Mesut Uyar – författare

This is a comprehensive new operational military history of the Ottoman army during the First World War. Drawing from archives, official military histories, personal war narratives and sizable Turkish secondary literature, it tells the incredible story of the Ottoman army’s struggle from the mountains of the Caucasus to the deserts of Arabia and the bloody shores of Gallipoli. The Ottoman army, by opening new fronts, diverted and kept sizeable units of British, Russian and French forces away from the main theatres and even sent reinforcements to Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria. Against all odds the Ottoman army ultimately achieved some striking successes, not only on the battlefield, but in their total mobilization of the empire’s meagre human and economic resources. However, even by the terrible standards of the First World War, these achievements came at a terrible price in casualties and, ultimately, loss of territory. Thus, instead of improving the integrity and security of the empire, the war effectively dismantled it and created situations and problems hitherto undreamed of by a besieged Ottoman leadership. In a unique account, Uyar revises our understanding of the war in the Middle East.“Mesut Uyar’s long awaited history of the Ottoman’s Army’s operations in the First World War is a brilliant addition to the field” - Edward J. Erickson, Marine Corps University, First World War Studies

This is a comprehensive new operational military history of the Ottoman army during the First World War. Drawing from archives, official military histories, personal war narratives and sizable Turkish secondary literature, it tells the incredible story of the Ottoman army’s struggle from the mountains of the Caucasus to the deserts of Arabia and the bloody shores of Gallipoli. The Ottoman army, by opening new fronts, diverted and kept sizeable units of British, Russian and French forces away from the main theatres and even sent reinforcements to Austro-Hungary and Bulgaria. Against all odds the Ottoman army ultimately achieved some striking successes, not only on the battlefield, but in their total mobilization of the empire’s meagre human and economic resources. However, even by the terrible standards of the First World War, these achievements came at a terrible price in casualties and, ultimately, loss of territory. Thus, instead of improving the integrity and security of the empire, the war effectively dismantled it and created situations and problems hitherto undreamed of by a besieged Ottoman leadership. In a unique account, Uyar revises our understanding of the war in the Middle East.“Mesut Uyar’s long awaited history of the Ottoman’s Army’s operations in the First World War is a brilliant addition to the field” - Edward J. Erickson, Marine Corps University, First World War Studies

This handbook is an innovative recasting and reinterpretation of modern Turkish history centered on war and society. It covers much neglected conflicts and wars and provides new insights about its complex politics, military, diplomacy, and people.The Turkish Republic was born after a series of wars which dismantled the Ottoman Empire and left the foundation of a state with new and reduced borders. Turkey's foreign policy has been characterized for the last century by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's principle of "peace at home, peace in the world", but in practice, it has had to fight foreign wars outside of its geography and battle counterinsurgency inside its borders against various rebel movements. Although wars and conflicts were instrumental in shaping Turkey, they have received very little scholarly attention, and they are mostly absent in western studies of modern Turkey. Rather than advocating for a single accepted interpretation of Turkish history, this book aims to highlight the complexity of modern Turkish history and the diversity in interpretations.Presenting a coherent and condensed history of modern Turkey in a reader-friendly way, this handbook offers students and general readers the sound background to better understand Turkey within its international and transnational context.