ANZAC Anglais

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, commonly known by its abbreviation ANZAC, was originally a corps of Australian and New Zealand Volunteer Troops intended to confront the Turks during the First World War, in the battle of the Dardanelles. It was under the command of General William Birdwood and was composed of the Australian First Division and the Australian and New Zealand Division.

On April 25, 1915 they received the baptism of fire during a landing at Gallipoli, on the Turkish coast, on a beach known later as ' ANZAC Cove'. This date would be remembered as a commemorative day for both countries; the fighting -during eight months- cost them over 8,500 killed and nearly 20,000 wounded but forged a solid military reputation. Then, ANZAC meant the entire expeditionary corps that distinguished itself on the Western Front in France and Belgium, as well as a mounted division (the Light Horse + infantrymen) in the Middle East ( Egypt, Palestine, Syria).

Australians and New Zealanders heroically participated in the Battle of the Somme: in March 1916, the First and Second Australian Divisions and the New -Zealand Division formed the First Anzac Corps under the command of General Birdwood, and the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions, under the command of General Godley, formed the 2nd Anzac Corps.

During the fighting in Belgium in the spring of 1917, the New Zealand troops separated from their Australian comrades and the expression ANZAC ceased to be used. Both territories regained their identity. We are now talking about "Australian Corps".

In 1918, Australian troops were regrouped into a five-division army under the command of General Birdwood and then Major-General Monash. It was the battle  of Villers-Bretonneux, in April 1918, that made them enter the legend of the fighters of the Great War on the Western Front.

In total, more than 416,000 Australians and 128,000 New Zealanders volunteered or were mobilized between 1914 and 1918 on all fronts. 60,000 Australians and 18,150 New Zealanders have left their lives on the Western Front, in Turkey or in the Pacific, which is, for the Western Front, the highest rate among the committed armies.

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