Gallipoli

EXCELLENT COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE SOURCE OF THIS TRAGIC SLAUGHTER OF YOUNG, HEROIC U.K. SOLDIERS ON AN UNWINNABLE PIECE OF TERRITORY WHO WERE "MURDERED" BY INEPT, INCOMPETENT & EGOMANIACAL GENERALS COLONELS AND POLITICIANS AT THE EXPENSE OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG AUSSIES, NEW ZEALANDERS AND BRITISH TROOPS. STILL THINK WAR CRIMES TRIBUNALS SHOULD TAKE PLACE POSTHUMOUSLY AGAINST THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENOCIDE OF THEIR OWN TROOPS ON THE GALLIPOLI PENNINSULA....SELLER WAS AWESOME AND PERFECT TRANSACTION!! YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK THANKS! Doug

The author sadly fulfills any and all assumptions I had of reading an Australian popular history of Gallipoli, and then some. He is very sarcastic and loves irony, but he fails to grasp that while sarcasm can be fun in the spoken word, in writing it is incredibly dull, tedious and tiresome - sometimes downright pathetic, in this author's case. I should say attempts at sarcasm, really.He also displays juvenile tendencies, like remarking on the nonsexual nature of the word 'gay' in the early 20th century - I have read that word a thousand times in the context of history and this is the first time I see the author put such an observation into writing. He is either immature or has 19-year olds as his target audience; maybe both. Maybe it really was a revelation to him, the evolution of the word gay?There are plenty more examples, and it made me want to put the book down several times. I was fuming when this guy had the gall to presume to know that Rupert Brooke would "surely have thought his own poetry foolish" had he survived. Maybe he would, but I think it's extremely presumptious to assume he would have.As to the subject matter, it's the same old post-modern, anti-imperial story about why Australasians found themselves dying on Gallipoli, so far from home. The why is easily explained by the how and when, but it doesn't fit the story. We are supposed to view these grown, heavily armed and perhaps the best motivated generation of soldiers in history, as sheep led to the slaughter by their English shepherds. I have never understood why you would want to take so much away from these men by writing history like this. They were men who made a choice and stood by it, the survivors stood by it to the end; that their country no longer stand by it is another matter and their memory should not be tampered with to fit what's fashionable.I really don't see what the author thought he was accomplishing with this.

I bought the Dogus documentary Gallipoli and heard Mr. Les Carlyon's thick Aussie drawl. In his thoughtful co-narration of the film he alone told us about the simplistic thinking of the boys who thought that going to war was going to be a great adventure. "It was so simple to them," he said. I looked online for him and found his book Gallipoli, and am reading it now. It is a lot longer than I had thought, but it is an easy read. I rewatch my film and imagine his voice coming forth from this well-written and informative book. It is the best about the subject I have read.

The book is everything I expected it to be. The only comment I have is I wish there had been more letters, comments from the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli. I read the section on the Dardanelles and Gallipoli from the biography of Winston Churchill by Andrew Roberts. Is interesting and also saddening to know how the indecision among the Admirals, Generals, and the London War Council caused so many British soldiers and sailors to die. The book is well written and one can imagine the difficulties the fighting men faced in what the advertisement called The Classic Account of one of the most Tragic Battles in Modern History.

How Gallipoli formed the character of Australia and New Zealand is a fascinating tale. If the reader were unaware of this bit of history it would seem quite improbable. However, the book is overwhelming in its detail and would be much more enjoyable to read if it were a third of its length.

I just could not get in to this book. Didn't care for the writers sarcastic writing style at all. Was looking for a good solid history of the Galipoli campaign. Had never read much about it, although I'm fairly familiar with it. Other viewers may have a different account, but I just couldn't get in to it.

Finally finished. The author has just the right amount of cynicism to tell the story correctly. Easy to follow a very complex campaign and how the different beach heads on the peninsula each failed. The terrain he describes and some of the photos make the impossibility of the task assigned clear even if there was not so much incompetence by the Brass. The only thing that went well in the whole campaign was the withdrawal. Book could have used more maps. Since the entire battle was fought within twenty miles, scale would not have been a problem.

Author's journalistic style provides an insightful and engaging read ..Well researched ,Carlyon cleverly juxtaposes the pathos and failings of the Gallipoli campaign with the historical background of the ancient landscape..the futility and brutality of the campaign is made very evident ..

I was on a tour of the Gallipoli battlefields last year (run by Battle Honours, - highly recommended). Before going I re-read Alan Moorhead's "Gallipoli", and, of course, whilst on the tour was able to absorb much of the history and actualities of the campaign thanks to the excellent Battle Honours guides. But on return I came across L A Carlyon's "Gallipoli" and found that it really helped to better understand those terrible days in 1915. The book is packed with information, with plenty of illustrations and maps. The book provides a highly comprehensive description and explanation of the events of those days.I enjoyed the book so much that I ordered another copy (from Amazon) to give to my brother, who shares a similar interest in the Gallipoli campaign.

Wow , What a book !!! A monster, over 700 pages but I struggled to put it down. Didn't know a great deal about the campaign other than watching the 1981 film when I was a 16 yr old soldier. Read this book and you will understand everything that there is to know about the campaign in general. Yet again another sad event concerning the Great War where brave young men were slaughtered due to poor decisions made by out of touch politicians and inept Generals.Carlyon tends to focus more on the Anzacs however the book is first class and he really puts you onto the battlefield. Read this and then watch the Australian TV mini series Gallipoli 2015 ( online ) . All seven episodes. Based on this book. Absolutely outstanding, up there with Band of Brothers.

I really enjoyed this book. I had a general overview of WW1 and some insight into the Western Front, but knew little beyond the barest facts about Gallipoli. This book has been an informative, revelatory and emotional read. The book has an excellent mix of the 'big' and the 'small'; the grand strategy and the action on the ground. The author comes from a journalistic rather than 'academic historian' background, so whilst the book is very detailed and thoroughly researched, it fair rolls along as a cracking read too. If you were entirely new to the events you may find the narrative and cast of characters a bit confusing at the beginning, but that may well be deliberate as the author looks to get across the confused nature of the whole campaign from it's inception. It is a very confusing campaign in many ways, but the author has done a great job. Contrary to what another reviewer has written, I found the maps to be excellent and there are even dioramas to help understand the terrain - a key aspect of the events.It has certainly made me want to visit the Dardenelles and the various sites. Brilliant book. Really enjoyed it.

Carlyon’s empathy for the common soldier makes this one of the best books written about the Dardanelles Campaign.Of the ANZAC hero ‘The Man with the Donkey’ (who was born on Tyneside) he writes; “Simpson the man is more interesting than Simpson the legend. He was brave; he wasn’t a saint. He liked Australia but he was always a Geordie. His heart belonged not to the sunlit plains but to the familiar grime of Northern England, to his widowed mother and his sister Annie”.Not surprisingly, the British top brass (Churchill, Fisher, Kitchener and Hamilton) are savaged, but the Australian High Command don’t fair any better including General Bridges - Commander of Australian 1st Division. According to Carlyon, a few days after Bridges was sniped an English staff officer tried to strike up a conversation with some battle hardened Anzac's. “Have you chaps heard that they’ve given General Bridges a posthumous knighthood?” “Have they?” one of the Aussies replied. “Well, that won’t do him much good where he is now, will it mate?”I strongly recommend this book.

Gallipoli This is an excellent book. Well researched and well written. Easy to understand. Describes the political events leading up to The Gallipoli landings in 1915, and then all the very human events of the landings and occupation of the Gallipoli Peninsular in 1915, with some very touching individual anecdotes. For example it even tells of a lady who was the only lady ever to land at Gallipoli during the fighting so she could lay a wreath at her lovers grave. A good all round read.Graham Gallipoli