This is the first book in the English language to offer an analysis of a conflict that, in so many ways, raised the curtain on the Great War. In September 1911, Italy declared war on the once mighty, transcontinental, Ottoman Empire--but it was an Empire in decline. The ambitious Italy decided to add to her growing African empire by attacking Ottoman-ruled Tripoli (Libya). The Italian action began the rapid fall of the Ottoman Empire, which would end with its disintegration at the end of the First World War. The day after Ottoman Turkey made peace with Italy in October 1912, the Balkan League attacked in the First Balkan War. The Italo-Ottoman War, as a prelude to the unprecedented hostilities that would follow, has so many firsts and pointers to the awful future: the first three-dimensional war with aerial reconnaissance and bombing, and he first use of armoured vehicles, operating in concert with conventional ground and naval forces; war fever whipped up by the Italian press; military incompetence and stalemate; lessons in how not to fight a guerrilla war; mass death from disease and thousands more from reprisals and executions. Over thirty thousands men would die in a struggle for what may be described as little more than a scatalone di sabbia--a box of sand. As historian Charles Stephenson portrays in this book, if there is an exemplar of the futility of war, this is it. Apart from the loss of life and the huge cost to Italy (much higher than was originally envisaged), the eventual outcome was the halving of the Libyan population through emigration, famine and casualties. The Italo-Ottoman War was a conflict overshadowed by the Great War--but one which in many ways presaged the horrors to come.

The sick man -- Making Italy and making Italians -- The donkey and the minaret -- Adriatic veto -- The Italian's land -- The Battle of Tripoli -- 'The jaws of the Sahara' -- The Italians advance -- Deadlock -- 'Nations have no friends, they only have interests' -- Navalism -- The southern Sporades, the Dardanelles, and the limits of navalism -- The Iron Dice Roll -- Peace? -- Retrospect : The Italian Army and the politicians 1911-1912 -- Ultimatum from Italy to Turkey regarding Tripoli 28 September 1911 -- The curious case of Osman Mahdi -- The Italian Campaign and the Principles of War.