Breaking Point

Struth, it's the Light Horse.

Hey, where are your gee-gees, fellas?

That's enough!

- I wanna get stuck into 'em. - No, you don't, mate.

- G'day, Tolly. - Two Bob!

Only two blackfellas, me and one other bloke.

- You're an Abo? - Jeez, Tolly.

What's it bloody look like?

Must be someone looking after you, don't you think?

I don't really understand...God much.

Someone else, then.

Bev!

I don't care what anyone says. They're good blokes.

Fair din...

You wanna kill yourself some Turks, do you, son?

- Can you shoot? - A bit.

A bloody bit? And you're volunteering to be a sniper?

Look at ya. Bloody report sick.

I'm leaving here like Cliff or I'm going home.

I'll tell you what I'm seeing here.

The English trying to muddle through yet again.

Oh, yes. It's how we do things.

Lack of men. Sickness. Now stasis.

I'm facing a Gordian knot, Braith. I must cut through it.

- I'm going back to Kitchener. - Withdrawal?

Not a bit. Attack.

And damned be him that first cries "Hold, enough!"

- Sir. - Oh, yes, indeed.

The break-out will occur over 48 hours -

a series of interconnected feints and attacks.

At its completion, we will hold the heights...here,

as well as our right flank along the second ridge

all the way down to the water.

Then it's simply a matter of sweeping across the peninsula.

And then it's on to Constantinople, eh?

Exactly, Freddie.

Now, General Birdwood,

you will send two assaulting columns from Anzac here.

Malone's New Zealanders will take Chunuk Bair.

The Australians and Indians to take Hill 971.

It's damned hot, isn't it?

From Chunuk Bair, the New Zealanders will turn south,

sweeping the Turks from positions at Battleship Hill...

Never felt such heat since the bloody Sudan.

..to Baby 700 here.

Meanwhile, in a pincer movement,

the Australian Light Horse will move through the Nek

towards the New Zealanders, moving south to join them.

Good plan, Birdy. Well done.

The two British divisions of General Stopford

will land at Suvla Bay here.

He will then move right to link up with Birdwood's units here.

Meanwhile, the diversion down at Helles is proceeding.

As well, a major assault will pin down Turk positions

at Plateau 400, known as 'Lonely Pine'.

100,000 troops on five fronts, gentlemen.

Sir, I am wondering,

which are the feints and which are the true assaults?

Here's the heart of it.

Apart from this assault on Hill 971,

they're all attacks and they're all feints.

Each move works to advantage the other.

Is it all too complex? It's not chess.

We can't expect every attack to work as planned.

It's a major offensive, Colonel. It can't be made simple.

Activity, Cecil.

A build-up of reinforcements at Anzac,

an attack at Helles, 20,000 men landing at Suvla...

Is it enough for me, though? What if the Turk is dug in?

Oi. Have a look at this.

What are you doing here?

I got permission to come back.

What's wrong with you blokes?

Two Bob's dead.

We were out on patrol.

When we got back, he had this wound in his arm.

Next thing you know, he starts groaning like billyo

and grabbing his gut.

And he goes this awful colour and he just spews everywhere.

Got a bit of shrapnel is his gut and he didn't even know it.

Yes, he did. He said he had a pain in his stomach.

I'm just saying he didn't know what it was.

- You've got a flamin' gut ache! - Hey.

Come on.

It's what we did for Cliff, Tolly.

It's what you bloody do.

Not for Two Bob. It's not what he wanted.

And how would you bloody know?

He didn't believe in God.

Who cares - the bloody padre does

and he's the bloke doing the ceremony.

- No. No padre, no God bloke. - How would you know anyway?

We gotta do the right thing.

I say we go and speak to Father O'Brien...

Just shut up, Bevan!

Ah, the heathen.

The Good Lord welcomes him into his kingdom.

Your friend hasn't rejected the blessings of heaven.

He's just ignorant of it. That's all, poor lad.

He's not a heathen and he's been in a church.

Oh, has he? Did he accept the Lord?

No. His stories were more important to him.

There are no greater stories

than those of the true faith, lad.

Yeah? How do you know that?

Now you listen to me, you blaspheming little devil.

I ought to get you to recite your catechism by heart!

Good on you, Tol. Pissed him right off.

He wouldn't listen.

Alright, Tol.

Well, we gotta do something.

In Egypt did he say anything about Abo burials?

No.

Jeez, cobber.

What do we do now, eh?

Anybody know a song?

I don't remember the rest.

Something about a dingo.

"Though depleted in number,

"our troops are elated by their success

"as we have made a distinct advance

"of almost five yards in some places."

General Sir Ian Hamilton, OC Mediterranean Expedition.

I feel for Hamilton, though. You must.

- Of course. - God, why?

He's here digging graves, his own and everyone else's.

Johnny Hamilton's a good man, Ellis.

He's a fool.

He's a brave, eloquent,

intelligent man,

but he's a fool nonetheless.

That man is no fool, Ellis.

That fool is no general, Henry.

What about these reinforcements?

Three new divisions.

He's done a good job of getting extra men out of Kitchener.

Too late. It won't do him any good.

He'll soon have superior numbers at Anzac, Ellis.

It won't help. That's what I've been telling you.

- I disagree. - How do you know that?

Please, please!

Gentlemen, the Turks are playing at home

and these rumoured break-outs, these extra men,

they come way too late.

There will be enormous losses.

And, General Stopford, when the dial moves

it indicates the men have landed down at Suvla Bay.

- Good Lord! - Mmm.

You can command your troops from here, Freddie. I want you at HQ.

Oh, thank you, Johnny.

Bloody hot.

And now we issue orders

to the senior commanders, Braith.

The die is cast.

Sir, is that wise?

What are you talking about?

Perhaps we should hold off letting them know the plan.

They need time to prepare, for God's sake.

They'll have time enough.

Secrecy is a weapon, Sir Ian.

We attack the Turk suddenly without his foreknowledge.

He won't know what hit him.

Colonel Malone, sir.

- Malone, just the man. - Sir.

I thought I'd bring the mountain to Mohammed.

You've calmed things down in this vicinity, I hear.

Not to my liking yet, sir, but we're getting on top.

Good. We need to take it up to them.

It's time we pulled our damn fingers out, sir.

Yes, well, I...

..I suppose that's a New Zealander's way of putting it.

This arm-wrestling, sir, it's just not working.

We need to kick 'em in the balls.

Then prepare your men, Colonel.

But, sir, it's all backwards.

Attack Lone Pine before we take the heights?

Unless Baby 700's taken first they can fire down on us.

You're only a diversion, remember.

A diversion? A feint?

You're only part of a grander picture, Harold.

- These are your orders. - I understand that, but we...

If you succeed in capturing Lone Pine

then more's the good.

I expect that to be your goal.

Right.

A feint? It's just that - something half-hearted.

Bugger that. I'm gonna take Lone Pine somehow.

My thoughts exactly.

It would've bloody helped if these plans

had come through a bit earlier.

Why did they sit on them? Why handicap us?

Still, a 5:30 assault -

the sun will be going down.

You bought us that much at least.

I'll still lose more than I should.

Where are you mob going?

Up Walker's or the Nek. Not sure exactly.

- What about you blokes? - I heard Lone Pine.

Jeez, you're in for it, eh?

I didn't really mean that.