The last crusade : the Palestine campaign in the First World War
"This is a full account of the First World War in Palestine since the official history published in the 1920s. Yet it was a tough and fast-moving campaign, fought against a formidable enemy in difficult conditions and sometimes stupefying heat. Its highpoints - T.E. Lawrence's capture of Aqaba with a charge of Arab horsemen, and Allenby's ceremonial victory march through the walled city of Jerusalem with fighters overhead and volleys of machine-gun fire in the streets - are classic moments in the history of warfare but there is more that is equally gripping: the Battles of Gaza were among the most hard-fought, and the Battle of Megiddo among the most brilliant and decisive, victories of the entire First World War." "Anthony Bruce has produced a military history of the campaign, drawing on a wide range of sources including the words of those who took part. He is also alive to its political aftermath, including the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Arabs' sense of abandonment following the Balfour Declaration. The implications of these are still with us today."--Jacket
xiii, 299 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
9780719554322, 0719554322
49874067
Illustrations; Foreword; Preface; Maps; 1. Background; 2. Britain and the Defence of the Suez Canal; 3. The Arab Revolt; 4. Advance Through Sinai; 5. Victory at Gaza; 6. The Fall of Jerusalem; 7. The Arab Advance; 8. The Interlude; 9. The Battle of Megiddo; 10. The Fall of Damascus and Final Operations; Notes; Select Bibliography; Index