The Gaza Battles, 1917: The Ottoman Story

For more than a century, Australians have viewed the Palestine Campaign through the eyes of the renowned and often romanticised Light Horse. But on the other side of the hill stood an equally determined Ottoman army whose story has rarely been told in English. The Gaza Battles, 1917 brings these perspectives together for the first time in an accessible, engaging, and deeply researched narrative. From the early fighting in Sinai to the twin Gaza defeats and the dramatic charge at Beersheba, this book reveals what Australian troops saw and what their Ottoman opponents experienced. Based on archival research across three countries, official histories, memoirs, and previously unseen photographs, multilingual military historian Mesut Uyar explains not just what happened, but why decisions were made, how soldiers fought, and what each side understood about the other. Illustrated with more than 100 photographs – including many never before published – and supported by specially commissioned maps, this is an essential new history of a campaign that shaped the Middle East and left a lasting legacy in both Australia and Türkiye.