One of the incredible stories to come out of the opening weeks of World War I was that of the German battlecruiser Goeben. In ten days, Goeben and its running mate, the light cruiser Breslau, would strike French North Africa and confound the Royal Navy, then evade three groups of pursuers to reach the safety of Constantinople. There is more to the story than a daring sea voyage: Goeben's escape would initiate a chain of events altering the course of World War I and ultimately remaking the map of the Middle East.