The Ottoman Army won a historic victory over the Allied forces at Gallipoli in 1915. This was one of the most decisive and clear-cut campaigns of the Great War. Yet the performance of the Ottomans, the victors, has often received less attention than that of the Allied army they defeated. Edward Erickson, in this perceptive study, now released in PB, concentrates on the Ottoman side of the campaign. He looks in detail at the Ottoman Army - its structure, tactics and deployment - and at the conduct of the commanders who served it so well. His pioneering work complements the extensive literature on other aspects of the Gallipoli battle, in particular those accounts that have focused on the experience of the British, Australians and New Zealanders. This highly original reassessment of the campaign will be essential reading for students of the Great War, especially the conflict in the Middle East. AUTHOR: Edward J. Erickson was born in Norwich, New York, USA. He retired from a long distinguished US Army career which included service in senior positions in Europe and the Middle East, in particular in Turkey and Iraq. He is one of the foremost authorities on the Ottoman Army during the Great War. Among the many articles and books he has published are 'Ordered To Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War' and 'Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans 1912-1913'. Lieutenant-Colonel Erickson is currently working on Palestine: the Ottoman Campaigns of 1915-1918. REVIEWS: 'Superb new book on the Ottoman perspective of Gallipoli. Erickson has provided extensive insights into the preparations for and execution of the defence of Gallipoli. He has drawn on multiple Turkish sources, including detailed maps...[ His] insights place the campaign into a clearer perspective, dousing many of the traditional views of the Ottoman Army that have been perpetrated in the English literature...Highly recommended.' Great War Forum 20 illustrations
