[Ottoman Maps of the First World War]

Learning from the (military) lessons of the First World War.

This uncommon collection of WWI maritime charts and battle plans was originally compiled by Sir Julian S Corbett for inclusion in the Naval Operations section of his influential History of the Great War. First published (in English) in London in 1921, these examples were disbound from an Ottoman translation issued somewhat later, probably shortly after Turkey declared its independence in 1923.

The Ottoman Navy was essentially dissolved following World War I, after a mixed combat record and several disastrous engagements in prior conflicts. It’s logical that the Turkish Navy under Ataturk would look to the British – dominant on the seas – for military lessons in maritime warfare. The maps, listed below, are occasionally found on the market individually, but rarely as a collection. The accompanying volume has unfortunately been lost.

Bombardment of Hartlepool; Strategical Plan of the Raid on the Yorkshire Coast; Alexandretta; Strategical Plan of the Dogger Bank Action; Suez Canal; The Approaches to the Dardanelles; The Dardanelles, Bombardment of February 19th; Dardanelles, Bombardment of February 25th; Smyrna; The Dardanelles, the Attack on the Narrows; Gallipoli, the Southern Beaches; Eastern Mediterranean; British Islands, North Sea and Baltic Entrance;  The Raid on the Yorkshire Coast; The Battle of the Dogger Bank; The Dardanelles; The Search for, and Destruction of S.M.S. Dresden.

Source.