Featured battle : Beersheba (or 3rd Gaza)

Part of First World War

Date : 31 October 1917

Allenby decided to try a different approach to Gaza, and so left a smal force in front of Gaza, while leading the main attack against Beersheba instead. The surprise worked, but still a hard days fighting with the Desert Mounted Corps flanking the main positions and an Australian Cavalry Brigade charging the trenches was needed before the Turkish lines fell and the crucial water supplied were taken. The Turks were forced to withdraw from Gaza as the position was now untenable.

The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean

Brendan O'Carroll
I read this book because I had enjoyed the author’s Images of War book on the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa. [reviewed elsewhere on this site]. How could they change from motorized desert men to foot slogging island hopper?
How they did it comes early in this gripping story of small groups of highly trained and motivated men fighting their war. Every chapters reads like a Boy’s Own story of daring do, of tough fighting and lucky escapes. But unlike adventure stories the heroes don’t always get away. Those that didn’t are listed in the Roll of Honour in the appendices. Brendan O’Carroll has done an enormous amount of research using both published and personal records. He gained the trust of ex-members of the LRDG and of the families of deceased soldiers. The result is a mass of information put over in a no nonsense easily accessible way. What is hardly mentioned, because the focus is so sharp, is the whole Aegean islands debacle which gives their noble exploits a context.
There are a few maps, some rather special photographs and a bibliography. I did find it useful to have read the desert book first as this seemed to fix the nature of the LRDG.
We highly recommend this book as a good read and as an insight into a little known war zone.

Pen & Sword Military, 2020