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[[File:gallipoli book.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019964487X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019964487X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a8e8033bf05ee23ebd3eb37d5e0ccd1 Gallipoli: Great Battle Series]'' by Jenny MacLeod published by Oxford University Press]]
Jenny Macleod, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019964487X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019964487X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a8e8033bf05ee23ebd3eb37d5e0ccd1 Gallipoli]'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).
One hundred three years have passed since the Battle of Gallipoli took place during World War I. The multi-national attack initiated by the Allies was successfully thwarted by the multi-ethnic army of the Ottoman Empire. In ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019964487X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019964487X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5a8e8033bf05ee23ebd3eb37d5e0ccd1 Gallipoli]'', historian Jenny Macleod discusses why the Allied plan failed, and of equal importance, how the Ottoman Army withstood the assault and emerged victorious. Although new evidence has not been unearthed, Macleod takes advantage of digitization in accessing sources and presents an insightful look into the Ottoman military. Further, this text intentionally forgoes referring to Ottoman soldiers as “Turks,” and celebrates the ethnic and religious diversity of the Ottoman military forces. Finally, going beyond the battle, the author focuses heavily on the national and cultural consequences of the battle in the aftermath of the Great War.
The Ottomans, conversely to the Irish, were the victors of Gallipoli and had great reason to celebrate. On October 29, 1923, Turkey officially became an independent republic and ended more than six hundred years of Ottoman rule. Although the Ottoman Army consisted of various ethnic groups, the majority of soldiers were Turks. The military leader Mustafa Kemal Pasha, became the republic’s first leader. He was considered a hero of Gallipoli thereby strengthening the resolve of Turkish veterans and citizens to celebrate the victory at Gallipoli. As the Turks were on the losing side of the War, there was not much else to celebrate for veterans of the Central Powers in 1923. The remembrance of victory during a horrific war while at the same time rejoicing over independence provided a sense of national pride and cohesion in Turkey.
''Gallipoli'' is a detailed account of the nations involved in that battle. The book does, however; focus more on the aftermath in the participating nations. Macleod convincingly supports her argument that due to logistics, training, and politics the Allied plan could do nothing but fail. Additionally, she conveys the respect the enemy soldiers held for each other; a respect than that began as hatred. No words are wasted in this balanced account of the battle and great emphasis is placed on the ensuing cultural significance. This text does what it sets out to do; offer a “military narrative of the Gallipoli campaign and its memory during the subsequent century.”'' Gallipoli,'' with its excellent bibliography and notes, is well-suited as a supplement to World War I military text bookstextbooks. Additionally, it can be used as a cultural reference for the study of post-colonial nations, and as a tool for students of history to understand the great importance of distinguishing between memory and fact.
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