[January 18, 2025] For the sheer audacity and courage of the ANZAC Light Horsemen who charged over four miles of open terrain into the heavily defended garrison town of Beersheba held by Turkish troops, we salute their gallantry. There are those times when men conducted themselves in a manner that should be remembered for all times. “Tighten up your gear; we take Beersheba!”
The 1987 movie The Lighthorsemen, an Australian war movie, takes us through the experiences of the men of a WWI light horse unit in the Sinai and Palestine campaign of 1917 at the Battle of Beersheba. See a short clip of the charge from the movie here (16:31 minutes). The full movie can be watched for free on YouTube.
“The no man’s land between the British and Ottoman lines was a wilderness of arid plains and rocky hills interspersed by numerous dry wadis. In an effort to maintain secrecy, the attackers advanced mainly at night, following in the path of lanterns stealthily planted by reconnaissance patrols during the day. During the daytime hours, the men and their baggage trains hid in wadis and gullies, making sure to cover their zinc and copper water tanks with blankets to hide their glinting from the enemy planes that occasionally appeared overhead. The slow progress and bitterly cold desert nights, coupled with the constant fear of detection by the enemy, frayed the men’s nerves and created a tense atmosphere allayed only by the daily rum rations.” — Warfare History Network, September 2017
Loose sand dunes, barren plains, jagged mountains, and sudden sandstorms combine to make the Sinai a hellhole but a strategically important link for the Turk’s defense of Palestine. British General Archibald Murray was initially the commander, later replaced by Lt. General Sir Edmund Allenby, a hero of the Boer War and experienced cavalry commander.
For reasons covered well in the written history of the campaign, Allenby decided to attack the easternmost end of the Turk defenses. Using deception, stealth, and daring, Allenby was able to concentrate his forces at Beersheba while the Turks thought the main attack would be elsewhere to the west on their mainline.
Mounted cavalry charges became somewhat rare in the twentieth century, especially after WWI, because of the advancement in rapid-fire weaponry. The last documented large cavalry charge was by the Italians when 600 galloped headlong toward 2,000 Soviet infantry in August 1942. But they would never again be decisive on the battlefield, at least not on horseback. Today’s cavalry are armored formations using tanks and armored personnel carriers.
There are lessons for us to take away. Under the right circumstances, audacity, swiftness, daring, and courage can overcome a determined enemy. Be bold. Be victorious. And remember, “Tighten up your gear; we take Beersheba!”
————
Please read my books:
Sir, I’m no Cav Soldier but these battles interest me. I don’t always know why that’s the case but it is what it is. Tha BK’s for the references and links for greater detail and background if we desire to go there. The Battle for Beersheba should be studied by us all, given all that’s going on in the Middle East now and especially how that Turkey keeps on sticking its fingers in the pot to stir things up. Well done. I look forward to the next battle.
Heroic history. 💯
Sir, you continue to peek my interest with these short historical posts. Is this the restart of a new series?
Great stories of heroic battles should always be told.
Late in October 1917, the Light Horse Brigade was ordered to gallop towards Beersheba and seize the small outpost that contained strategic water wells. Two regiments, the 4th and 12th made the charge that would go down in history as one of the most audacious. This bold move was one of the last major cavalry charges in history. Gen. Satterfield is an old armored cavalry man and I believe that is why we have today’s historic article.
Nailed it. And I love reading these snippets that motivate me to read more about this cavalry charge.
Yes, that’s it. Gen. Satterfield keeps on truckin’.
The Battle of Beersheba is a significant event in Australian history. It has been called “Australia’s first big achievement on the world stage” and credited for additional travel by Australians to Israel. Historian Jonathan King has argued that “the Battle of Beersheba should be the cornerstone of our Australia identity, replacing Gallipoli. Gallipoli was a British-led defeat. Beersheba was an Australian-led victory.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba_(1917)#Aftermath
Gen. Satterfield, this is the kind of article that got your website going in the beginning. This is a throwback. Thank you.
I can see what you mean, Gen. Satterfield. Whether anyone agrees with the British push into the Middle East during World War I or not – which I think we all do – we can still appreciate the bravery of those there.
True enough but it was war in 1917 and the Brits had taken Egypt but had a hard time holding on. Ultimately, the Ottoman Empire would fall because they decided to take the side of Germany, just like Turkey did in WWII. There is a connection there that I don’t really know much about.