The decision to abandon the campaign, ultimately, was Lord Kitchener’s to make after General Sir Charles Monro had made a quick assessment and concluded that “a complete evacuation was the only wise course to pursue.” The decision was strategically sound, but evacuation was going to be operationally complex and tactically daunting. The allies simply could not continue expending resources on it, particularly with other campaigns developing in Mesopotamia and North Africa stretching logistics to the limit. The Ottoman forces had defended their territory well and by late 1915 were being strengthened, particularly in artillery. That the Anzac, British, Indian and French force was stuck and unable to made headway had been quite clear since August 1915 and many might argue that it had been so since the first days of the land operation in April.
In this latest work, he covers an aspect of the doomed campaign that is often glossed over: the withdrawal from the peninsula in late 1915 and early 1916. In his previous work, Hart pulled no punches in declaring that the Gallipoli venture was ill-conceived and should never have taken place. “The Gallipoli evacuation” is no exception and is a production in collaboration with Mat McLachlan’s Living History. He has a track record of writing highly readable histories in which he is unafraid to express strong opinions. A former oral historian for the Imperial War Museum, battlefield tour guide, frequently seen on TV, regular speaker at conferences and meetings, producer of his own podcast series and contributor to others, he also finds time as a family man and still fronts a punk rock band.
You don’t need me to introduce the author of this book, for Peter Hart is amongst the most prolific authors on Great War subjects.
275 pages plus 35 pages of acknowledgements, bibliography, endnotes and index. Published in Australia and UK by Living History
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