The United States ambassador in Constantinople reported that Ottoman leaders expected only a few hours of resistance if the fleet renewed its attack on 19 March. De Robeck himself expected to be replaced, with Roger Keyes a plausible choice to resume the advance. A breakthrough would place Constantinople and its European hinterland under the Russian settlement already promised by Britain and France. Civil war or political fragmentation could follow in Anatolia while Romania and Bulgaria reconsidered their alignment in response to a much stronger Allied position.
Notable Point · 1:22:58-1:25:42
Why Constantinople's fall might unravel Ottoman authority
Contemporary reporting suggested that renewed Allied pressure after 18 March could take the capital and trigger Ottoman political disintegration.