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A recent story about Gallipoli.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/american_military_history/2013/11/the_battle_of_gallipoli_winston_churchill_mustafa_kemal_and_the_battle_that.3.html

For thos eof us who know somethign of the battle, there is nothing really new. However, it was interesting to read how the battlefield is becoming a focal point not just for Nationalist/Secular Turks but also for Islamicist Turks. The Islamicists believe it is one of the few places where Islam overcame Western military power.

Anyway, I thought this article might be interesting to some of us on this board.

Incompetent commanders and leaders had more to do with the defeat than Islam.

GG

 generalgrog wrote:
Incompetent commanders and leaders had more to do with the defeat than Islam.

GG

Sure but every good idealogue knows better than to let reality stand in the way of propoganda

 generalgrog wrote:
Incompetent commanders and leaders had more to do with the defeat than Islam.

GG

There were plenty of mistakes made by Commonwealth officers, but there'd been plenty of equally big screw ups against minor powers like the Turks before that never resulted in stalemate and eventual defeat. The Turks themselves fought with impressive bravery and tenacity.

Nationalism about battle fought by people generations ago are always kind of silly (well, nationalism is always a little silly) but if you're going to get nationalistic about a war, Gallipoli isn't too unreasonable a battle to pick.

 generalgrog wrote:
Incompetent commanders and leaders had more to do with the defeat than Islam.

GG

The story higlights an amazing moment where Kemal (ataturk) orders his men to fix bayonets when they run out of ammunition. The ANZACS are moving forward and threatening to break from the bay ont he first day or two of the fighting. Kemal says something like.... "I am not asking you to fight. I am asking you to die."

Didn't the Turks lose WWI?

 Frazzled wrote:
Didn't the Turks lose WWI?

yes....

And Mel Gibson beat them as well.

GG

Yes, but not because of Gallipoli. They won at Gallipoli.

 Easy E wrote:
Yes, but not because of Gallipoli. They won at Gallipoli.

Pfft. If you didn't win the war, and just a battle...pfft.