Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military
From: brt@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (benjamin.reytblat)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Low Tech Warfare (1 of 5)
Summary: WWI desert marches
Message-ID: <12752@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 4 Jan 90 04:24:36 GMT
References: <11729@cbnews.ATT.COM> <11823@cbnews.ATT.COM> <11970@cbnews.ATT.COM> <12705@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: brt@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (benjamin.reytblat)

In article <12705@cbnews.ATT.COM>, allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025) writes:
> 
> 
> From: allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025)
> Desert marches have long been a staple of surprise movements that the enemy
> didn't believe possible.  The early Arab conquests are full of examples.  A
> British cavalry column made an important one in WWI in Palestine in an attack
> that broke the Turkish defense line. (Beersheba?)  Wish I could remember the
> pertinent names and dates.
> 

It was indeed at Bersheeba (sp.?). The march was made by at least two regiments
(there may have been more, but I don't remember).

	[mod.note: According to my maps, "Beersheba" is correct. - Bill ]

One, a British Cav. and the other the Australian Light Horse. While the main
British force of about 60K assaulted Bersheeba from the west, the cavalry
made a forced march to the south of the city, and at dusk, the Aussies
assaulted from the East. The German commander on the scene recognized the
Aussies and assumed that they would dismount before attacking, as they
were basically a mounted infantry regiment. But the Aussies charged
on horseback, and by the time the german artilley opened fire, they
were mostly under the guns. Although the casualties were heavy, the
Aussies were able to penetrate the german/turkish positions and capture
the strategically important water wells intact.

This encouter was the subject of a movie shown recently on cable.

Ben Reytblat
brt@homxc.att.com