00:00 The podcast episode discusses the haunting experiences of Australian war poet Harley Matthews and his fellow soldiers during the fighting at Gallipoli, as well as the personal connection of author Eugene Rogan's family to the Gallipoli story through Lance Corporal John McDonald.

05:24 The Gallipoli campaign was initially a response to a Russian request for assistance, but later became important for opening up access to the Black Sea and securing grain imports for Britain.

10:24 The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of Germany due to Enver Pasha's strong support for the Germans, and the Ottoman's first campaign was the Sarakamish campaign in Eastern Turkey, which aimed to take the jihad into Russian Muslim territory and prove the Ottoman's contribution to the Central Powers.

15:06 The British initially underestimate the Ottomans' ability to defend the straits of the Dardanelles, and after failed attempts to clear the mines and cannons, they decide to force their way through the straits with dreadnoughts, resulting in disaster.

19:57 The British fleet, including dreadnoughts, attacks the Ottoman defenses at Gallipoli, but the Ottomans prove to be as valorous in defense as the dreadnoughts were in attacking, resulting in the sinking or disabling of one third of the Entente's fleet.

25:05 The Gallipoli campaign was a challenge due to the diverse languages and nationalities of the soldiers involved, including Muslim soldiers who were later redeployed due to their conflict with fighting against their Ottoman Sultan Caliph.

29:55 The Anzacs landed in a disadvantageous position, facing steep hills and enemy fire, resulting in a tragic failure of reconnaissance and preparation, with casualties reaching around 2,000 men on the day of the landing.

34:50 The British and their allies were holding onto beachheads around the Gallipoli Peninsula, while the Ottomans continued to hold the high land and aim their artillery with lethal effectiveness on the attacking forces.

39:22 The Allied forces were frustrated in their attempts to break through Ottoman lines and seize the high ground, while the Ottomans stubbornly defended their positions and were able to drive back British attempts to advance.

44:22 The soldiers on both sides of the Gallipoli campaign showed moments of compassion and humanity towards each other, exchanging treats and gifts during lulls in the fighting, but would then put on their bayonets and kill each other when the call to battle was made.

49:12 The British soldier is saved by a Turkish soldier he had previously helped, and they share a kiss before the British soldier is taken into captivity; the Gallipoli campaign becomes a political disaster for Winston Churchill and leads to a parliamentary commission of inquiry, ultimately laying blame on Kitchener; the campaign ends with a successful withdrawal by the Allies.

53:45 The British left behind booby traps and abandoned stores, leading to both casualties and feasts for the Ottoman soldiers; the Gallipoli campaign spawns a sense of Australian and New Zealand nationalism; the Ottoman victory at Gallipoli strengthens their alliance with Germany and Bulgaria, leading to further damage for the Allies; the British suffer a second defeat in Mesopotamia; the Armenian genocide begins.