Churchill's Dilemma: The Real Story Behind the Origins of the 1915 Dardanelles Campaign (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780313384745)

This book completely rewrites the history of the origins of the Dardanelles Campaign and Winston Churchill's role in it, adding a new perspective to the military and political history of World War I.

Churchill's Dilemma: The Real Story Behind the Origins of the 1915 Dardanelles Campaign is an entirely original study of the origins of the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign of 1915 and Winston Churchill's role in it. The work challenges long-held beliefs about Churchill's actions as First Lord, including the perceptions that he had a preoccupation with the Dardanelles bordering on obsession, and that he only reluctantly promoted a naval-only attempt to force the Dardanelles because there were no troops available for a full-scale amphibious assault on the Peninsula.

Opening with a brief study of prewar naval policy in the age of the mine and submarine and the implications of the growing threat from Germany, this in-depth study shows that neither perception is true. Churchill's preoccupation was with northern Europe, not the Mediterranean. He promoted his naval-only operation because he hoped this would preempt a major British military commitment to a southern theatre that would compromise his northern aspirations. In studying the motivations that drove and the other key players in this drama, this groundbreaking work does nothing less than unlock the true origins of the Dardanelles campaign.

Author: Graham T. Clews
ISBN-10: 0313384746
ISBN-13: 9780313384745
Publisher: Praeger
Language: English
Published: 09/13/2010
Pages: 376
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.72lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.20d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2011
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2010 pg. 32