The last great cavalry charge by some 800 Australian light-horsemen of the 4th and 12th Light Horse Brigade, afternoon on the 31st October, 1917, Beersheba, Israel.
Light horse were like mounted infantry, they used their horses as transport to the battlefield and dismounted to fight. A famous exception to this rule was the charge of the 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiments at Beersheba in the afternoon of the 31st October 1917.
The assault on Beersheba began at dawn. Despite artillery and air support, neither the attacks from the south, nor the Anzac Mounted Division’s attack from the east had not succeeded in capturing Beersheba by mid-afternoon.
With time running out and water in short supply, British commanders suspect any attack upon Beersheba will probably fail. The Australian commanders ask the British to send in the Australian Light Horse.
By approximately 5pm, the 4th and 12th Light Horse Regiments are ordered to attack.
The ANZAC Mounted Division included the 1st and 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigades and the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade.
The Australian Mounted Division included the 3rd and 4th Australian Light Horse Brigades and the 5th (British) Yeomanry Brigade.
The attack was judged a success, with the Australians sustaining only 31 dead and 36 wounded and allowed for the subsequent liberation of Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine.
NFSA Video titled - with the Light Horse Brigade in Palestine
From the National Collection. Title No. 275554.
Shows some of the operations of the Light Horse Brigade and allied forces in Palestine during World War I. From 1917 - 1918.
Scenes include:
• the Australian Light Horse Brigade ready to charge;
• the 5th Australian Light Horse entering Nablus;
• Australian troops entering Tiberias;
• Australian machine gunners in action; cavalry crossing the River Jordan.
The Light horsemen - 1987 Australian War Movie
Starring:
• Jon Blake
• Peter Phelps
• Tony Bonner
• Bill Kerr
• John Walton
• Gary Sweet
• Tim McKenzie
• Sigrid Thornton
• Anthony Andrews
All videos uploaded are the copyright material of their original owners and are to be copyright claimed automatically or at the discretion of the owner.
13 май 2024