 The Ottomans' two attempts to achieve this were beaten back in the battles of Elli and Lemnos.Thus the Ottomans were prevented from supplying and reinforcing their land forces in Macedonia by sea, a critical factor in the success of the Balkan League in the war.During World War I, in early 1915, the Allies used the island to try to capture the Dardanelles Straits, some away.