A Turkish Point of View on the Gallipoli Campaign

Even after a century, the events of the Gallipoli Campaign loom large in the national memories of Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand. National monuments erected for the fallen participants of the campaign have become sites of pilgrimage, remembrance, and ritualized commemoration, attracting countless visitors eager to learn more about the 130,000 allied and Ottoman soldiers who perished in the fierce battle that would define an era. As one of the most important battles fought during World War I, the Gallipoli Campaign subsequently had a forceful and a lasting impact on the identities of Australians, New Zealanders and Turks. If for Australians and New Zealanders the campaign came to signify an identity distinct from the British, in Turkish historical memory the battle of Canakkale (as it is known in Turkey) is most of all associated with the birth pangs of the modern republic and the emergence of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, its founder and its most revered historical and political personality.

The book traces the strategic importance and cartographic history of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles back to antiquity, before focusing on the maps made by both the Allies and Central Powers in preparation for, during, and after the Gallipoli Campaign. Maps of the Battleground of Gallipoli (Gelibolu) and the Dardanelles, includes numerous color illustrations and photos, as well as maps printed in color in their entirety, many of which may not have been seen previously by English-language readers.

The Maps of the Battleground of Gallipoli (Gelibolu) and the Dardanelles is a great and a learned analysis of an important episode in the WWI, providing the literature on this topic a much-needed cartographic texture.