Which campaign sought to secure a strategic waterway by attacking through the Dardanelles?

• A. Verdun Campaign
• B. Somme Campaign
• C. Gallipoli Campaign
• D. Marne Campaign

Answer: (C)

Attacking through the Dardanelles to gain a strategic waterway is the hallmark of the Gallipoli Campaign. The Dardanelles strait connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara and guards the route to the Black Sea, which was crucial for supplying Russia. The Allied plan was to seize control of this water passage and capture Constantinople, knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war and opening a sea lane for supply ships. The other campaigns listed—Verdun and Somme on the Western Front, and Marne in 1914—were inland battles aimed at breaking stalemates on land, not at securing a critical maritime route through the Dardanelles. So the Gallipoli Campaign best fits the goal of securing a strategic waterway by attacking through that region.