It started 6 August 1915 and continued for the next three days. It was designed to divert the Turks from the main assault by the British and allied troops.
As the attack was planned for late evening and night-time the Australians had sewn white calico crosses on their backs to see each other in the dark. The attack was preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment of the enemy.
The Australians dug underground tunnels 50 yards ahead of their own front, and when the signal was given for the assault they emerged shouting and yelling as they dashed the 100 yards to the Turkish front. They discovered that the Turks had covered the tops of their trenches with logs. Some tried to prise the logs away, others fired between the logs into the trenches, , while others dashed beyond to the communication trenches and attacked the enemy rear.
Heavy fighting ensured between the two forces. The assault had started at 5.30pm and by 6.00pm Lone Pine was in Australian hands. Many of the Turks were killed or wounded or captured as they tried to fight their way out of the trenches.
The battle raged back and forth for three days as each side threw in re-enforcements to keep or capture the Lone Pine area. Close hand to hand fighting resulted in horrific casaulties on both sides.
The Turks threw bombs at the Australians, who caught them and threw them back, though some exploded before they could be thrown back and a number lost hands and arms.
When the ANZACs finally took Lone Pine after three days of heavy fighting, 6,500 ANZACs had been killed or wounded.
It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Gallipoli campaign.
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