ANZAC

abbreviation of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps combined corps that served with distinction in World War I. The corps is best known for its heroic service in the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli Peninsula campaign, an attempt to capture the Dardanelles from Turkey. In 1916 ANZAC infantry units were sent to France, where they took part in some of the bloodiest actions of the war. The cavalry units were assigned to the Middle East. ANZAC ceased to be an official designation after the separation of the Australian and New Zealand forces in 1917. In Australia and New Zealand, ANZAC DayApril 25 (the date of the Gallipoli landing)has been a major occasion for expressing national sentiment.