War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

102 WARBYREVOLUTION

theAustralian,NewZealand,andIndiandivisionsthathaddefended
EgyptduringtheTurkishattackdepartedforGallipoli.Otherdivi-
sionsoftheMEFsoonlandedinEgypt,bothimperialandBritish
troops,andtheytooleftquicklyforthenewfront."
AlthoughproblemsatGallipoliemergedimmediatelyforBritain,
itsleaders-includingGreyandKitchener-expectedvictoryanden-
visionedaddingterritoryfromthedefeatedTurkeytotheBritishEm-
pire."AstheGallipolicampaignproceeded,theLondongovernment,
inpartbecauseofits fearsofRussianandFrenchclaimsontheOtto-
manEmpire,formedaspecialinterdepartmentalcommittee,headed
by SirMauriceDeBunsen.ToitfellthetaskofexamininghowBrit-
aincoulddissolvetheTurkishstateduringthewarandyetsecure
long-termBritishinterestsintheregion."
Butin oneofthemostpoorlymountedandineptlycontrolled
militaryoperationsinBritain'shistory,thelandingsonGallipoliin
AprilandAugustendedinfailureandlargenumbersofBritishcasu-
alties."Asthedisasterunfolded,theBritishcommanderinEgypt,
Maxwell,worriedaboutitsimpactontheMuslimworldandabout
thesteadyloss bytheEgyptiangarrisonofunitstotheMEF.^24 He
warnedKitchenerthatthefailureofBritainatGallipoli"wouldbring
aboutacriticalsituationall overtheMoslemworld,andIthinkwe
shouldtakealllegitimaterisks toavoidthis." YetMaxwell alsopleaded
withthewarministernottoweakenthedefenseofEgypttoogreatly.2S
DespitethesteadydeparturesoftroopsfromEgypttoGallipoli,
as well asoccasionallytothegrowingAnglo-Indianforces insouth-
ernMesopotamia,thenumberofmenintheEgyptiangarrisonre-
mainedessentiallythesame,betweenroughlyseventyandahundred
thousand(exceptthatthegarrisongrewweakerandlessefficientbe-
causeitlostitsbestformations)."Britain,moreover,strengthened
securitymeasuresin Egypt, asillustratedby afar-rangingsearchand
rewardofferedtocapturethreeGermanspiesallegedlyoperatingin
thecountry:BaronOttovonGumppenberg,BaronvonBentheim,
andSolomonInger."
AlsobecauseofBritain'sapprehensionover publicopinionin
Egypt, SirHenryMcMahon,thenewBritishHighCommissionerin
Cairo,rejectedItaliansuggestionsthatBritainandItalynegotiatea
policyfor ajointpoliticalandmilitaryoperationagainsttheSanussis.