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Devils on HorsesIn the Words of the Anzacs in the Middle East 1916-19Terry KinlochForeword by Dr Christopher PugsleyFinalist in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards for History 2008!Reunited with their horses in Egypt after the shattering experience of Gallipoli (a story recounted in Terry Kinloch’s earlier book, Echoes of Gallipoli), the Anzac mounted riflemen and light horsemen were initially charged with the defence of the Suez Canal, then with the clearance of the Sinai peninsula, and finally with the destruction of the Turkish armies in Palestine and Syria. At last they could pursue the style of warfare for which they had been trained: on horseback. The First World War battlefields in the Middle East have long been overshadowed by those of Gallipoli and the Western Front. Yet the story of the mounted riflemen in Sinai and Palestine is a truly fascinating one. Using the soldiers’ original letters and diaries wherever possible, Kinloch vividly describes every battle and skirmish in the long campaign against the Turks: the crucial Battle of Romani, the defeats at Bir el Abd, Gaza and Amman, and the successes at Beersheba, Ayun Kara and elsewhere. He explains the reality of tactical operations in the harsh desert environment, the ever-present necessity of securing water for the precious horses and the remorseless tenacity of the enemy. The horses play a major part in the story, but of the thousands of faithful animals involved, only one would ever return home after the war. Devils on Horses is a gripping read that offers new information about a theatre of war that has been overlooked for decades. Based on original research, it is sure to be the standard reference work on New Zealand’s Middle East campaign for years to come. ‘The guns and ammunition teams were given the hardened centre, and the horseman rode on each side. Let us stop and watch them go by in the moonlight …Over the swelling sand hills they come, line upon line – noiseless they go – no song, no laughter, no talking, not a light to be seen; no sound but the snort of a horse as he blows the dust from his nostrils; or the click of two stirrup irons touching as two riders close in together; or the jingle of the links of the pack horses; or perhaps a neck chain rattling on the pommel. No other sound is heard unless one be very close, then there is a low swish swish, swish.’ABOUT THE AUTHOR Reviews"Devils on Horses describes a war where fine tactical cunning made the difference. On sturdy New Zealand bred horses the mounteds were more nimble than their enemies and more able to deliver surprises. The Turks and Germans had heavier weapons and were often well dug in. They were not the only problem. Always nearby were Bedouin nomads, scavengers who cut the throats of battlefield wounded and emptied graves to steal clothes and equipment. Read an extract from the book >> SPECIFICATIONS |
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