![]() Once this had occurred the Navy decided that if it could force the Narrows, Turkey would capitulate. It was British and French diplomatic bungling that brought Turkey into the war on the side of Germany rather than the Entente powers. Moorehead's over-arching theme is one of missed opportunities on sea and land, and of poor decision making. While the landings in April and the battles thereafter were the blooding of the ANZACs, the preponderance of the landing forces were British and French troops, including many Indian and African regiments. Moorehead's narrative of the campaign is still - sixty years after it was written - the ideal entree to the story for someone who knows little of what went on, or perhaps has a too Australian-centric view of what occurred in the eight months Entente troops were invested on the Peninsula. The venture was a disaster for the Entente, as well as for the Ottoman Empire. One hundred and two years ago, at dawn on 25 April 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula as part of an Entente amphibious landing designed to take Turkey out of the War. It's appropriate on this day of all days that this is the book I'm reviewing. ![]()
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