It was 95 Years Ago Today... At Beersheba!

[Old No7]

The Lighthorsemen

"Palestine, 1917.
The British advance has been stopped by the Turkish line running from Gaza to Beersheba. The latest attack on Gaza has failed. The attacking forces included a regiment of Australian mounted infantry, the Light Horse...

Lighthorseman Frank is wounded in a skirmish with Bedouin. He is replaced by a young soldier, Dave, who proves to be a crack shot, but reluctant to fire at the enemy. Dave proves himself during a German biplane attack. Recuperating in hospital, he meets a sympathetic nurse, Anne...

The regiment is called upon for a bold flanking attack on Beersheba. But how do you convince the Turks the main attack will come at Gaza?

And how do you attack across a desert without water?"

Lighthorsemen.jpg

I always liked the cavalry -- correction, "mounted infantry" -- charge at the end of this movie. Was home ill from work today, so that's what I did this afternoon...

Their fateful charge was made on October 31st, 1917 -- 95 years ago today!

I think the details towards the end about "range" are fascinating to observe -- and lucky for the Aussies! -- but I won't say any more so as not to ruin it for those who haven't seen this movie yet. I really enjoyed it, as I did many years before too.

G'day mates!

Old No7

[2ndovc]

That is one of my favorite movies!! Great story !!!


jb

[MrMurphy]

That range thing still shows up in Afghanistan.


Friend of mine is a recently out Lighthorseman, they are now scouts/armored cavalry types.

They still celebrate the battle and all their other regimental traditions.

[Bruce Scott]

A brilliant action by the magnificent Light Horse !




"Many horses in the leading line were hit and dropped, but there was no check to the charge. The enemy fire served only to speed the gallop. These Australian countrymen had never in all their riding at home ridden a race like this; and all ranks, from the heroic ground scouts galloping in front of the squadron leaders, to the men in the third line drove in their spurs and charged on Beersheba." Henry Gullett

[Old No7]

Here's some more history on this that I found tonight...

Old No7

1917:
Australian mounted troops take Beersheba, Palestine, by launching what is often billed as the "last successful cavalry charge" in military history.

This claim is disputed, however, depending on what is meant by "successful cavalry charge." Both the Russians and Germans had limited, small-scale successes using mounted troops during World War II, although nothing approaching the scale of Beersheba.

Using two regiments, the 4th and 12th Light Horse, the Aussies attacked the Turkish lines in front of Beersheba, then a southern outpost of the tottering Ottoman Empire. The main objective was not the town itself but the wells nearby, needed to supply British and Australian troops desperately short of water.

The attack began late in the afternoon, with the horsemen -- armed with rifles and 18-inch-long bayonets -- setting off at a trot. Surprise and speed were the keys, so the pace was brought to a gallop a full four miles in front of the Turkish trenches. As the attackers closed in, Turkish rifles took a heavy toll of men and horses. But the Aussies pressed the attack home, and their casualty rate began to fall as the completely surprised Turks failed to adjust their rifle sights and fired high.

The attackers bypassed most of the front-line pickets and struck at the Turkish rear, with the 4th attacking the trenches while the 12th slipped through a gap and rode into Beersheba. Dismounting, the horsemen engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, stabbing with their bayonets and using their rifles as clubs. The Turks soon broke, and the wells were captured before they could be destroyed. The town fell in the same assault.

The technology of modern warfare had long since rendered cavalry charges "obsolete" when the attack at Beersheba took place. But it was that very fact that led to the complete surprise of the Turkish defenders and helped the Australians achieve a brilliant tactical victory.

[Old No7]

Here's a little more on this, that I just found -- the results of their daring charge were pretty amazing!

"Of the 800 cavalrymen who participated in this unbelievable charge, the Australians suffered just 31 troopers killed and 36 wounded. They captured 750 Turks, 9 artillery pieces, 3 machine guns, and tons of other munitions and supplies. Even more importantly, they seized 17 of the 19 wells intact, recovering 90,000 gallons of fresh, drinkable water from the town.

In addition to giving the army a chance to stave off death by dehydration, victory at Beersheba turned the Ottoman flank, allowing the British Army to eventually roll up the enemy forces and defeat them once and for all. Jerusalem fell two months later, and all of Palestine crumbled soon afterwards."

Old No7

[Bruce Scott]

Old No 7,
Thanks for posting this. A good read if you're interested is The Australian Light Horse by Roland Perry which also includes their participation, dismounted, in the Gallipoli campaign.

[gundownunder]

I haven't seen the movie for decades, might have to try and find it again.

If I remember correctly the order from the British command was to ride to within a couple miles then dismount and engage on foot. Brits don't know much about Aussie horsemen. Stockmen do everything from the saddle including shooting, opening gates, and picking up a dropped hat from the ground. I remember starting out as a drover when I was 15, the boss thought I was a real drongo when I got off my horse to open the paddock gate

[7.62 Precision]

Australian mounted troops take Beersheba, Palestine, by launching what is often billed as the "last successful cavalry charge" in military history.

This claim is disputed, however, depending on what is meant by "successful cavalry charge." Both the Russians and Germans had limited, small-scale successes using mounted troops during World War II, although nothing approaching the scale of Beersheba.
[/i][/color]

And LT Edwin Price Ramsey led the last US horse-mounted cavalry charge in the Philippines on 01 JAN 1942 against the Japanese.

[WoodrowC]

I ordered The Lighthorsemen recently in Blu-ray, and the picture is spectacular.

The military gear in this movie is very accurate, and for anyone who likes the SMLE No.1 MkIII it's the best.

They focus too much on the lad who can't shoot the enemy, but the charge and the battle scenes are inspiring.

If I were an Aussie, I know it would make me proud of the Diggers as well.

Regards, Gerry.

[Charles]

I have been through Beersheba several time and had lunch there once. Never saw any monument or memorial to this action. It may have been there, but it was not prominate if there was one. It is on the major highway leading to Egypt crossing point.

[Bruce Scott]

The battle is now commemorated at the Park of the Australian Soldier, opened in 2008 by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Australian Governor General, Michael Jeffery. I am not aware of any earlier memorial, although there is a Commonwealth War Cemetery at Beersheba

[WoodrowC]

What a fantastic monument..........his SMLE on his back and a 1907 pattern bayonet in his hand, charging artillery, machine guns, and infantry, on horseback!
Thanks for that picture, Bruce.

Battle tactics have changed somewhat since 1917, I think. Brave men.

[7.62 Precision]

Battle tactics have changed somewhat since 1917, I think. Brave men.

While tactics, mounts, and weaponry have evolved, the mission of cavalry still remains the same. The Aussie Cavalry back then were quite the horsemen, and have they have always been fighters.

[JReed]

Always loved this film will have to pull it off the shelf and watch it again.

Tactics and thinking were different back then thats for sure but I think the fighting spirit of the men at these units now is the same.