3. Extreme Weather
An important factor that is usually overlooked by most of the people interested in the Gallipoli Campaign is the climate of the Peninsula, which is very varied, to say the least. Unfortunately for the Allied forces, their high commanders overlooked the degree to which their troops in the operation would react to these weather conditions. During summer, the temperatures were high, reaching up to 35 C (95 F). This increased the rate at which diseases spread considering that there were also shortages of water and food.
After August, life during winter was harsh as well and the temperatures could plummet to about 5 C (41 F) or lower, also bringing blizzards and heavy rain. Due to the little precautions taken for these extremes, many soldiers suffered from sunburns, hypothermia, frostbite and trench foot. It could also rain a lot in the peninsula, which flooded trenches, broke parapets and drowned men.
The Turkish soldiers, on the other hand, were accustomed to comparable weather conditions as most of them had been recruited from the rural surroundings and others from Anatolia. They, therefore, were accustomed to spending long days in the field.