Category: World War I

The Turkish Remembrance of Gallipoli

On By Marc NadeauIn Atatürk, Australia, First World War Studies, Gallipoli, Mesut Uyar, New Zealand, Remembrance, Turkey, World War ILeave a comment
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King & Country AL68 – Turkish Machine Gunner lying prone

As we approach November 11th and the ceremonies organized to commemorate what it represents, the theme of remembrance occupies a special place in my readings.

Just the other day, I found a very interesting and informative article about the historical evolution of the Remembrance of the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey, under the pen of Mesut Uyar of the University of New South Wales in Canberra (Australia) in First War Studies.

Since the evacuation of the last Anzac troops at dawn on December 20th 1915, marking a Turkish victory, the process of memory and remembrance on the Turkish side has been all but easy. Subjected to political, religious, military and identity considerations – just to quote these examples – Turkish people incessantly advocated the development and promotion of awareness of the sacrifices of their fellow citizens during that famous campaign. And it is one of the most interesting aspects of this article. Family and friends of veterans, soldiers and officers who served and fought on the peninsula along with university students were at the vanguard of this evolution.

At the entrance of the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra, the visitors can see a whale boat that served to transport the troops on the shores of Gallipoli, in front of which the following inscription is displayed: “The Australian nation was born on the shore of Gallipoli.”

With our Western eyes and conceptions, it is often too easy to focus exclusively on the military feats of Australians, New Zealanders and other Allied troops and to ignore the gallantry of the Turkish soldiers and their commanders – the most notorious being Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – founder of the Republic of Turkey. Doing so, we forfeit the opportunity to better understand and appreciate the impact of the Gallipoli campaign in the national identity and consciousness of Turkey, a country that is not only member of NATO but also an ally in the fight against terror.

Thanks to military historians like Mesut Uyar, we can better appreciate the efforts deployed by the Turkish people to bring the valor of their ancestors on the battlefield to our attention and appreciation.

The Poilu, true hero of WWI

On By Marc NadeauIn France, King & Country, The Journal of Strategic Studies, William Philpott, World War ILeave a comment
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FW149 Ready to Repel by King & Country

La version française de ce billet suit.

Dr. William Philpott of King’s College London – who specializes in the history of World War I, of the French army and British strategy – is one of my favorite historians.

In one of his past articles, “France’s Forgotten Victory” published in The Journal of Strategic Studies, he came to a conclusion that struck me:

“It was not the independently minded and dilatory British, or the tardy and brash Americans who won the war for the Entente, but the resilient, determined French, who refused to give in in the face of invasion and national disaster.”

With brio, Professor Philpott articulates convincing arguments about the fact that the French poilus are the true heroes of the First World War. Their contribution has visibly been occulted in historiography and public awareness.

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William Philpott, professeur au King’s College de Londres – qui se spécialise en histoire de la Première Guerre mondiale, de l’armée française et de la stratégie britannique – est l’un de mes historiens favoris.

Dans l’un de ses articles passés, intitulé « France’s Forgotten Victory » (la victoire oubliée des Français) dans The Journal of Strategic Studies, il en arrive à une conclusion étonnante mais révélatrice :

« Ce n’est pas le soldat britannique retardataire indépendant d’esprit, ni les Américains tardifs et impétueux qui ont remporté la guerre pour l’Entente, mais plutôt les Français déterminés et résistants, qui ont refusé d’abdiquer devant la menace d’invasion et de catastrophe nationale. »

Avec brio, le Professeur Philpott avance des arguments solides à l’effet que les poilus français sont les véritables héros de la Première Guerre mondiale. Leur contribution a visiblement été passée sous silence dans l’historiographie et l’imaginaire populaire.

How Foch became the Victor of 1918

On By Marc NadeauIn Battle of the Somme, British Journal of Military History, Douglas Haig, Elizabeth Greenhalgh, Ferdinand Foch, France, History, Military, World War ILeave a comment
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Marshal Ferdinand Foch

One of the things I love the most as a military history enthusiast is to read articles published in the British Journal of Military History.

In its last issue, the Journal featured a fascinating article about Ferdinand Foch – the unsung hero of the First World War – by Australian historian and author Elizabeth Greenhalgh.

She writes that, in 1916, on the occasion of the Battle of the Somme, “Foch learned much about alliance warfare and worked hard to build a relationship with [Field Marshal Douglas] Haig that benefited him as Generalissimo in 1918.” Without question, that year was a difficult one for the French General. He was overruled by Joffre in his choice of the sector where he would intervene, he knew he did not possess the required resources to achieve success and the Battle of Verdun reduced the role of the French army on the Somme. To cap it all, he was sacked from his command of the Northern Army in the middle of the month of December. Things could hardly get worse. But what could have been the end of the road for many was a learning curve for the future Marshal. The success of 1918 was forged in the difficult moments of 1916.

In sum, a fascinating article that you can’t miss if you’re interested in military history or World War I.

And since the whole content of the Journal is free, you have no reason to miss it.

Remembering Gallipoli

On By Marc NadeauIn ANZACS, Gallipoli, King and Country, Toy Soldiers, World War ILeave a comment

For those of you who are interested in military history – and I suspect you are if you took time to visit this blog – you might also like to know that King and Country (the largest producer of collectible toy soldiers in the world) has just released some items commemorating the famous and tragic battle of Gallipoli in 1915. Have a look for yourself and you will understand why I decided to take a few moments to write about these figures representing the brave ANZACS servicemen.