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Description

Note: "Johnny Turk" was a slang used by Anzac troops to describe Ottoman soldiers

Australian Light Horsemen rout the Turkish defenders somewhere in Palestine, 1917.

Joining the war alongside their Commonwealth neighbors, Australia would commit an all-volunteer army known as the Australian Imperial Force. This army would number 20,000 men and consist of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. As the war progressed, however, the number of light horse brigades would increase over the years, with a grand total of five brigades being fitted for combat by early 1915.

Though these men would see combat both on the Western Front and the costly Gallipoli campaign, their real claim to fame would be borne from their actions during the Sinai-Palestine campaign from 1916-1918. Sparked by an attempted German-Ottoman invasion to seize the Suez Canal, the Sinai Peninsula would become the latest front to be fought between the Entente and the Central Powers, with a sizable chunk of the allied forces present being consisting of survivors from the failed Gallipoli offensive.

This campaign would be a radically different style of warfare from the quagmire seen on the Western front. Out there in the vastness of the desert, speed and maneuverability were of top priority, with the main source of attrition being who could last the longest in such a hostile environment.

No one knew these two factors better than the Light Horsemen themselves, whose biggest struggle all throughout the campaign was taking proper care of not only themselves, but also the plethora of animals who accompanied them. Reports from veterinary officers sent to observe the men in combat put the losses of horses and mules at around 640 per week from illness, heatstroke, and sheer fatigue.

Nevertheless, the Light Horse brigades’ contributions to the Entente victories in the Sinai-Palestine campaign cannot be overstated, as seen in their actions at the Battle of Romani in August 1916. This battle would see the first major victory against the Ottomans and thereafter end any threat posed to the vital Suez Canal. From there, the Ottoman forces would be gradually pushed out of the Sinai, culminating in their collapse in Palestine at the end of the war.

All figures on display are from King & Country's Light Horse Brigade and Gallipoli series.

Description

Note: "Johnny Turk" was a slang used by Anzac troops to describe Ottoman soldiers

Australian Light Horsemen rout the Turkish defenders somewhere in Palestine, 1917.

Joining the war alongside their Commonwealth neighbors, Australia would commit an all-volunteer army known as the Australian Imperial Force. This army would number 20,000 men and consist of one infantry division and one light horse brigade. As the war progressed, however, the number of light horse brigades would increase over the years, with a grand total of five brigades being fitted for combat by early 1915.

Though these men would see combat both on the Western Front and the costly Gallipoli campaign, their real claim to fame would be borne from their actions during the Sinai-Palestine campaign from 1916-1918. Sparked by an attempted German-Ottoman invasion to seize the Suez Canal, the Sinai Peninsula would become the latest front to be fought between the Entente and the Central Powers, with a sizable chunk of the allied forces present being consisting of survivors from the failed Gallipoli offensive.

This campaign would be a radically different style of warfare from the quagmire seen on the Western front. Out there in the vastness of the desert, speed and maneuverability were of top priority, with the main source of attrition being who could last the longest in such a hostile environment.

No one knew these two factors better than the Light Horsemen themselves, whose biggest struggle all throughout the campaign was taking proper care of not only themselves, but also the plethora of animals who accompanied them. Reports from veterinary officers sent to observe the men in combat put the losses of horses and mules at around 640 per week from illness, heatstroke, and sheer fatigue.

Nevertheless, the Light Horse brigades’ contributions to the Entente victories in the Sinai-Palestine campaign cannot be overstated, as seen in their actions at the Battle of Romani in August 1916. This battle would see the first major victory against the Ottomans and thereafter end any threat posed to the vital Suez Canal. From there, the Ottoman forces would be gradually pushed out of the Sinai, culminating in their collapse in Palestine at the end of the war.

All figures on display are from King & Country's Light Horse Brigade and Gallipoli series.