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Book Review published in the May 26 edition of “The Book Review Literary Trust” Publication.
WE TOO WERE THERE: INDIANS AT GALLIPOLI
Written by : (By Col Tejinder Hundal)
Reviewed by: Air Marshal Anil Khosla (Retd) PVSM, AVSM, VM
The Gallipoli campaign (also called the Dardanelles campaign, the Defence of Gallipoli, or the Battle of Gallipoli) was a military operation during the First World War on the Gallipoli Peninsula (now Gelibolu) from 19 February 1915 to 9 January 1916. The Allied powers, Britain, France, and the Russian Empire, aimed to capture the Ottoman Empire, one of the Central Powers, by gaining control of the Turkish straits. This would have exposed the Ottoman capital at Constantinople to bombardment by Allied warships and cut it off from the Asian part of the empire. With the Ottoman Empire defeated, the Suez Canal would be protected, and the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits would be open to Allied supplies to the Black Sea and Russian warm-water ports.
In February 1915, the Allied fleet failed to force a passage through the Dardanelles. An amphibious landing on the Gallipoli peninsula began in April 1915. Gallipoli was the first major amphibious operation in modern warfare. British (including troops from the British Empire) and French troops landed on the Ottoman-held peninsula in the Dardanelles Straits. In January 1916, after eight months’ fighting, with approximately 250,000 casualties on each side, the campaign was abandoned, and the invasion force was withdrawn. It was a costly campaign for both the Allied powers and the Ottoman Empire.
Indian troops played crucial roles in several key battles during the 1915 Gallipoli Campaign, suffering heavy casualties while supporting Allied efforts against Ottoman defences. On 12 May 1915, the 29th Indian Brigade, including the 1/6th Gurkha Rifles, captured a coastal hill feature west of Krithia, named Gurkha Bluff for their effective action; this marked their first significant engagement in the Helles area. In the third Battle of Krithia, fought on 4 June 1915, the 14th Sikhs (Jat Sikhs) from the 29th Indian Brigade charged Turkish positions at Gully Ravine amid intense machine-gun fire and barbed wire, suffering 82% casualties as nearly the entire battalion was wiped out in close-quarters fighting. Indian units repelled Turkish assaults on 3 and 5 July 1915 near Gully Spur and Gurkha Bluff, with Gurkha battalions pushing back the enemy by 1,000 yards over eight days of counterattacks, while sustaining 40% casualties. In the August 1915 offensive, the 29th Indian Brigade landed at ANZAC Cove on 5-6 August and assaulted Sari Bair Ridge; on 9 August, the 1/6th Gurkha Rifles briefly crested the summit before artillery and counterattacks forced a retreat.
The histories of Gallipoli have traditionally focused on the ANZACs (Australia and New Zealand) and British forces. The book “We Too Were There: Indians at Gallipoli” by Col Tejinder Hundal is a detailed military history that focuses on the Indian Army’s role (over 16,000 Indian troops) in the Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War. Hundal’s book seeks to restore the Indian soldiers’ service, sacrifices, and experiences to the narrative. Hundal argues that the “spirit of Gallipoli” wasn’t just an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon. It was a multicultural crucible where Indian soldiers earned the respect of their peers through sheer grit and professionalism. The book follows the 13th Frontier Force Rifles, the Indian Mountain Artillery, and the thousands of mule drivers and medical personnel who served on the rugged Turkish peninsula. Hundal doesn’t just provide a dry military report; he reconstructs the campaign through a lens of shared sacrifice.
Author Col. Tejinder Hundal is a serving Indian Army officer with a PhD in Defence and Strategic Studies. He has a keen interest in the participation of Indian Army troops in the two World Wars. At over 600 pages, his book is comprehensive and deeply researched. The book is built from extensive research into primary sources, including war diaries, personal letters, and regimental records. These sources document the deployment of Indian infantrymen, artillery units, mule transport and logistic corps, and the hardships they endured on the Dardanelles peninsula from April to December 1915. The book includes maps and sketches that help visualise the Dardanelles’ impossible terrain. It doesn’t just recount battles; it delves into mobilisation, logistics, adaptation to harsh conditions, and the administrative challenges of war from an Indian perspective. These topics are rarely covered in mainstream histories of Gallipoli.
Hundal highlights how Indian mountain batteries provided the only effective artillery support for the Anzacs in the early days of the landing. A significant portion is dedicated to the 6th Gurkha Rifles and their legendary capture of “Sari Bair,” the highest point reached by Allied troops. Beyond the frontline, the book also emphasises the Indian mule corps, who navigated treacherous terrain under constant fire to deliver water and ammunition.
The first Chapter of the book “The Activation” unravels the decisions and strategies of the belligerents (mainly Britain and Turkey) in their efforts to capture and defend the peninsula, respectively. The chapter also discusses the origins of the various Indian Expeditionary Forces and their deployments in the various theatres of war. It finally covers the operations of the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade’s troops in the peninsula.
The second chapter of the book “The Arrangements” provides a detailed analysis of the recruitment system, patterns, Incentives, and the state of the Indian Army (Infantry, Artillery, and the Imperial Service Troops) in 1914. It also briefly includes the oft-neglected component of the Burma Military Police, which was part of the Indian Brigade at Gallipoli. The third chapter of the book “The Affirmation” is dedicated to the participation and contributions of the Indian Troops in the various battles fought in the peninsula.
The penultimate chapter of the book “The Administration” discusses the personal arms and ammunition, food, water, medical supplies, and the pay and allowances of the Indian Troops at Gallipoli. The chapter also deals with the issues of reinforcements and reporting of casualties of the Indian forces. The last chapter of the book, “The Acknowledgement”, is dedicated to the memories of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives at Gallipoli. The chapter delves into the trials and tribulations of the Indian soldiers. Stories of three sikh soldiers who participated in the campaign are also painstakingly developed.
Hundal’s central aim is to acknowledge and honour the Indian troops whose contributions have been historically overlooked. The narrative draws attention to the courage, discipline, and heavy casualties suffered by formations like the Sikh infantry and support units. Hundal’s work also serves as a corrective to colonial-era histories that minimised the Indian role in favour of Western front perspectives. This makes the book not just historical but also commemorative, appealing to readers interested in hidden or marginalised war narratives.
Hundal’s writing is deeply researched, striking a balance between military strategy and human emotion. It is a vital read for anyone interested in how the Indian Army became a world-class fighting force. The book is most useful for military historians, defence professionals, students of World Wars, and readers interested in the overlooked role of Indian soldiers in global wars.
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News. Russia successfully test-launched the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region) on 12 May 26. The missile followed its planned profile and struck its designated target (at Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula) approximately thirty minutes after launch. Strategic Missile Forces commander Sergei Karakayev reported that all specified technical characteristics had been validated. Putin described the test as a “major event and unconditional success” and congratulated the defence ministry, scientists, engineers, and the thousands of workers whose collaborative effort brought the programme to this milestone.
Missile. The Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau produces the RS-28 Sarmat. It is a silo-launched, three-stage, liquid-fuelled super-heavy ICBM (35.3 metres in length and approximately 208 tonnes in launch weight). It is claimed to be the largest ballistic missile ever constructed. Its payload capacity is ten tonnes, and it can carry a variety of warheads (including multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and, reportedly, the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. Its operational flexibility significantly exceeds that of its predecessor.
Capability. Among the Sarmat’s most strategically significant attributes is its capacity to approach targets via non-standard flight trajectories. Unlike conventional ICBMs that follow northern polar arcs, the Sarmat is capable of fractional orbital bombardment, i.e. flying a depressed, sub-orbital trajectory over the South Pole to reach targets in North America. This gives it the ability to approach from directions that existing American missile defence interceptor networks, positioned primarily in Alaska and California and oriented toward northern approach corridors, are not designed to engage. Putin has noted that the missile can travel on both ballistic and suborbital trajectories, with a maximum range reportedly exceeding 35,000 kilometres.
Feature Enhancement. The missile has a shorter boost phase than its predecessor. This reduces the window for tracking by the space-based infrared sensors. It is a meaningful enhancement for the missile’s survivability. The Sarmat is also claimed to be more accurate than the Voyevoda. Putin has stated that the Sarmat’s destructive potential substantially exceeds that of any comparable Western system.
Strategic Implication. The successful launch carries significant strategic implications. The R-36M2 Voyevoda, a Soviet-era heavy ICBM, had been the backbone of Russia’s silo-based deterrent for decades. The Sarmat is intended to replace it, and it represents the most consequential upgrade to Russia’s nuclear triad in the post-Cold War period. Putin announced that Russia would deploy the first Sarmat-equipped regiment for combat duty before the end of 2026. It is claimed to be designed to penetrate both existing and prospective ballistic missile defences. This capability is important for Russia to maintain credible second-strike deterrence.
Race. The Sarmat is one of six next-generation strategic weapons that Putin unveiled in March 2018, presenting them as Russia’s response to the United States’ withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2001 and the subsequent development of American missile defence infrastructure. From Moscow’s perspective, a credible and penetrating nuclear second-strike capability is the foundation of strategic stability. The assurance that no adversary can neutralise Russia’s deterrent through a disarming first strike and expect to intercept the surviving response. The Sarmat is engineered specifically to preserve that assurance against all foreseeable developments in missile defence technology.
Timing. The test comes at a time of considerable significance in the current global landscape. The New START treaty (the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms limitation agreement between Russia and the United States) expired in February 2026. Russia suspended its participation in New START in February 2023, citing what it described as the fundamentally changed strategic environment resulting from Western military support for Ukraine. The absence of any active treaty framework means that both sides are now free to expand and modernise their arsenals without the notification and inspection. The Sarmat’s development and operational deployment will proceed in this unconstrained environment.
Domestic Significance. Domestically, the test carries political weight as well as military significance. It arrives days after Russia’s Victory Day commemorations. It demonstrates the continued vitality of Russia’s defence industrial and scientific base under sustained international sanctions and economic pressure. It affirms the country’s standing as a nuclear superpower capable of fielding world-leading weapons systems.
Global Interest. Internationally, the Sarmat’s deployment will be watched closely in capitals around the world (from Washington to Beijing and from New Delhi to Brussels). For NATO’s strategic planners, it represents a genuine generational upgrade to Russia’s land-based deterrent. It will force them to recalibrate their threat assessments and defence postures. For countries in the Global South, it is a reminder that the nuclear dimension of great-power competition remains very much alive and is, if anything, intensifying.
Concluding Thought. Russia’s strategic modernisation programme has always been driven by the conviction that a strong nuclear deterrent is the ultimate guarantor of national sovereignty and strategic autonomy. The Sarmat’s successful test and approaching operational debut confirm that this conviction remains the organising principle of Russian defence policy. It also proves that Russia retains both the industrial capacity and the scientific expertise to give it material form.
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