Osprey Essential Histories 23 : The First World War (4) : The Mediterranean Front 1914-1923

The First World War in the Mediterranean represented more than just a peripheral theatre to the war on the western front. The war across the Mediterranean saw some of the most memorable campaigns and battles of the Great War, fought across a variety of terrains, from the heights of the Italian Alps, to the deserts of Palestine. Matthew Hughes guides us expertly through the bitter fighting, covering in detail such renowned battles as Gallipoli, Caporetto and of course, Megiddo, where General Allenby's Egyptian Expeditionary Force smashed three Turkish armies in one of the most brilliant operations in the history of the British Army. He assesses the importance of T E Lawrence's contribution to the campaign and drawing on the full breadth of available contemporary sources, he recreates the very different experiences of soldiers and civilians caught up in the conflict in the Dardanelles, in Salonika and in Palestine.

Contents

• Introduction
• Chronology
• Background to War : The Road to War
• Warring Sides : The Opposing Armies
• Outbreak : Countdown to War
• The Fighting : War in the Mediterranean
• Portrait of a Soldier : Cecil, Harold and Noel Wright
• The World around War : The Loose Ends of War
• The Village of Christleton
• Portrait of a Civilian : War on the Home Front
• How the War Ended : End of the Tragedy
• Conclusion and Consequences : Aftermaths