Gallipoli is a well written description and analysis of mission creep that ended in military tragedy. The book covers the battle from its beginning in January 1915 as a proposed navy demonstration (with some land support) in the Dardanelles (to ease the pressure the Russians were taking from the Turks in the Caucasus mountains) to the final stealthy withdrawal of British, Australian, New Zealand, and French forces from various toeholds on the Gallipoli peninsula in December 1915.

The narrative is from the general to the specific for the military and political decisions that framed and defined the campaign and for each phase of the resulting battle. By taking this approach the author provides the reader with an excellent understanding of all facets of the battle and its consequences. Mr. Hart makes extensive and skillful use of first person accounts of the fighting culled from letters, diaries, articles, and books written by the men who did the fighting on both sides and seamlessly weaves them into the fabric of the text. The end result is a history that holds the readers interest and reads like a fast paced novel. ( )