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The Battle of Beersheeba (WW1 Documentary) No AI

Battle Guide

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On October 31, 1917, hundreds of Australian horsemen charged straight into Ottoman trenches at the Battle of Beersheba, one of the last great cavalry charges in modern warfare. By this stage of the First World War, cavalry was supposed to be obsolete. So how did this attack succeed, and why did it matter so much to the campaign for Jerusalem?

This video uses aerial reconnaissance photos, wartime maps, and firsthand letters and diaries to reconstruct the battle in detail. It follows the ANZAC advance through the Sinai desert, the stalled British campaign that made Beersheba a target, and the German-led Ottoman defenses built around the town's water wells, railway, and the commanding height of Tel el Saba. Personal accounts bring the human side of the battle into focus, including cricketer-turned-soldier Tibby Cotter and Trooper Randolph Cleaver, who was denied leave to see his dying father just days before the attack. As the sun set on October 31st, Australian General Harry Chauvel made a decision that sent the 4th Light Horse Brigade galloping across six kilometers of open desert toward a line of Ottoman rifles and artillery.

The Battle of Beersheba broke a months-long stalemate in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and opened the road to Jerusalem, making it a turning point in Britain's war against the Ottoman Empire. It also stands as one of history's final large-scale mounted charges, a moment when nineteenth-century tactics briefly triumphed against modern firepower before that kind of warfare disappeared for good.

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Credits:
• Research & Script: Michael Adato
• Narration: Dan Hill
• Editing: Ethan Adato
• Thumbnail Design & Production: Linus Klassen
• Music & Sound Effects: Ethan Adato
• Dubbing: Lydie Moreno & Julius Houben

20 Comments

@BattleGuideVT Creator 3 months ago (edited) Pinned

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@Nothinghappinghere-qz4ji 3 months ago

The Australians charged when they heard the 'beer' bit and the New Zealanders charged they heard the 'she baa' bit.

@cobberpete1 3 months ago

I was a serving member of the light horse in the early 70's. After an ANZAC parade, we went to the 'RSL'. There I met a very old gentleman who took part in the charge of Beersheba. He gave me his cap badge which I still have today. 'We will Remember them' .

@TheUltimateWriterNZ 3 months ago

we still watch The Lighthorsemen every year for ANZAC 🤝

@ak9989 3 months ago (edited)

In 1986 I actually found a ww1 10th Australian lighthorse hat at a store in Los Angeles that sold British militaria. It was only $400 so I put it on layaway. I still have it😮😊!

@Australiawatches 3 months ago

They will not grow old as we grow old lest we forget

@8thLegio 3 months ago

My great great grandfather was in the charge! Awesome vid.

@Hemachromatosis 3 months ago

I had 2 relatives in that charge. Corporal Roy Dunk and Tibby Cotter.
Tibby was Australias test cricket teams fast bowler and he was killed when a Turk stabbed him whilst rendering first aid.

Roy survived and as a child i would sit on his verandha in Bourke NSW as he relived the charge. I have his original diary recollections as well as a few photos.

Im now 64 and can still recall everything. From his horse ride from Waroo station hungerford to bourke (210km) his train journey, the pyramids with him on his Whaler, his sadness in leaving his horse….

@InsolentViolet 3 months ago

The letters get me every time 😔. It is such a reminder of these men being someone’s son, husband, father or brother. I always go give me son a hug after a video like this

@annehersey9895 3 months ago

I want to thank you, Dan and everyone who works so hard to produce such top rate episodes. The overlays showing the past over the present are perfect for a visual learner like myself. I always pause the video and really study each one. I have learned so much about WWI from your channel. As an American, our education didn’t provide a lot of study since my country entered so late. In my retirement I made it my goal to fill in the gaps of history not well covered in school or University. I figure my gaps are such that I will need to live well into my 100’s! 😜❤️

@aussierose29 3 months ago (edited)

My Great Uncle was in the 4th Australian 🇦🇺 Light horse.
James Stanley Mackrell #307 he ended up Corporal. He served there and went on to France and served there as well. He like all our other men were so incredibly brave. 💙🇦🇺 He started in 1914 and came home in 1918. Which not many of my family did… and are buried where they lay sadly.. so it’s a testament to him.

@brettcurtis5710 3 months ago

Commander of the NZMR Brigade was Brigadier Edward Chaytor - his red hair and short temper got him named Fiery Ted by his troops!

@Skipper.17 3 months ago

I think there 2 main reasons the attack was successful. First, the Lighthorse were known to dismount prior to going into battle, if the Turks were of the opinion this was going to happen they held their fire for too long waiting for the Lighthorse to dismount therefore allowing them to get closer to the trenches. Second, looking at the Turkish rifles after the battle many of them had their sights set at a distance that was actually firing over the heads of the Lighthorse, it’s one of the reasons that there were so few casualties.

Great video.

@flamingfrancis 3 months ago

That photo of Tibby was taken at Thomas Lord's Ground, London with the background often seen while Aussies were there.
Of interest in these Australian Lighthorse campaigns is the horses selected. They were called Walers being provided to the War Department by contractors from New South Wales. The horses were known for their enduring speed and also their ability to go without water for longer.
One of the horses used in the Beersheba charge was called Midnight and there is a book written about him.
There is another good story related to these horses in the fighting around Jericho and a "smoke screen" race that was set up into fooling the enemy. Might be worth a separate story.
The race was called the Jericho Cup and it has been recently resurrected at Warranambool, Victoria being run over the original distance of 4600 metres. A book written about the winner of the first race is well known and titled after the winner, Bill the Bastard.

@hamish1309 3 months ago

Bloody good thanks mate, our men weren't even cavalry, they were mounted infantry. Greetings from New Zealand. I am subscribed and definitely will tell people about your channel. Thanks for highlighting some of the dead, we mustn't forget the reality of war.

@chrisvickers7928 3 months ago

I watched The Light Horsemen back over 30 years ago on the Canadian History Channel (when they still showed history). I highly recommend it. In the movie the German officer advising the Ottoman army assured the Turkish officer that these were mounted infantry, not cavalry, and would no drive the charge home.

@skyduktkd 3 months ago

Yes! New BattleguideVT just in time for my lunch!

@Goobueh 3 months ago

My great great uncle Serjeant John H Nye served with the 4th Essex around Gaza at the time that this battle took place. I've done plenty of research into the actions he engaged in but unfortunately neglected to research the other equally important battles that happened around Gaza and the middle eastern front as a whole. This video is brilliant in it's coverage and the in depth details and maps really help to imagine how this front of the war and the men who fought in it truly looked. This is yet another brilliant video as can be expected from this channel, please keep them coming!

@mommasqueak3053 2 weeks ago

As always, a first class presentation. This is the best war documentary channel on the Tube.

@CrankyDamian 3 months ago

Sir Murray Bourchier served as Deputy Premier of Victoria from April 1935 for just over a year. Since federation in 1901 the Australian government has been led by a Prime Minister and the states led by Premiers.
Lovely video your presentatiion shows the Soldiers as I feel they would want to be remembered.