break the Ottoman Empire's alliance with Germany. The Battle of Dardanelles began on 19 February. A Franco-British fleet captured the first two Ottoman forts at the entrance to the Straits. But on 18 March 1915, the fleet had to withdraw after losing three battleships which were sunk and three other damaged. The operations continued for several months without tangible results, forcing the Allies to evacuate troops from 8 October 1915 to 9 January 1916. The Allied forces engaged four to fourteen divisions (about 300,000 men) ...

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