ANZAC Soldier vs Ottoman Soldier: Gallipoli and Palestine 1915–18 - Combat

In 1915-18, ANZAC and Ottoman soldiers clashed on numerous battlefields, from Gallipoli to Jerusalem. This illustrated study explores the two sides' fighting men.

The Gallipoli campaign of 1915-16 pitched the Australian and New Zealand volunteers known as the ANZACs into a series of desperate battles with the Ottoman soldiers defending their homeland. In August 1915, the bitter struggle for the high ground known as Chunuk Bair saw the peak change hands as the Allies sought to overcome the stalemate that set in following the landings in April. The ANZACs also played a key part in the battle of Lone Pine, intended to divert Ottoman attention away from the bid to seize Chunuk Bair.

The Gallipoli campaign ended in Allied evacuation in the opening days of 1916. Thereafter, many ANZAC units remained in the Middle East and played a decisive role in the Allies' hard-fought advance through Palestine that finally forced the Turks to the peace table. The fateful battle of Beersheba in October 1917 pitted Australian mounted infantry against Ottoman foot soldiers as the Allies moved on Jerusalem.

Though divided by language, faith and culture, the men of both sides would find common ground in mutual respect, and the confrontations between them remain burned into the collective national identity of their respective countries. Featuring specially commissioned artwork and mapping, this fully illustrated study examines the fighting men on both sides who fought at Chunuk Bair, Lone Pine and Beersheba.