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

The Gallipoli campaign of the First World War seems to have been exhaustively studied by shelves of books and thousands of articles. This edited volume challenges this perception of completion, revealing extensive uncovered ground, misunderstandings and even complete neglect in the historiography.

To achieve its aim, this volume brings together well-known military historians who use their unique expertise to approach the Gallipoli Campaign from the perspectives of eight combatant nations. Drawing inspiration from Keegan’s famous book about the Normandy Campaign, they highlight the presence of these different nations on the Gallipoli Peninsula and the need to examine them comparatively within the context, especially the case of the Germans, French, Indians and Irish, whose roles in the campaign have been largely overshadowed. Each chapter offers missing insights and reappraisals of the published literature on the Gallipoli campaign, while seeking to avoid the oversimplification, repetition and nationalistic clichés that still haunt new works.

This book is intended for scholars, students and general readers interested in World War I and military history more broadly.

The Gallipoli campaign of the First World War seems to have been exhaustively studied by shelves of books and thousands of articles. This edited volume challenges this perception of completion, revealing extensive uncovered ground, misunderstandings and even complete neglect in the historiography.

To achieve its aim, this volume brings together well-known military historians who use their unique expertise to approach the Gallipoli Campaign from the perspectives of eight combatant nations. Drawing inspiration from Keegan’s famous book about the Normandy Campaign, they highlight the presence of these different nations on the Gallipoli Peninsula and the need to examine them comparatively within the context, especially the case of the Germans, French, Indians and Irish, whose roles in the campaign have been largely overshadowed. Each chapter offers missing insights and reappraisals of the published literature on the Gallipoli campaign, while seeking to avoid the oversimplification, repetition and nationalistic clichés that still haunt new works.

This book is intended for scholars, students and general readers interested in World War I and military history more broadly.