- After 1 May 1915, trench warfare began in earnest. By 18 May the Turks had reinforced and regrouped around ANZAC Cove in preparation for a major attack. Some 42,000 infantry of the 2nd, 5th, 16th and 19th Divisions prepared to drive the ANZACs into the sea. Fortunately, in the preceding week, 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade and New Zealand Mounted Infantry Brigade had arrived as reinforcements and 2nd Australian Infantry Brigade had returned from Cape Helles. Some 17,360 defenders faced the Turks. In the early hours of 19 May the Turks attacked along the whole of the ANZAC front. They were met predominantly with very heavy small arms fire and resolute defence. By midday some 10,000 Turks had been killed or wounded. The ANZACs had suffered only 160 killed and 468 wounded. But the Turks still held the high ground and the few local counter attacks mounted by the ANZACs drew such heavy fire that all movement between the two lines ceased. For five days the dead and wounded of both sides lay in No-Mans land. An armistice was arranged to allow both sides to bury their dead. It is claimed that the mutual respect of ANZAC for Turk and Turk for ANZAC grew from this battle and subsequent armistice.

- Operational emphasis shifted from ANZAC to Cape Helles at the southern tip of the peninsular. 29 Division (UK) had been reinforced by 29th Indian Brigade and 42nd (East Lancashire) Division, the force restructured as VIII Corps. With their French allies, successive attacks were mounted aimed at breaking the Turkish lines and pressing north along the Gallipoli peninsular. Some local gains were made but the Turkish line held. As August approached, casualties and sickness in the army rose. According to one soldier, the Helles front "smelled like an open cemetery". Emphasis now switched to ANZAC.

- A plan was devised to outflank the Turks by a night approach to the north of the ANZAC position and then to advance up the ridges leading to the heights of the Sari Bair range. A new landing was planned at Suvla Bay as a means of seizing a cluster of hills several kilometres inland and a series of feints were planned to stop the Turks reinforcing the threatened areas.

- One of these feints was the attack on 7 August at the Nek by 3rd Light Horse Brigade (8 ALH [Victoria] and 10 ALH [WA]). Supporting artillery fire lifted early. Lack of communications prevented any change to plans. The attack still went ahead. In some four to six minutes both regiments virtually ceased to exist, yet no man held back, all went with their mates into a storm of machine gun and small arms fire. Heavy fighting on the peninsular continued throughout August. Probably the fiercest fighting was in the area of Lone Pine; in just three days seven Victoria Crosses were won; then the tempo of killing slowed.