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Remembered Today:

Suvla - Hill 100


johnshep

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Can anyone help me locate Hill 100 in the Suvla Sector, Gallipoli please? I cannot find it marked on any maps but from mentions in documents, it appears to be a feature on Ismail Oglu Tepe.

Is there a map on which I can find it, or alternatively can anyone give me approx bearings from 2 known features such as say Chocolate Hill and Hill 60?

Many thanks for any assistance

John

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Hi John, I can possibly point you in the right direction, Hill 100 or Ismail Oglu Tepe can be seen on the map below (appologies, it's the only map I can get hold of at the mo) and is part of the "W" hills. Hope it helps,

cheers, Jon

post-15439-1217364582.jpg

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Jon,

Sorry to say that Hill 100 is nowhere near Ismail Oglu Tepe/W Hills. The little sketch map Ivor mentions is spot on. In the same volume, map 21 on Page 654 (well, opposite it) shows it quite clearly. The area between Hill 100 and Hill 60 was an absolute warren with many trench or location names reflecting London or other units present inthe area.

It's to the South East of Hill 60 and in terms of Jon's map it is roughly in the area where Asma Dere and a branch of the Aghyl Dere begin to close together below Koja Chemen Tepe.

It is an area which is not straightforward to get to - the best route probably being to walk up Aghyl Dere, but it is an area in which it can be very easy to get lost - especially if you are the Australian 4th brigade! Very very few visitors to the peninsula go in search of this area and it could be described as a little like steep sandunes, all alike with added vegetation (well, it gives you an idea). Hill 100 was close to the boundary between the British Sector and the Anzac sector.

Martin

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Thanks for the correction Martin, I found the info online 'Gallipoli - John Masefield'

Jon

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Many thanks for these contributions, but the mystery deepens. Hamiltons report reads "But, as soon as it was dark, one regiment pushed up the valley between Scimitar Hill and Hill 100 (on Ismail Oglu Tepe), and carried the trenches on a small knoll near the centre of this horseshoe" (verbatim). This leads me to believe there must be 2 Hill 100's - unless of course Hamilton meant Hill 112, not Hill 100??

Any further thought?

Kind regards

John

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Guest Bill Woerlee

John

G'day mate

You can trust the description of Hamilton. See the map below:

post-7100-1217414836.jpg

That should help you answer your questions. And yes, there were two Hill 100's.

Cheers

Bill

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The "other" hill 100 was not a key part of the front line - and thus, I guess, has generally been ignored. It's not so much that the hills were numbered, more that their heights were quoted.

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Another map to add to the collection; it may even be useful as it includes contour lines

It is taken from 'The Story of the 29th Division - A Record of Gallant Deeds' by Capt Stair Gillon, first pub 1925, and recently republished by N & M

ScimitarHillmapfromHistof29thDiv.jpg

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Many thanks for the additional information and sorry not to have responded earlier as we have been away. As always the forum can be relied upon to come up with the answers.

The position of Hill 100 on Bill's map and Michael's map now makes sense of the the references I have picked up regarding the events of 21 August. Nontheless (and this might seem like a quibble) there seems to be a very slight degree of uncertainty from the 2 maps if you try to pinpoint the exact position of Hill 100 on Ismail Oglu Tepe. The map from Michael from The Story of 29 Division puts it at the west end of the range whereas the map from Bill has it more to the east (unless the 'Hill 100' refers to the dot to the left of 'Hill' rather than to contour outline over-written by the '100').

What's the consensus? Are we likely to get greater precision after all these years or should we settle for knowing where the Suvla Hill 100 was in general terms?

Regards to all

John

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I can only see one Hill 100 although there is a 101 nearby!

The trench maps of december 1915 just have Ismail Oglu Tepe and no mention of Hill 100.

The ANZAC Positions map Dec 11th 1915 show Hill 100 next to Ismail Oglu Tepe , a mere 250 yards between the two according to my map.

On the Suvla Map for the same period the other hill just gets its height number 101 but 100 gets Hill 100 so obviously had more meaning.

!!!

Steve M

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John,

The mapping of Sula Bay was far better than the mapping in April and with the capture of large scale Turkish maps and excellent air photographic cover, the maps were accurate. Hill 100 is on the 'Anafarta Sagar Map reference 105 T 5' the map Bill posted is reasonably accurate and working on the theory that hills and ravines don't move far, the modern reference for Hill 100 is;

40*17'14.42”N

26*17'24.26”E

Worth a look on Google Earth.

Regards Charles

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Charles

Thanks for those co-ordinates and indeed for finally getting me onto Google Earth. I have had a quick look and the next challenge is to transpose the information from the image onto a map (maybe Google Earth does that too?).

Meantime, many thanks for your help

John

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  • 5 months later...

John,

Indeed there are 2 hill 100's as already mentioned.

One in Suvla, the w-hills.

The second one is in Northern Anzac and became important after the August offensive started. It is a part of the Turkish defence line on a unnamed spur -to me at least- between the asma & kayacik dere's (This spur is just west of the Abdal Rahman Spur who comes of hill 971).

Note however that the Turkish hill 100 is in meters.

Also find a picture taken from hill 971 (Koçacimentepe) with "dots" :

1 dot : hill 100 "Turkish"

2 dots : W-hills

3 dots : hill 60.

Hope this is of help to you

eric

post-7070-1231751704.jpg

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Thanks for that Eric.

BTW is the area to the NE of Scimitar Hill still fairly clear of scrub following the fire? I need to come out there this year. I wish we could get some aer photos or long range images taken.

John

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