Winston Churchill and the Extraordinary DARDANELLES DISASTER of World War I

The extraodinary story of the British Navy's disastrous attempt to pass through the Dardanelles to Constantinople marked a turning point in World War I. In a new book, acclaimed naval military expert Dan van der Vat offers a fascinating retelling of the story, and analyzes the role of the young Winston Churchill. As First Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill attempted to break the deadlock of the First World War with a daring plan to force the Dardanelles Straits. The plan quickly faltered and subsequent attempts to land troops at Galipolli resulted in massive Allied casualties. The failure also brought about Churchill’s removal from office. In The Dardanelles Disaster, Dan van der Vat argues that the disaster at the Dardanelles prolonged the war by two years, led to the Russian Revolution, forced Britain to the brink of starvation, and contributed to the destabilization of the Middle East.

With a narrative rich in human drama, The Dardanelles Disaster highlights all the diplomatic clashes from Whitehall to the Hellespont, Berlin to Constantinople, and St. Petersburg to the Bosporus. Van der Vat analyzes Churchill s response to the obstacles he faced and describes the fateful actions of the Turkish, German, and British governments. With never before published information on Colonel Geehl s minelaying operation, which won the battle for the Germans, The Dardanelles Disaster is essential reading for everyone interested in great naval history, Churchill s early career, and World War I.

Dan Van der Vat's THE DARDANELLES DISASTER in Library Journal

Naval historian Dan Van der Vat's new book, The Dardanelles Disaster: The Extraordinary Story of Churchill's Most Spectacular Defeat , is reviewed in Library Journal: "In 1915, the Royal Navy and Allied troops sought to open the Dardanelles strait, which the Ottoman Empire had closed to the Allies in 1914. The operation was overseen by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, and it was a massive failure that devolved into the horrific Battle of Gallipoli. Van der Vat provides a narrative, hewing very much to maneuver details, both in battle and in Whitehall offices, and then indicating how the World War I Turco-German alliance impacted not only that war's duration but the course of history to come. Van der Vat aims at general readers, but will also interest strict military history enthusiasts."