A very sad story. And the inspiration for one of Rudyard Kipling's most powerful, and angriest poems: "Mesopotamia". It's a scathing reminder of how Townshend's division went through hell in the name of an Empire in which they had totally believed... Some reward!
We could fill volumes with important historical events that people aren’t aware of. I first read about this when I was a kid and I got a copy of P. J. Haythornthwaite’s ‘World War One Source Book’. The campaign started off well, but Townsend overstretched and disaster occurred. Still, General Maude thrashed the Turks in 1917, which likely overshadowed the earlier disaster.
I didn't know the finer details of this tragic campaign but as a small boy I remember my great grandmother mentioned her brother died in a Turkish POW camp in terrible conditions. RIP Ernest Morris, Worcester Hussars.
@@stephenperry5849 Have to say, these days WW1 history taught at Western school are very biased towards the western front, Gallopili and Lawrence of Arabia. Many major battles away from these fronts have been obscured.
My Grandfather was on one of the last boats to leave (they had been engaged on regular supply trips using small vessels along the river). He was interviewed by researchers from Durham university in the late '60's as I recall.
I think I am going to use that phrase as a quote from now on. It is somewhere between Marseille and Basra! 😂😅 I am glad you are focusing on the forgotten side of World War I, well done, amigo. I have no idea the conditions which existed on all fronts of the war.. I remember when I was in the Middle East, how cold and miserable the desert can be in winter.
I've read the diary of one of the British Officers from the Siege of Kut, my Dad has a few bits and pieces about it, in the end the only thing he had left of his horse was the tail. During the march he talked about ill soldiers dragging themselves through streams of liquid faeces to drink water from the river that was full of the same stuff, terrible conditions and treatment for the soldiers.
It’s nice to see someone is covering these lesser known actions of WW1. Would you consider doing a video on General Maude’s successful campaign of 1917, including the Second Battle of Kut?
I too Would be very Interested in this as well, My Great Uncle, served with the 8th Cheshires who were part of the 13th Western Division, who were Part of General Maude's Force
The British troops occupying the area after Operation Iraq Freedom tidied up and restored the British and Indian war graves. Sadly the day after this the local Iraqis had them all vandalized.
@@AKguru762 Did the Ottoman Turks stay in their own homeland, or the Arabs when they established the Rashidun Caliphate? Should all Turkish-Muslim graves located outside of Turkey be vandalised?
The numbers. The casualties. The suffering. The humiliation. Disaster doesn't seem to do the outcome justice. Once one sets out to study history, one must consider the men who endured these challenges. This is a deeply humbling experience. Thank you for sharing the reality of warfare through these lesser known campaigns. Please keep up your grand work. Cheers.
As usual a top class documentary. This was not the first time General Charles Townsend was besieged in his military career. He endured being besieged in his early career on the North West Frobtier in the 1890's.. A young Irishman serving as a Bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery which tried to break the siege at Kut was Tom Barry. He would later be the most successful rebel field commander during the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921.
Thank you for your informative video on the Siege of Kut. My grandfather died trying to relieve Townsend. He was a 2nd Lieut with the 62nd Punjabis and volunteered from India. He died of Cholera in Basra. His brother died at the Somme a few months later but this dreadful mess of a campaign seems to make for an even more wasteful and poignant death
Thank you History Chap, this was a very tragic event of WWI which, as you described has been lost to history. Now I must research more of the history of the Turkish theater of WWI, to learn more. Well done. I always enjoy your work.
A very sad story, with the majority of those taken prisoner eventually dying in Turkish captivity whilst the foolish Townsend spent his POW time in relative luxury. The British eventually losing more men overall trying to relieve Kut than those who actually surrendered in the first place.
A contributing factor is that the Turks treated POWs horrendously. Their German advisers were appalled by this and advised them how to treat them humanely - they were ignored.
As if the British and Russians treated the Turkish prisoners perfectly, 400,000 Turkish soldiers as prisoners of war died in the hands of the Russians and the British!
Good video... Townshend didn't try and break out to assist the relief force. If he had done this there was every chance he would have got out. However Townshend wanted to be "heroically relieved " as he had at Chitral 20 years before. He failed his troops badly and after surrender lived in relative luxury while his British and Indian troops suffered horrendous conditions. Only once did he raise a complaint against the Ottomans treatment of his men...When he returned to Britain he was rightfully ostracised and retired from the Army in 1920.
The other ranks were used as slave labour building roads and railways while officers led a comfortable existence living in village houses and were even allowed to ski in the winter and visit the shops unaccompanied.
I came across an account of Townshend's less than gallant behaviour during the siege in The Guinness Book of Military Blunders by Geoffrey Regan @TheHistoryChap
Yet another great video Chris. I was aware of the Kut disaster from an early age, I was regularly bought A4 size hard back historical books for Christmas from M&S in the late 1970's early 80's. One was "The Great War" and it still is an excellent account of WWI. It mentioned Kut and the disastrous efforts to relieve it. It also goes on to describe the march into captivity and Tikrit, it didn't actually go into too much detail about the deprivations for obvious reasons, but it did make reference to POW's being dragged into alleyways and shall we say dehumanised. A terrible way to end for many of those soldiers. After the war between 2019 and 2022 the British government made concerted attempts to have Enver Pasha arrested for not just the treatment of British and Indian POW's (non-Muslim), but also for the Armenian genocide. But Charles Townshend said he would testify for the defence of Enver Pasha if he came to trial denying that the death march took place. They had become good friends during Townshend's luxurious captivity. This did not go down well in London. Lastly there was a 1999 BBC film starring David Jason called "All the King's Men", it's based on a book "The Vanished Battalion" by Nigel McCrery. It describes a Territorial Battalion of the Norfolk Regt which included men from the King's estate Sandringham House, thus forming the Sandringham Company. It describes their experiences in Gallipoli and subsequent "disappearance". A possible future video Chris if you have not done so all ready.
Another excellent story Chris. As you said, this is one of the least known campaigns of WW1. I suggest that you continue the story and describe what happened in the latter part of the campaign.
I have a book called '800 Miles To Freedom' which is a record of a group of British Army Officers held in captivity in Yozgat , central Turkey. The group plan and execute an escape by foot from Yosgat to the coast. Acquiring a boat they arrive in British Administered Cyprus. A great ripping yarn of a story that would make for a great film. Thankyou for the story.
Good video, I had read bout the Hell at Kut years ago, but it was not very detailed. Your video brought out the true horrors of the siege and the subsequent captivity.
MY GOD, Chris old bean, WHAT A STORY THIS WAS, yet again for the umpteenth time, haha, YOU’VE had to deliver it to me as I’d NEVER EVER heard of THIS long forgotten whatsoever WW1 story, us Brits’ largest defeat since the eventual surrender of the besieged General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, to George Washington and the Americans in 1781. God, those POOR poor men, after those TERRIBLE terrible months of siege on them by the Turks, all sorts of god knows what affecting them AND having to eat THEIR OWN HORSES 😱😱😱😭😭😭💔💔💔… THANK GOD this didn’t put me off my food, as I WAS eating dinner whilst enjoying THIS, the latest of your absolutely incredible history giving videos, our superstar RUclipsr, one of quite a few I’ve irresistibly relived and refreshed myself upon again over the last two days since Sunday. And this predated by over two decades the horrificness and shocking stories of the Death March on American forces in the Philippines by the Japanese in WWII. How DO you keep up all this incredible amazingness EVERY SINGLE TIME, Chris me old mucker? Damn am I so so happy your Lance Corporal Jones video from last year gave me you in the first place 😊😊😊. And now, I REALLY really hope we’ll FINALLY have that Lawrence of Arabia video you’ve promised before next, as he was mentioned in tonight’s update, if I just given myself the right opportunity in free time availability to FINALLY see the almost 4 hour long Peter O’Toole lead film too… And btw, I hope ya DID see my review in last week’s topic on the Trent Affair, just to say, is all
Greetings of great admiration, respect and appreciation for your esteemed channel that presents accurate and useful information in a wonderful way. I thank you with all the beautiful words and sincere feelings for your sincere efforts in presenting this distinguished and exceptional work. I wish you permanent success. I wish you happiness and goodness and I ask God Almighty to protect you and take care of you at every moment and step.. Thank you.. Thank you
A helluva story of another theater of the Great War often overlooked but not forgotten especially in light of recent events. Thanks for keeping the memories of brave soldiers alive. On both and all sides. 🙏
Calling this a disaster is somewhat dwarfed by the surrender of 90,000 British troops to the Japanese in Singapore at the beginning of World War II. By the way, the Japanese only had 30,000 men during the campaign.
My god those Turks were tough troops. They proved it at Kut & Gallipoli. Maybe if Kut had been defended by the magnificent ANZACS they would've put up a better fight. The ANZACS were the best & the Brits used them as shock troops on the Western Front.
@@K_one_w_one Gallipoli was not just the Turkish Army against the Anzacs. The British played a crucial role and there was French involvement. Over one third of the "Turks" at Gallipoli came from what is now Palestine,Lebanon,Syria Jordon etc which were part of the Ottoman Empire.
@@johnroche7541The Industrial Revolution had a negative effect on British manpower in WW1. Many of the British working class were undernourished who lived and worked in terrible conditions. Compared to the tall, suntanned outdoorsy ANZAC and Canadian soldiers, a great deal of the British troops, although brave, were physically scrawny.
@@K_one_w_one No offence to you or anyone personally, but this Anzac narrative is nonsense. Australians, Canadians are not even half as capable as British or Indian soldiers. Till date its Britain and US that guarantees Australia's, New Zealand's and Canada's security. So it is extremely distasteful and also dishonest when you push a completely nonsense narrative that the British soldiers were underfed or inferior than some Anzacs.
Wow!This and your further comment about British soldiers really are unnecessary!..,look up "6 V.Cs Before Breakfast" Lancashire Fusiliers Gallipoli...1915, thousands of Anzacs lives were wasted and never should be forgotten, but please show a little respect to our fallen please.
I would love to see more on the battles of the Boer War. I saw an old photo of a shallow trench on top of a hill called 'Spion Kop' I can't say for sure..But i think it may be the reason Australian soldiers were called 'Diggers'...Some of the Boer's tactics were inspired
My Great Uncle John Williams, served with the 8th Cheshire Regiment, who were part of the 13th Western Division, that formed part of the force that were sent to relieve Kut, so I was really looking forward to this video. So Thank you Mr Green.
Colin, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. As a former resident of Cheshire and now Worcestershire, I have a soft spot for both regiments but need to be careful that I tell stories that involve others as well -:)
@@TheHistoryChap I don't think anyone could ever accuse you of bias towards any Regiments or areas, you videos are so diverse and seem to cover absolutely every thing
16:55 Classic understatement. Reportedly his POW experience was disgracefully comfortable and he further exhibited no clue as to why this should be an issue.
Excellent video, well told and beautifully illustrated. This is sadly a bit of a classical case study (Norman F. Dixon, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, 1976), but very well worth retelling. I may be wrong but shouldn’t Hardinge rhyme with sing rather than binge?
@@TheHistoryChap According to Debrett’s (2019) entry for Lord Hardinge of Penshurst the name and title are pronounced ‘Harding’. Unexpected pronunciations of names and places in English are a joy, aren’t they?
Excellent video 📹 👏 BRITISH 🇬🇧 STALINGRAD This is an exact blueprint for STALINGRAD 43 Like the 6th Army, the British captured an insignificant town. The commanders also forgot to forget their FLANKS. Before the enemy could encircle them, the British should have broken out. Like the Soviets, the Ottomans didn't plan this. They improvised on an opportunity. The British 🇬🇧 , like Manstein, tried many relief spearheads. Like the Luftwaffe, the British Air Corp, brang in inadequate resources Like the Soviets, the Ottomans used propaganda. Finally , a British historian did a proper writeup If Hitler knew the details about Kut, would he have done otherwise?
I for one, greatly appreciate your videos on these less-known incidents. Perhaps one day you will research British participation in Task Force 45; Italian campaign in WW2. I have some information from the American perspective.
Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, roughly based on his own experiences in the second world war, indirectly refers to this event. In the first part of the trilogy, 'Officers and Gentlemen' newly recruited trainee officers for the fictional Halberdiers regiment are billeted in a requisitioned private school called Kut al Amara House. In the novel the training is chaotic and ineffective and Waugh seems to expect readers in 1952 to recognise the reference to the Kut campaign.
Great detail and research . Mesopotamia was a miserable place to be , with no glory to be had . This history was unknown to me , and shows the importance of logistics and resupply - especially in remote , alien locations. I am glad I wasn’t there ! Thanks .
Weeds by definition are plants in an undesired location and does not apply away from fields and houses. It would just be "native" or "wild" plants out there, or native flora. I take slight umbrage on behalf of the botanical community.
General Townsend was taken to Istanbul and apparently paroled in a lovely villa for the duration of the war. He was never given another command when repatriated to England.
6:30 I did not know the key detail that the Turks also initially retreated from Ctesiphon. How strange that the Indian Army retreated first? What drove the decision?
Townshend initially hoped the Turks would leave under cover of darkness but when they didn't he decided to withdraw. It was almost at the same moment that the Ottoman commander made the same decision.
The first go around at Kut was pretty bad for the Brits. They got in over their heads and got those same heads handed to them. The second try went a lot smoother. I've been hitting the WW1 books quite a bit on Audible over the past year. I really recommend Audible's WW1 collection of books. I went through at least a half a dozen of them. The series that I was waiting for for years to be translated into English was Alexander Solchinitsyn's "The Red Wheel". It begins with Ludendorf and Hindenburg's epic battle of Tannenberg in late August, 1914 in East Prussia where the German 8th Army countered the Russian invasion of East Prussia by their skilfull use of the German Reichsbahn (railroad) to concentrate first here, then there against the Russian 2nd Army under General Aleksandr Samsonov driving his army into the swamps and practically destroying it right there, resulting in General Samsonov's suicide. Then the Germans turned on the Russian 1st Army and mauled it rather severely too. The second Book in the trilogy is titled 1916 and covers the June 1916 Brusilov offensive against the mainly Austro-Hungarian Army. Wherein a large portion of the Austrian Army was wrecked. Another excellent campaign that's not really covered all that well in the Western Front centered history of the first World War. The third and final book is titled 1917 and covers the Bolshevik Revolution and all of the attempts to maintain the Russian Army in the field, save the Romanov Dynasty and keep the war going. Even though it's Historical Fiction it remains some of the best WW1 history that I've ever run across. If you want to learn about WW1 in the East don't miss it.
I'd be really interested to know how, if he was one of the intelligent blokes negotiating that attempt at a parole, T.E. Lawrence actually escaped being captured as part of the actual surrender. It's probably quite an interesting tale.
Seem to remember reading the orders were to pull out from kut but they were ignored as the general in charge wanted to become famous,like Baden-Powell and Ladysmith.
CHRIS-When you say the Brits had 3 1/2 thousand non-combatants, what do you mean by ‘camp followers’? Were these refugees, valets for the officers or what? And were the British obliged to feed these camp followers also? I’m used to Camp Followers in the Feudal Agewhen wives, wares-men, etc would follow behind armies but have never heard the term in Modern wars before.
Various non combat roles ranging from cooks to valets to clerks. All sorts who wouldn't normally be in the front line. Yes, they would need to be fed, as were the local Arab inhabitants.
@ Thanks so much for bringing my understanding of this term into the modern iteration! I love learning from you about the exploits of my British cousins!
Listed as Administrative Services for the Garrison (but no numbers of staff) are the following Supply and transport Corps. Supply Units. Transport units (animal) detachments , 13th, 26th and 3oth Mule Corps. Medical units 3 field ambulances. 3 field hospitals . 1 section Veterinary field hospital . 3 Chaplains, Army Chaplains Dept, Military Governor. Survey Party , Field Post Office.
And why do you need to go further than Basra at all? Persia being a neigbour of both Russia and Great Britain whould never dare anything, even less so with Basra in British hands near the oil fields. It whould have been a lot easier to supply the army from the coast in Basra... The closer to the coast the fighttakes place the better for the British (as in Egypt and Palestine).
I have watched it and waited eagerly to hear Lawrence had tryed to bribe ottomans to release and keep the incident of brits becoming prisoners of this campaign to not to tarnish Britton, disappointed you haven’t mention this.
I wish he had pointed out the sheer idiocy and absolute callousness Townsend displayed during the campaign for his men. He went up the Tigris with the idea of taking Baghdad, seeing himself as a modern day Alexander the Great. He was an ambitious man with no qualms about losing lots of men if it meant victory and gaining him glory. He had been told he should try to break out from Kut, but he continued to refuse time and time again by making up bullshit excuses regarding low ammo and low food. When he found out who was coming to relieve him he openly wept on a junior officer's shoulder. The battle and surrender at Kut was an event entirely of Townsend's own making. A foolhardy folly of an ambitious butcher.
Overconfident operation, with terrible logistical support, and combined with wrong decisions. Attacking twice the larger entrenched force armed with modern weaponry in the hope they would scatter and run. The decision to stay and fight at Kut, while far from any support and still with the option of continuing retreat where he could be saved by ships...
Townsend was held to be a hero post WW1 but his behaviour during the siege was questionable at best. He exceeded his brief which resulted in his getting stuck in Kut. His messages of being besieged and short of food was interesting as his original figures seemed to stretch over time. In short he was not very low on supplies certainly in the early part of the siege but seemed to want to stay out and be relieved rather than liaising with relief forces for a break out, which was viable, certainly in the early phase. This could be traced back to his early career when he was besieged at a fort in India for some time and was hailed as a hero on his relief, kick starting his career. He was not the most stable of human beings which is shown by his response when told of one of his peers being promoted, leaving no chance for him to attain similar rank at that time. He is recorded as crying on a cringing subaltern's shoulder when he got the bad news. After the surrender he left in some comfort, more a guest than a prisoner, and only one officer chose to stay with the men on what became a nightmare journey into captivity, many dying of illness. The result of his decisions, to exceed his orders and not take the opportunity to break out cost many lives both among his own men and the relief force.
@@TheHistoryChap Not my thoughts, but from a book, The Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman F Dixon.. a bit of an eye-opener.that gives a bit of insight to otherwise puzzling decisions, which as a former Officer I find illuminating. I do enjoy you posts so, keep them coming..
@TheHistoryChap first of all thanks for the quick reply. However, I am a practicing Hindu and never have I heard that Hindus are forbidden from eating horse meat. In Vedic times, there was Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse was sacrificed at the end of the ritual. Even in modern times, milch animals are not sacrificed (exception: water buffaloes)
The Ox and Bucks....everywhere from South Africa to Kut to Flanders to Russia to Pegasus Bridge....Up the Ox and Bucks.... to Arnhem!. A great sag. Now part of The Rifles after going to The Green Jackets en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfordshire_and_Buckinghamshire_Light_Infantry
@@TheHistoryChap Quite so. And perhaps it was the photographer's idea. I wonder if their success would have been better achieved if this campaign occured at the same time as Gallipoli, but I am ignorant of what Empire or Commonwealth resources and logistics were available then. Too easy for toy kriegspielers, armchair generals and Monday morning quaterbacks to speculate on. Much tougher to be there in the dirt and heat with bullets flying... Allenby's victory and TE Lawrence's achievements stand out in contrast.
My uncle William Evans, born summer 1898, was, according to his Medal Roll entry (WO372) and the Absent Voters Lists, in the 1/4th Norfolk Regiment. The only thing my father ever told me about him was "Will was at Kut.", Assuming that this is truth, I have long tried to validate it. I can't see how someone of his age (even though as a well-built young man who might have passed for two years older) could have enlisted, been trained and transferred to the 2nd Bn. in order to have been part of the force that was besieged in late 1914. Were any of the Norfolk Regt. part of the force that ultimately relieved the siege later in the war?
Part of the garrison at Kut were the 18th Infantry Brigade this consisted of 2nd Batt Norfolk Regiment , 7th Rajputs, 110th Mahratta Light Infantry and the 120th Rajputana Infantry. My Grandfather William Cherrett was there with the 30th Infantry Brigade in one company from the 1/4 Hampshire Regiment. He was wounded and very thankfully he survived imprisonment. I wonder if the met?
@@adriancherrett7798 If my uncle was there, then I guess it's possible William met William, My puzzle is whether, as someone who was barely 16 when war broke out, he was actually there at all. The records agree that he was in 4/1st Batt, so I'm exploring the possibility of his being with the force that eventually lifted the siege.
A very sad story. And the inspiration for one of Rudyard Kipling's most powerful, and angriest poems: "Mesopotamia". It's a scathing reminder of how Townshend's division went through hell in the name of an Empire in which they had totally believed... Some reward!
Thanks for taking the time to watch and also to comment.
Never knew such it was big deal in that theatre. My grand uncle, a New Zealander was there, I think.
I was not remotely aware of this, but I suppose that such a big loss is not shouted about at home. Thanks for sharing.
We could fill volumes with important historical events that people aren’t aware of.
I first read about this when I was a kid and I got a copy of P. J. Haythornthwaite’s ‘World War One Source Book’. The campaign started off well, but Townsend overstretched and disaster occurred. Still, General Maude thrashed the Turks in 1917, which likely overshadowed the earlier disaster.
I didn't know the finer details of this tragic campaign but as a small boy I remember my great grandmother mentioned her brother died in a Turkish POW camp in terrible conditions.
RIP Ernest Morris, Worcester Hussars.
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it.
@@stephenperry5849 Have to say, these days WW1 history taught at Western school are very biased towards the western front, Gallopili and Lawrence of Arabia. Many major battles away from these fronts have been obscured.
Bloody tragic story, and very well told Mr Green.
Thankyou for sharing.
Many thanks Darren.
My Grandfather was on one of the last boats to leave (they had been engaged on regular supply trips using small vessels along the river). He was interviewed by researchers from Durham university in the late '60's as I recall.
Thanks for watching & your feedback.
I think I am going to use that phrase as a quote from now on. It is somewhere between Marseille and Basra! 😂😅
I am glad you are focusing on the forgotten side of World War I, well done, amigo. I have no idea the conditions which existed on all fronts of the war.. I remember when I was in the Middle East, how cold and miserable the desert can be in winter.
It is a fun phrase. Looking forward to hearing how you get in slipping it into discussions -:)
I've read the diary of one of the British Officers from the Siege of Kut, my Dad has a few bits and pieces about it, in the end the only thing he had left of his horse was the tail. During the march he talked about ill soldiers dragging themselves through streams of liquid faeces to drink water from the river that was full of the same stuff, terrible conditions and treatment for the soldiers.
That is a harrowing description. Thanks for sharing.
Never heard of this campaign. Thanks for telling it, "Chap"!
My pleasure.
It’s nice to see someone is covering these lesser known actions of WW1. Would you consider doing a video on General Maude’s successful campaign of 1917, including the Second Battle of Kut?
I too Would be very Interested in this as well, My Great Uncle, served with the 8th Cheshires who were part of the 13th Western Division, who were Part of General Maude's Force
@ Great family history. 👍🏻
On the cards. Watch this space!
The British troops occupying the area after Operation Iraq Freedom tidied up and restored the British and Indian war graves. Sadly the day after this the local Iraqis had them all vandalized.
That’s awful. Let the dead rest in peace.
Stay in your own homeland if you want to rest in peace!
@AKguru762 haha, that's funny considering that has never happened in all of human history. Especially in this area.
@@AKguru762 Did the Ottoman Turks stay in their own homeland, or the Arabs when they established the Rashidun Caliphate? Should all Turkish-Muslim graves located outside of Turkey be vandalised?
@@AKguru762pos💩= u
The numbers. The casualties. The suffering. The humiliation.
Disaster doesn't seem to do the outcome justice.
Once one sets out to study history, one must consider the men who endured these challenges.
This is a deeply humbling experience. Thank you for sharing the reality of warfare through these lesser known campaigns. Please keep up your grand work. Cheers.
Great comment. Thanks for taking the time to post.
tout ca pour du petrole
As usual a top class documentary. This was not the first time General Charles Townsend was besieged in his military career. He endured being besieged in his early career on the North West Frobtier in the
1890's.. A young Irishman serving as a Bombardier in the Royal Field Artillery which tried to break the siege at Kut was Tom Barry. He would later be the most successful rebel field commander during the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921.
Fascinating about Tom Barry. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your informative video on the Siege of Kut. My grandfather died trying to relieve Townsend. He was a 2nd Lieut with the 62nd Punjabis and volunteered from India. He died of Cholera in Basra. His brother died at the Somme a few months later but this dreadful mess of a campaign seems to make for an even more wasteful and poignant death
Thanks for watching my video & for your feedback.
Thank you History Chap, this was a very tragic event of WWI which, as you described has been lost to history. Now I must research more of the history of the Turkish theater of WWI, to learn more. Well done. I always enjoy your work.
Many thanks for your support.
Another fascinating and on my part, unknown, saga. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching.
Another excellent video Chris!
Thank you for watching.
A very sad story, with the majority of those taken prisoner eventually dying in Turkish captivity whilst the foolish Townsend spent his POW time in relative luxury. The British eventually losing more men overall trying to relieve Kut than those who actually surrendered in the first place.
A contributing factor is that the Turks treated POWs horrendously. Their German advisers were appalled by this and advised them how to treat them humanely - they were ignored.
Get rekt brits 😂😂😂
Officers were always kept seperate from lower ranks and treated better to attempt to get information or turn them
It is your last point that hit me. Talk about a poor return on investment!
As if the British and Russians treated the Turkish prisoners perfectly, 400,000 Turkish soldiers as prisoners of war died in the hands of the Russians and the British!
Great research and presentation Chris.
Good video... Townshend didn't try and break out to assist the relief force. If he had done this there was every chance he would have got out. However Townshend wanted to be "heroically relieved " as he had at Chitral 20 years before. He failed his troops badly and after surrender lived in relative luxury while his British and Indian troops suffered horrendous conditions. Only once did he raise a complaint against the Ottomans treatment of his men...When he returned to Britain he was rightfully ostracised and retired from the Army in 1920.
The other ranks were used as slave labour building roads and railways while officers led a comfortable existence living in village houses and were even allowed to ski in the winter and visit the shops unaccompanied.
Interesting observation. Thanks for sharing.
I hadn't read that. Have you a source please?
I came across an account of Townshend's less than gallant behaviour during the siege in The Guinness Book of Military Blunders by Geoffrey Regan @TheHistoryChap
@@TheHistoryChap Keegans Military Blunders (1 or 2) goes into the Seige of Kut in quite good detail...Especially Townshends "issues"
Yet another great video Chris. I was aware of the Kut disaster from an early age, I was regularly bought A4 size hard back historical books for Christmas from M&S in the late 1970's early 80's. One was "The Great War" and it still is an excellent account of WWI.
It mentioned Kut and the disastrous efforts to relieve it. It also goes on to describe the march into captivity and Tikrit, it didn't actually go into too much detail about the deprivations for obvious reasons, but it did make reference to POW's being dragged into alleyways and shall we say dehumanised. A terrible way to end for many of those soldiers.
After the war between 2019 and 2022 the British government made concerted attempts to have Enver Pasha arrested for not just the treatment of British and Indian POW's (non-Muslim), but also for the Armenian genocide. But Charles Townshend said he would testify for the defence of Enver Pasha if he came to trial denying that the death march took place. They had become good friends during Townshend's luxurious captivity. This did not go down well in London.
Lastly there was a 1999 BBC film starring David Jason called "All the King's Men", it's based on a book "The Vanished Battalion" by Nigel McCrery. It describes a Territorial Battalion of the Norfolk Regt which included men from the King's estate Sandringham House, thus forming the Sandringham Company. It describes their experiences in Gallipoli and subsequent "disappearance". A possible future video Chris if you have not done so all ready.
Thanks for your informative feedback
Another excellent story Chris. As you said, this is one of the least known campaigns of WW1. I suggest that you continue the story and describe what happened in the latter part of the campaign.
I will do. Watch this space!
I have a book called '800 Miles To Freedom' which is a record of a group of British Army Officers held in captivity in Yozgat , central Turkey. The group plan and execute an escape by foot from Yosgat to the coast. Acquiring a boat they arrive in British Administered Cyprus.
A great ripping yarn of a story that would make for a great film. Thankyou for the story.
Thanks for your feedback & for sharing the book details.
je savais pas qu il y eu des captifs a Yozgat, ma femme est originaire de cette ville ,est ce une histoire vraie ?
Good video, I had read bout the Hell at Kut years ago, but it was not very detailed. Your video brought out the true horrors of the siege and the subsequent captivity.
Thanks for watching my video & for your feedback. Thanks.
Another fascinating video thanks Chris. The ‘other’ fronts in WW1 are very interesting and often under covered in books and videos
Thanks for this, very interesting and enlightening as these type of defeats for the British never attract the same level of coverage.
They are worth telling.
Another excellent video, thanks, Chris.
Glad you enjoyed it
Another fantastic video I didn't know much about this one, sad story. Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it
Admirable bit of work Sir. I am running out of accolades. I am looking forward to your next video lecture.
So many more in the pipeline.
Looking forward to your next offering @@TheHistoryChap
Thank you for yet another excellent presentation.
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it.
Excellent video!! Even if not so, I like to think you saw my suggestion for this several videos ago.
Love your channel. 🙂
I do note suggestions in the comments & emails that I receive. Also had a few requests for this one from Indian viewers.
It was an informative and wonderful historical coverage video
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks.
As always an interesting tale and like many not one I was familiar with. Super stuff !!!
Glad you enjoyed it.
MY GOD, Chris old bean, WHAT A STORY THIS WAS, yet again for the umpteenth time, haha, YOU’VE had to deliver it to me as I’d NEVER EVER heard of THIS long forgotten whatsoever WW1 story, us Brits’ largest defeat since the eventual surrender of the besieged General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, to George Washington and the Americans in 1781. God, those POOR poor men, after those TERRIBLE terrible months of siege on them by the Turks, all sorts of god knows what affecting them AND having to eat THEIR OWN HORSES 😱😱😱😭😭😭💔💔💔… THANK GOD this didn’t put me off my food, as I WAS eating dinner whilst enjoying THIS, the latest of your absolutely incredible history giving videos, our superstar RUclipsr, one of quite a few I’ve irresistibly relived and refreshed myself upon again over the last two days since Sunday. And this predated by over two decades the horrificness and shocking stories of the Death March on American forces in the Philippines by the Japanese in WWII.
How DO you keep up all this incredible amazingness EVERY SINGLE TIME, Chris me old mucker? Damn am I so so happy your Lance Corporal Jones video from last year gave me you in the first place 😊😊😊. And now, I REALLY really hope we’ll FINALLY have that Lawrence of Arabia video you’ve promised before next, as he was mentioned in tonight’s update, if I just given myself the right opportunity in free time availability to FINALLY see the almost 4 hour long Peter O’Toole lead film too… And btw, I hope ya DID see my review in last week’s topic on the Trent Affair, just to say, is all
Max, I am building up to Lawrence of Arabia (he also got a mention in my video about Tommy Cooper too).
Another great video - no wonder you closing in on the 200k mark - very well done
Very kind of you, thanks.
Thanks for bringing this tragic and little known episode of history to a modern audience. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Greetings of great admiration, respect and appreciation for your esteemed channel that presents accurate and useful information in a wonderful way. I thank you with all the beautiful words and sincere feelings for your sincere efforts in presenting this distinguished and exceptional work. I wish you permanent success. I wish you happiness and goodness and I ask God Almighty to protect you and take care of you at every moment and step.. Thank you.. Thank you
The Connaught Ramgers were part of that relief effort, my Grandfather was a member of the regiment and fought there.
Thanks for watching my video & your feedback.
What a horrifying chapter among many in British military history. Thank you for presenting it.
Thanks so much Chris
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for waching.
A helluva story of another theater of the Great War often overlooked but not forgotten especially in light of recent events. Thanks for keeping the memories of brave soldiers alive. On both and all sides. 🙏
Thanks for watching & your feedback.
Good work Chris👍👍👍
Thank you very much.
Such a sad part of British history. I had never heard of this part of WWI. Thank you for educating me
Never heard of this in school.
Thanks for watching my video
The irony of Britain interceeding for Turkey (the weak man of Europe) against Russia in Crimea decades before.
Political circumstances change over time. Do you remember when Vietnam and USA were enemies?
Calling this a disaster is somewhat dwarfed by the surrender of 90,000 British troops to the Japanese in Singapore at the beginning of World War II. By the way, the Japanese only had 30,000 men during the campaign.
You are welcome to your opinion.
They never learn. The Turks were good soldiers and even better when trained by the Germans.
My god those Turks were tough troops. They proved it at Kut & Gallipoli. Maybe if Kut had been defended by the magnificent ANZACS they would've put up a better fight. The ANZACS were the best & the Brits used them as shock troops on the Western Front.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
@@K_one_w_one Gallipoli was not just the Turkish Army against the Anzacs. The British played a crucial role and there was French involvement. Over one third of the "Turks" at Gallipoli came from what is now Palestine,Lebanon,Syria Jordon etc which were part of the Ottoman Empire.
@@johnroche7541The Industrial Revolution had a negative effect on British manpower in WW1.
Many of the British working class were
undernourished who
lived and worked in terrible conditions.
Compared to the tall, suntanned outdoorsy ANZAC and Canadian soldiers, a great deal of the British troops, although brave, were physically scrawny.
@@K_one_w_one No offence to you or anyone personally, but this Anzac narrative is nonsense.
Australians, Canadians are not even half as capable as British or Indian soldiers. Till date its Britain and US that guarantees Australia's, New Zealand's and Canada's security.
So it is extremely distasteful and also dishonest when you push a completely nonsense narrative that the British soldiers were underfed or inferior than some Anzacs.
Wow!This and your further comment about British soldiers really are unnecessary!..,look up "6 V.Cs Before Breakfast" Lancashire Fusiliers Gallipoli...1915, thousands of Anzacs lives were wasted and never should be forgotten, but please show a little respect to our fallen please.
The awful consequences of surrendering! Seen again with the surrender of Singapore in WW2.
I will tell Singapore in the non-too distant future.
I would love to see more on the battles of the Boer War. I saw an old photo of a shallow trench on top of a hill called 'Spion Kop' I can't say for sure..But i think it may be the reason Australian soldiers were called 'Diggers'...Some of the Boer's tactics were inspired
Very interesting thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Another Great video
Many thanks.
My Great Uncle John Williams, served with the 8th Cheshire Regiment, who were part of the 13th Western Division, that formed part of the force that were sent to relieve Kut, so I was really looking forward to this video. So Thank you Mr Green.
Colin, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. As a former resident of Cheshire and now Worcestershire, I have a soft spot for both regiments but need to be careful that I tell stories that involve others as well -:)
@@TheHistoryChap I don't think anyone could ever accuse you of bias towards any Regiments or areas, you videos are so diverse and seem to cover absolutely every thing
16:55 Classic understatement. Reportedly his POW experience was disgracefully comfortable and he further exhibited no clue as to why this should be an issue.
Thanks for your feedback.
Excellent video, well told and beautifully illustrated. This is sadly a bit of a classical case study (Norman F. Dixon, On the Psychology of Military Incompetence, 1976), but very well worth retelling.
I may be wrong but shouldn’t Hardinge rhyme with sing rather than binge?
Goodness only knows, although I pronounce it the way it is pronounced in George MacDonald Fraser's audio books on "Flashman"
@@TheHistoryChap According to Debrett’s (2019) entry for Lord Hardinge of Penshurst the name and title are pronounced ‘Harding’. Unexpected pronunciations of names and places in English are a joy, aren’t they?
There’s very little information about this battle. Thank you
Excellent video 📹 👏
BRITISH 🇬🇧 STALINGRAD
This is an exact blueprint for STALINGRAD 43
Like the 6th Army, the British captured an insignificant town.
The commanders also forgot to forget their FLANKS.
Before the enemy could encircle them, the British should have broken out.
Like the Soviets, the Ottomans didn't plan this. They improvised on an opportunity.
The British 🇬🇧 , like Manstein, tried many relief spearheads.
Like the Luftwaffe, the British Air Corp, brang in inadequate resources
Like the Soviets, the Ottomans used propaganda.
Finally , a British historian did a proper writeup
If Hitler knew the details about Kut, would he have done otherwise?
Thanks for watching my video & your interesting feedback.
I for one, greatly appreciate your videos on these less-known incidents. Perhaps one day you will research British participation in Task Force 45; Italian campaign in WW2. I have some information from the American perspective.
Please send to me via my website: www.thehistorychap.com
Thanks for this, my grandfather was captured there and survived the war as a pow
Wow, thanks for sharing your family story.
@TheHistoryChap I have a picture of him as a pow with Turk guard ....I took it to Basra with when I went lol
I’m going to have to read up on this theatre of WWI. The focus, in school, was always the western front.
Yes, we tend to forget that it really was a world war.
Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy, roughly based on his own experiences in the second world war, indirectly refers to this event. In the first part of the trilogy, 'Officers and Gentlemen' newly recruited trainee officers for the fictional Halberdiers regiment are billeted in a requisitioned private school called Kut al Amara House. In the novel the training is chaotic and ineffective and Waugh seems to expect readers in 1952 to recognise the reference to the Kut campaign.
Thanks for watching my video & for your feedback.
Thomas Cameron, great grandfather, killed on 8th March near Kut.
I heared about this campaign, but not so detailed, so thanks.....
My pleasure.
Can you recommend a couple of good book titles that deal with the American Revolution from the UK’s perspective?
Not off the top of my head.
6:06 after describing a form of hell on earth, “scandalous is it?” -british person😂💀
Glad you found it amusing
@ gallows humor
Great detail and research . Mesopotamia was a miserable place to be , with no glory to be had . This history was unknown to me , and shows the importance of logistics and resupply - especially in remote , alien locations. I am glad I wasn’t there ! Thanks .
Thank you for both watching and taking the time to comment.
Mezopotamya çöl ve kumların üstünde senin için bir şey yok ama altında petrol var ingilizler bu yüzden orada savaştı 😁
5:37 la ville de 'Basra' : ce ne serait pas : Bassorah ?
Weeds by definition are plants in an undesired location and does not apply away from fields and houses.
It would just be "native" or "wild" plants out there, or native flora. I take slight umbrage on behalf of the botanical community.
Thanks for the feedback.
Notice how the British landed in Basra to "secure their oil", i.e. _invaded the Ottoman Empire,_ way before the Ottomans joined the war.
General Townsend was taken to Istanbul and apparently paroled in a lovely villa for the duration of the war. He was never given another command when repatriated to England.
Thanks for sharing.
I think my grandfather was involved in this and survived the march.
6:30 I did not know the key detail that the Turks also initially retreated from Ctesiphon. How strange that the Indian Army retreated first? What drove the decision?
Townshend initially hoped the Turks would leave under cover of darkness but when they didn't he decided to withdraw.
It was almost at the same moment that the Ottoman commander made the same decision.
The first go around at Kut was pretty bad for the Brits. They got in over their heads and got those same heads handed to them. The second try went a lot smoother. I've been hitting the WW1 books quite a bit on Audible over the past year. I really recommend Audible's WW1 collection of books. I went through at least a half a dozen of them. The series that I was waiting for for years to be translated into English was Alexander Solchinitsyn's "The Red Wheel". It begins with Ludendorf and Hindenburg's epic battle of Tannenberg in late August, 1914 in East Prussia where the German 8th Army countered the Russian invasion of East Prussia by their skilfull use of the German Reichsbahn (railroad) to concentrate first here, then there against the Russian 2nd Army under General Aleksandr Samsonov driving his army into the swamps and practically destroying it right there, resulting in General Samsonov's suicide. Then the Germans turned on the Russian 1st Army and mauled it rather severely too.
The second Book in the trilogy is titled 1916 and covers the June 1916 Brusilov offensive against the mainly Austro-Hungarian Army. Wherein a large portion of the Austrian Army was wrecked. Another excellent campaign that's not really covered all that well in the Western Front centered history of the first World War. The third and final book is titled 1917 and covers the Bolshevik Revolution and all of the attempts to maintain the Russian Army in the field, save the Romanov Dynasty and keep the war going. Even though it's Historical Fiction it remains some of the best WW1 history that I've ever run across. If you want to learn about WW1 in the East don't miss it.
Thank you for taking the time to share. Much appreciated.
I'd be really interested to know how, if he was one of the intelligent blokes negotiating that attempt at a parole, T.E. Lawrence actually escaped being captured as part of the actual surrender. It's probably quite an interesting tale.
No, they came under a flag of truce as negotiators. They were never part of the surrender itself.
My grandfather was killed at Kut. He was an officer in the Ottoman army
Thanks for watching my video & your feedback.
@ thank you for a very interesting video!
Originally heard of this on The Great War about 7 years ago. Indy unfortunately did a great job of capturing the despair and misery
Thank you for watching.
Well told story.
Thank you.
I'm guessing another outcome of this. The # of recipes with horse as one of the ingredients went up significantly.
Ha ha.
Its a shame you couldn't mention the mesopotamian half flight.
Tell us more...
Seem to remember reading the orders were to pull out from kut but they were ignored as the general in charge wanted to become famous,like Baden-Powell and Ladysmith.
Thanks for your feedback.
A narrative of the siege of Kut without even mentioning Field Marshal Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz who was in charge of the Ottoman 6th Army?
CHRIS-When you say the Brits had 3 1/2 thousand non-combatants, what do you mean by ‘camp followers’? Were these refugees, valets for the officers or what? And were the British obliged to feed these camp followers also? I’m used to Camp Followers in the Feudal Agewhen wives, wares-men, etc would follow behind armies but have never heard the term in Modern wars before.
Various non combat roles ranging from cooks to valets to clerks. All sorts who wouldn't normally be in the front line. Yes, they would need to be fed, as were the local Arab inhabitants.
@ Thanks so much for bringing my understanding of this term into the modern iteration! I love learning from you about the exploits of my British cousins!
Listed as Administrative Services for the Garrison (but no numbers of staff) are the following Supply and transport Corps. Supply Units. Transport units (animal) detachments , 13th, 26th and 3oth Mule Corps. Medical units 3 field ambulances. 3 field hospitals . 1 section Veterinary field hospital . 3 Chaplains, Army Chaplains Dept, Military Governor. Survey Party , Field Post Office.
@ Thanks for such a detailed response!
6:25 la ville de Kut-El-Amara
And why do you need to go further than Basra at all? Persia being a neigbour of both Russia and Great Britain whould never dare anything, even less so with Basra in British hands near the oil fields. It whould have been a lot easier to supply the army from the coast in Basra... The closer to the coast the fighttakes place the better for the British (as in Egypt and Palestine).
Dutch people knew in before how this would end...
Did they?
I have watched it and waited eagerly to hear Lawrence had tryed to bribe ottomans to release and keep the incident of brits becoming prisoners of this campaign to not to tarnish Britton, disappointed you haven’t mention this.
Sorry, can't include every detail.
I wish he had pointed out the sheer idiocy and absolute callousness Townsend displayed during the campaign for his men. He went up the Tigris with the idea of taking Baghdad, seeing himself as a modern day Alexander the Great. He was an ambitious man with no qualms about losing lots of men if it meant victory and gaining him glory. He had been told he should try to break out from Kut, but he continued to refuse time and time again by making up bullshit excuses regarding low ammo and low food. When he found out who was coming to relieve him he openly wept on a junior officer's shoulder.
The battle and surrender at Kut was an event entirely of Townsend's own making. A foolhardy folly of an ambitious butcher.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Overconfident operation, with terrible logistical support, and combined with wrong decisions. Attacking twice the larger entrenched force armed with modern weaponry in the hope they would scatter and run. The decision to stay and fight at Kut, while far from any support and still with the option of continuing retreat where he could be saved by ships...
People come here to learn and share information ! Why are comments being removed or censored ?????
Maybe YT removed. What information did you share?
@@TheHistoryChap I replied to your question and it was deleted as well, I am not making this up . Extraordinary!
When I was a child, I used to live in Kut for two years. Ahhhhh, the 60s.
Thanks for sharing
Townsend was held to be a hero post WW1 but his behaviour during the siege was questionable at best. He exceeded his brief which resulted in his getting stuck in Kut. His messages of being besieged and short of food was interesting as his original figures seemed to stretch over time. In short he was not very low on supplies certainly in the early part of the siege but seemed to want to stay out and be relieved rather than liaising with relief forces for a break out, which was viable, certainly in the early phase.
This could be traced back to his early career when he was besieged at a fort in India for some time and was hailed as a hero on his relief, kick starting his career.
He was not the most stable of human beings which is shown by his response when told of one of his peers being promoted, leaving no chance for him to attain similar rank at that time. He is recorded as crying on a cringing subaltern's shoulder when he got the bad news.
After the surrender he left in some comfort, more a guest than a prisoner, and only one officer chose to stay with the men on what became a nightmare journey into captivity, many dying of illness.
The result of his decisions, to exceed his orders and not take the opportunity to break out cost many lives both among his own men and the relief force.
Thank you for taking the time to add this information and your thoughts on it.
@@TheHistoryChap Not my thoughts, but from a book, The Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman F Dixon.. a bit of an eye-opener.that gives a bit of insight to otherwise puzzling decisions, which as a former Officer I find illuminating. I do enjoy you posts so, keep them coming..
At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Nice comment.
Indian Troops "Uhm, excuse me...we don't like eating horse meat either"
British Officers "Oh for fuck sake"
That did seem to be Townshend's sort-of opinion.
Why were Indian troops horrified when horses were killed?
Not a diet supported by Muslim or Hindu religions.
@TheHistoryChap first of all thanks for the quick reply. However, I am a practicing Hindu and never have I heard that Hindus are forbidden from eating horse meat. In Vedic times, there was Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse was sacrificed at the end of the ritual. Even in modern times, milch animals are not sacrificed (exception: water buffaloes)
The Ox and Bucks....everywhere from South Africa to Kut to Flanders to Russia to Pegasus Bridge....Up the Ox and Bucks.... to Arnhem!. A great sag. Now part of The Rifles after going to The Green Jackets
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfordshire_and_Buckinghamshire_Light_Infantry
They did get around a bit.
Maps help a lot.
Did you need more?
Gen Nixon [10:28] appears to be the very model of a modern Major General...
He does have that air, although quite a few seemed to strike that pose. Must have been the "in" photo pose at the time.
@@TheHistoryChap Quite so. And perhaps it was the photographer's idea.
I wonder if their success would have been better achieved if this campaign occured at the same time as Gallipoli, but I am ignorant of what Empire or Commonwealth resources and logistics were available then. Too easy for toy kriegspielers, armchair generals and Monday morning quaterbacks to speculate on. Much tougher to be there in the dirt and heat with bullets flying...
Allenby's victory and TE Lawrence's achievements stand out in contrast.
Tutks and Germans always outperformed allies. They eventually lost the battle due to lack of supplies.......
Thanks for your feedback.
First!!
50 seconds, 0 views, 0 comments!
Yeah, congratulations.
My uncle William Evans, born summer 1898, was, according to his Medal Roll entry (WO372) and the Absent Voters Lists, in the 1/4th Norfolk Regiment. The only thing my father ever told me about him was "Will was at Kut.", Assuming that this is truth, I have long tried to validate it. I can't see how someone of his age (even though as a well-built young man who might have passed for two years older) could have enlisted, been trained and transferred to the 2nd Bn. in order to have been part of the force that was besieged in late 1914. Were any of the Norfolk Regt. part of the force that ultimately relieved the siege later in the war?
Not sure without doing some more research.
Part of the garrison at Kut were the 18th Infantry Brigade this consisted of 2nd Batt Norfolk Regiment , 7th Rajputs, 110th Mahratta Light Infantry and the 120th Rajputana Infantry.
My Grandfather William Cherrett was there with the 30th Infantry Brigade in one company from the 1/4 Hampshire Regiment. He was wounded and very thankfully he survived imprisonment. I wonder if the met?
@@adriancherrett7798 If my uncle was there, then I guess it's possible William met William, My puzzle is whether, as someone who was barely 16 when war broke out, he was actually there at all. The records agree that he was in 4/1st Batt, so I'm exploring the possibility of his being with the force that eventually lifted the siege.
The siege sounds like the Aleutian campaign of WWII.
Interesting comparison. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Many Indian Moslems fought bravely along side their British comrades.
They did indeed.