AE2: The Silent ANZAC

by Hugh Dolan

The Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 is most commonly associated with the invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula by Allied forces in an effort to weaken the Central Powers and take control of the Ottoman Empire. The invasion was the beginning of seven months of costly land battles, ending with the evacuation of Allied forces. However, another campaign was fought beneath the waters surrounding the Gallipoli peninsula, one in which honours for both sides were even, with victories and disasters for both Allied and Ottoman forces. On 25 April 1915 - the day the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli - Lieutenant Commander Dacre Stoker set out as captain of the Australian submarine HMAS AE2 on a mission to breach the treacherous Dardanelles Strait with the intention of disrupting Turkish supply lines to the isolated Gallipoli peninsula. Facing dangerous currents, mines and withering enemy fire, Stoker and his men succeeded where British and French submarines had come to grief. This is a factually accurate retelling of the events of 25 April 1915 in graphic novel/comic book format - a fun and visually appealing full-colour history resource suitable for readers of all ages.

50 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

About the author

Hugh Dolan is a Squadron Leader in the Australian Air Force, a life that he enjoys and recommends to others. He is currently researching the air battles over Gallipoli at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He has worked in minor headquarters roles in Australia and overseas. He describes his military service to be within range of map tables and the coffee percolator. His military career started 15 years ago with enlistment in the British Army as a private. He served in Bosnia as a junior NCO and witnessed the importance of military intelligence in operation planning. He confesses that he initially joined the army after barely graduating with a masters degree in history from Oxford University to pay overdue bills and to see how history is written.