ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand: April 25

Every year Anzac Day is celebrated on April 25 in Australia and New Zealand. The day is celebrated as a national day of remembrance that commemorates all the New Zealanders and Australians who died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

About ANZAC Day

• ANZAC is Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
• The day was originally planned to honour the members of New Zealand and Australian armies who served in the Gallipoli Campaign.

Gallipoli Campaign

• It was the first military campaign of First World War. It took place in Gallipoli peninsula between 1915 and 1916. It is often considered as the beginning of Australian and New Zealand national consciousness.
• In 1915, New Zealand and Australia set out to capture Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black sea for the Allied Navies. The main objective was to capture Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman empire was an ally of Germany during the war.
• The Armies of New Zealand and Australia landed on April 25, 1915 and met fierce resistance from the Ottoman Empire. The plan to knock the Ottomans became a stalemate.
• The Gallipoli Campaign dragged for eight months.
• The military objectives of Gallipoli campaign were to capture Constantinople and knock the Ottoman Empire out of war.

Australia and New Zealand Military in Afghanistan

• Australia and New Zealand will withdraw their forces from Afghanistan following the US.
• NATO had planned to maintain 13,000 troops in Afghanistan earlier. Recently, the US announced that it is to withdraw its forces completely from Afghanistan.
• Australia was one of the top non-NATO troop contributors to NATO-led efforts in Afghanistan.
• New Zealand signed partnership agreement with NATO in 2012.
• Australia is a signatory of Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2021