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Jenny Macleod, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019964487X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019964487X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a8e8033bf05ee23ebd3eb37d5e0ccd1 Gallipoli]'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).
One hundred three years have passed since the Battle of Gallipoli took place during World War I. The multi-national attack initiated by the Allies was successfully thwarted by the multi-ethnic army of the Ottoman Empire. In ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019964487X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019964487X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a8e8033bf05ee23ebd3eb37d5e0ccd1 Gallipoli]'', historian Jenny Macleod discusses discussed why the Allied plan failed, and of equal importance, how the Ottoman Army withstood the assault and emerged victorious. Although new evidence has not been unearthed, Macleod takes advantage of digitization in accessing sources and presents an insightful look into the Ottoman military. Further, this text intentionally forgoes referring to Ottoman soldiers as “Turks,” and celebrates the ethnic and religious diversity of the Ottoman military forces. Finally, going beyond the battle, the author focuses heavily on the national and cultural consequences of the battle in the aftermath of the Great War.
On March 18, 1915 the first Allied naval bombardment of Gallipoli from the Dardanelle Straits occurred. The initial idea of this attack was launched even before the Ottoman Empire entered the War on the side of the Central Powers on October 29, 1914. Russia’s Grand Duke Nicholas urged his allied partners to instigate an attack on the Ottoman Empire as their army was attacking Russian soldiers in the Caucuses Mountains. British politicians engaged in internal fighting over whether they would launch a land or naval invasion. Eventually, a combined force was decided upon and on April 25, 1915 the Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces (MEF) launched amphibious landings. Due to the terrain, fortifications, supply routes, and preparation time afforded the Ottoman Empire, the Allied operation was doomed to fail. By morning on December 20, 1915 Anzac beach had been abandoned and the same was true of Cape Helles by January 9 of the following year.
''Gallipoli'' is a detailed account of the nations involved in that battle. The book does, however; focus more on the aftermath in the participating nations. Macleod convincingly supports her argument that due to logistics, training, and politics the Allied plan could do nothing but fail. Additionally, she conveys the respect the enemy soldiers held for each other; respect that began as hatred. No words are wasted in this balanced account of the battle and great emphasis is placed on the ensuing cultural significance. This text does what it sets out to do; offer a “military narrative of the Gallipoli campaign and its memory during the subsequent century.”'' Gallipoli,'' with its excellent bibliography and notes, is well-suited as a supplement to World War I military textbooks. Additionally, it can be used as a cultural reference for the study of post-colonial nations, and as a tool for students of history to understand the great importance of distinguishing between memory and fact.
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