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From: munnari!gara.une.oz.au!pmorriso@uunet.UU.NET (Perry Morrison MATH)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Low Tech Warfare (1 of 5)
Summary: One for the ANZACS
Message-ID: <12816@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 5 Jan 90 04:08:36 GMT
References: <11729@cbnews.ATT.COM> <11823@cbnews.ATT.COM> <11970@cbnews.ATT.COM> <12705@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: munnari!gara.une.oz.au!pmorriso@uunet.UU.NET (Perry Morrison MATH)

> In article <11970@cbnews.ATT.COM> munnari!softway.oz.au!gary@uunet.UU.NET 
(Gary > Corby) writes:
> >>It would be interesting to compile  a  list of battles that  were won by
> >>one side doing  something the  other thought  was physically impossible.
> 
> 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.
> 
> Ed Allen (allen@enzyme.berkeley.edu)

	Ahem! I believe it was the Australian Light Horse (mounted infantry)
who accomplished this. Many ozzies would become aploplectic at the thought
of it being attributed to the British. They were under a British high command
but the unit (about 800 men) was Australian and completed a long desert march 
to Beersheba.
	Apparently the horses were just about pooped when the charge was made at
around sunset. I'm not sure whether they could be classed as cavalry and
whether it is regarded as the last cavalry charge in history (well...who
doesn't make this claim!?). I could check, but only if there was sufficient
interest.