large/6798/withturkspalestine_1301_librivox_64kb_mp3/withtheturksinpalestine_06_aaronsohn_64kb_43
large/6798/withturkspalestine_1301_librivox_64kb_mp3/withtheturksinpalestine_06_aaronsohn_64kb
English
6798
The Arab as a soldier is at once stupid and cunning: fierce when victory is on his side, but unreliable when things go against him. THE ARAB AS A SOLDIER IS AT ONCE STUPID AND CUNNING FIERCE WHEN VICTORY IS ON HIS SIDE BUT UNRELIABLE WHEN THINGS GO AGAINST HIM
 they have been successful. The Turks were less far-sighted. They believed firmly that they were going to sweep the English off the face of the earth and enter Cairo in triumph, and preparations for the march on Suez went on with feverish enthusiasm. The ideas of the common soldiers on this subject were amusing. Some of them declared that the Canal was to be filled up by the sandbags which had been prepared in great quantities. Others held that thousands of camels would be kept without water for many days preceding the attack; then the thirsty animals, when released, would rush into the Canal in such numbers that the troops could march to victory over the packed masses of drowned bodies. The army operating against Suez numbered about one hundred and fifty thousand men. Of these about twenty thousand were Anatolian Turks--trained soldiers, splendid fighting material, as was shown by their resistance at the Dardanelles. The rest were Palestinian Arabs, and very inferior troops they were. F THESE PURPOSES THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL THE TURKS WERE LESS FAR SIGHTED THEY BELIEVED FIRMLY THAT THEY WERE GOING TO SWEEP THE ENGLISH OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND ENTER CAIRO IN TRIUMPH AND PREPARATION FOR THE MARCH ON SUEZ WENT ON WITH FEVERISH ENTHUSIASM THE IDEAS OF THE COMMON SOLDIERS ON THIS SUBJECT WERE AMUSING SOME OF THEM DECLARED THAT THE CANAL WAS TO BE FILLED UP BY THE SAND BAGS WHICH HAD BEEN PREPARED IN GREAT QUANTITIES OTHERS HELD THAT THOUSANDS OF CAMELS WOULD BE KEPT WITHOUT WATER FOR MANY DAYS PRECEDING THE ATTACK THEN THE THIRSTY ANIMALS WHEN RELEASED WOULD RUSH INTO THE CANAL IN SUCH NUMBERS THAT THE TROOPS COULD MARCH TO VICTORY OVER THE PACKED MASSES OF DROWNED BODIES THE ARMY OPERATING AGAINST THE SUEZ NUMBERED ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND MEN OF THESE ABOUT TWENTY THOUSAND WERE ANTULIAN TURKS TRAINED SOLDIERS SPLENDID FIGHTING MATERIAL AS WAS SHOWN BY THEIR RESISTANTS AT THE DARDNELTS THE REST WERE PALESTINIAN ARABS AND VERY INFERIOR TROOPS THEY WERE
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