Eden to Armageddon: World War I in the Middle East

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Eden to Armageddon: World War I in the Middle East (eBook) Pub. Date: 8/16/2011 Publisher: Pegasus Books
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Eden to Armageddon: World War I in the Middle East (Reprint) Pub. Date: 8/15/2011 Publisher: Pegasus
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Eden to Armageddon: World War I in the Middle East Pub. Date: 5/5/2010 Publisher: Pegasus

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Overview

The Great War in the Middle East began with an invasion of the Garden of Eden, and ended with a momentous victory on the site of the biblical Armageddon. For the first time, the complete story of this epic, bloody war is now presented in a single, definitive volume.

In this inspired new work of history, Roger Ford describes the conflict in its entirety: the war in Mesopotamia, which would end with the creation of the countries of Iran and Iraq; the desperate struggle in the Caucasus, where the Turks had long-standing territorial ambitions; the doomed attacks on the Gallipoli Peninsula that would lead to ignominious defeat; and the final act in Palestine, where the Ottoman Empire finally crumbled.

Ford ends with a detailed description of the messy aftermath of the war, and the new conflicts that arose in a reshaped Middle East that would play such a huge part in shaping world affairs for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

“Starred Review. Ford supplies an outstanding account of the military campaigns in the region while integrating them into the broader political interests and maneuvers of the great powers.”

Kirkus Reviews

Sturdy but plodding account of the hell of World War I. France-based military historian Ford turns in a comprehensive survey of the Great War as it was fought over territory belonging to a rapidly crumbling Ottoman Empire, including Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and what is now Saudi Arabia. With its battle-by-battle, unit-by-unit narrative, the book seems intended for an audience of professional historians rather than history buffs, and the writing is excessively dry. Ford's attention is often focused on matters of order of battle rather than of the battle itself-e.g., "In front of Bitlis Nazarbekov had the 7th and 8th Caucasian Rifles in prepared positions, supported by field artillery and howitzers, with a battalion of the 6th Caucasian Rifles in reserve." Still, the author provides solid, detailed accounts of incidents such as the disastrous British expedition into Mesopotamia and the even more disastrous landing at Gallipoli. He takes a cold eye to the claims to greatness of T.E. Lawrence-Lawrence of Arabia, that is-whose effectiveness in the field was amplified by a helpful public-relations machine, and who seems a touch petulant whenever he is encountered, certainly less even-keeled than his commander, Gen. Edmund Allenby. Even here, however, Ford is given less to personalities than aggregates: "Two days later Allenby made significant changes to his table of organisation. The cavalry would now become the Desert Mounted Corps, while the infantry was reorganized into XX Corps and XXI Corps."A tough slog for anyone without a technical interest in the workings of an army.

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Publishers Weekly

Often forgotten except for the legend of Lawrence of Arabia, the critical Middle Eastern theater of WWI is thoroughly chronicled in this meticulous military history. Ford (The Grim Reaper) surveys all the major campaigns in the Allied—mainly British—war against the Ottoman Empire, from the invasion of Mesopotamia (“Eden”) to the climactic battle of Megiddo (the biblical Armageddon) in Palestine. A microcosm of the larger war, the story includes a seesaw struggle between the Turks and Russians in the Caucasus, bloody trench warfare on the Gallipoli peninsula, a rare successful British cavalry charge near Gaza, and a pervasive air of futility as best-laid plans go tragically awry. Ford pens a lucid operational history from the orders of commanders to the movements of units as they contend with terrain, weather, and the enemy. He also pulls back to examine the political context and the personalities of leaders like the vain, over-reaching Turkish generalissimo Enver Pasha and the abrasive yet competent Winston Churchill. The result is a stylishly written, fine-grained narrative history that should become the standard for historians and buffs alike. 48 pages of b&w photos; maps. (May)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781605981963
Publisher: Pegasus
Publication date: 8/15/2011
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 520
Sales rank: 826,470
Product dimensions: 6.00 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Roger Ford’s work encompasses both narrative military history and that of military, aviation, and naval technology. He is the author of dozens of books in the field of military technology, including The Grim Reaper, a highly acclaimed account of the development of the machine gun, as well as a two-volume history of the Allied special forces in France during World War II, Fire from the Forest and Steel From the Sky. He lives in southern France.

List of Maps vii

List of Illustrations ix

Overture

1 The Route to War 1

Part I Mesopotamia

2 To the Garden of Eden 21

3 Besieged at Kut 39

4 To Baghdad and Beyond 67

5 On to Mosul 93

Part II The Caucasus, Armenia, Anatolia and Persia

6 Sarikami_ Faciasi 121

7 The Turks Fight Back 139

8 Anatolia Invaded 155

9 Armenia, Azerbaijan and Persia 181

Part III The Dardanelles and Gallipoli

10 To Constantinople! 203

11 Landings and Stalemates 215

12 A Failure of Leadership 247

Part IV Egypt, Palestine And Syria

13 Suez and Sinai 299

14 To the Gates of Palestine 311

15 Through Gaza to Judaea 333

16 By Way of Armageddon 363

Part V Aftermath and Conclusions

17 Defeat and Victory, Dismemberment and Renewal 395

Notes 420

Select Bibliography 477

Index 479

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