When God Made Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921

by Charles Townshend

Since 2003, Iraq has rarely left the headlines. But less discussed is the fact that Iraq as we know it was created by the British, in one of the most dramatic interventions in recent history. A cautious strategic invasion by British forces led - within seven years - to imperial expansion on a dizzying scale, with fateful consequences for the Middle East and the world. In When God Made Hell, Charles Townshend charts Britain's path from one of its worst military disasters to extraordinary success with largely unintended consequences, through overconfidence, incompetence and dangerously vague policy. With monumental research and exceptionally vivid accounts of on-the-ground warfare, this a truly gripping account of the Mesopotamia campaign, and its place in the wider political and international context. For anyone seeking to understand the roots of British involvement in Iraq, it is essential reading.

Genres: History, Middle East, World War I, Military History, Military Fiction, War, Research

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Charles Townshend FBA (born 1945) is a British historian with particular expertise on the historic role of British imperialism in Ireland and Palestine.

Townshend is currently Professor of International History at Keele University. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2008.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Townshend's Desert Hell (also titled When God Made Hell) provides a detailed account of Britain's misguided operations in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) during World War I. Townshend's book depicts the campaign as a case study in mission creep: a limited expedition to secure oilfields around Basra spiraled into a full-on war of conquest, with hundreds of thousands of British, Indian and Commonwealth troops fighting in the worst imaginable circumstances. Politicians of the Raj imagine Mesopotamia as a colony for exploitation and resettlement of India's "excess" population; bumbling generals waste men in badly-managed battles, culminating in the loss of an entire division at Kut. Townshend dramatizes the hardships experienced by the men in the field: inadequate supplies, hellish heat, debilitating diseases, inescapable flies, indifferent to hostile locals and a Turkish enemy far tougher than they anticipated. He heaps scorn on the Indian officials who initiated the campaign and those (from Arnold T. Wilson to Percy Cox and Gertrude Bell) who looked upon the conflict as an exciting chance to nation-build. He has little use for commander John Nixon while strongly (though not always convincingly) stumping for Charles Townshend, the loser of Kut (whom the author assures us is no relation of his). The British defeat the Turks, but are left with a fractious territory divided along ethnic and religious lines; colonization plans are obviated by Arab nationalism, culminating in an armed uprising that results, ultimately, in Iraqi independence under a puppet ruler (Emir Faisal, hero of the Arab Revolt in Hejaz). The stage is set for further tragedy, as Townshend shows, with subsequent generations of imperialists learning nothing from the British example. And the victims are both the soldiers sent to fight fruitless wars and, more strikingly, the Iraqis who find themselves playthings of the Great Powers.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and well-written history of the British campaign in Mesopotamia.

Townshend (I thought he was related to the other Charles Townshend but apparently not) ably describes the political and military developments in this theater, the difficult conditions both sides faced between the Trigris and Euphrates (everything from floods, droughts, and sandstorms, with extreme heat by day and extreme cold by night) Townshend emphasizes that Britain’s goals were usually related to imperial prestige, and that the theater was of little importance in the grand scheme of things. He also ably covers the rivalry between the India Office on one side and the Arab Bureau and the military intelligence department in Cairo on the other. Usually the Indian officials are portrayed as shortsighted and imperialistic, but neither side comes off well here. The picture of the military situation is clearly presented. The book also covers the campaigns in the Caucasus in more detail than I expected.

Still, the maps could have been better. Sometimes Townshend uses Arabic or Kurdish words without translating them. A few people are covered who end up having no real importance to the story. He also uses mostly British sources. Also, when covering Gorringe’s relief attempt, Townshend describes the February 22 engagement at Hanna as a missed opportunity. However, Gorringe did not have a strong enough force to trap the Ottoman troops there or to drive them out. He also would have had to build a bridge to do so, which would have meant dismantling his other bridge and moving it upriver under enemy guns.

Still, a solid and well-researched work.

[The Book : An Online Review at The New Republic]

THIS BOOK IS an exquisite history of the excruciatingly difficult, perhaps pointless, often disastrous British invasion and occupation of Mesopotamia between 1914 and 1924. The publisher calls it a “cautionary tale for [today’s] makers of national policy.” I’m not so sure. Read more...

[Claudio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A British account of a British experience. A completely one sided history with little to nothing about their Ottoman counterparts or the Arabs in the line of fire. Only in the Afterword I felt a bit of objectivity.
The author also tells a collection of racist remarks and opinions told by the British officers, and fails to further analyze them, making it hard to understand whether he is in agreement with such point of views or not. One ends up assuming the officers were right and that the Ottomans, the Indian Soldiers and the Arabs were inferior to the British and were responsible for the gruesome experiences they ended up enduring.
All and all a good book if you like one sided military history books. If you like a more objective and well rounded account, better skip this one.

[Matthew Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Proving perhaps that there are no news ideas under the sun this book does a tremendous job of demonstrating how ill thought-out much of Britain's interaction with Iraq has been in the past. The author doesn't labour the point of showing where similar mistakes have been made in recent years but many of the issues that the author describes are ones which have echoed in more recent engagement in the region. I did feel that the final chapters of the book discussing the post war years rushed a little but it did provide valuable insight into the complicated politics and dynamics that have remained present in the political system in the country throughout history.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several others have already commernted on the relevancy of this book to present times, but it’s worth repeating: Change the dates and the names of the players in this book and you have a description of the disastrous blunders made by the Western powers who tried, and are stil trying, to restore their version of order to Mideast nations in recent times.
I also appreciated that Townshend did not insult the reader’s intelligence, as some authors do, by needlessly pointing out the obvious comparisons between then and now throughout the narrative.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers an important part of British Imperialism around the time of WW1, and successfully conveys the political and military ambitions and designs for a Post Ottoman Mesopotamia. But the story telling is messy and loses itself in detail. Like most military books it requires a lot more maps and sketches to inform the reader of who is where. The text drifts along without concisely conveying the events and encourages the reader to gloss over whole pages. Which is a shame as the research is good and historical knowledge of its topic sound.

[Bobby24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book expertly written ,I have read numerous books on WW1 but never about what happened in "Iraq" ,its absolutely amazing to read such complete similarity's with the debacle of 2003 ,it is a scandal that those politicians and military people either did not know what happened before or simply ignored it ,..however the fact remains the lessons were all there ,shame so many good people had to die AGAIN and that it has now led to the destabilisation of a large part of the world .

Highly recommended ,read it and weep .

[Dan G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Britain's misbegotten conquest of Mesopotamia in World War I. Here are some of the roots of today's instability in the region.