Bibliography: #GZPSMDMV

key	GZPSMDMV
title	Battle of Haifa : The Last Great Cavalry Campaign in History
author	Choudhary, Ajeet Singh
item type	Journal article
publication year	2020
date	2020
publication title	Dogo Rangsang Research Journal
abstract note	Every year on September 23, the Indian Army celebrates 'Haifa Day' to commemorate the war dead during the Battle of Haifa, considered as one of the bravely contested battles of First World War. The Teen Murti memorial was constructed in 1922 in the memory of the Indian soldiers from three princely states namely Jodhpur, Hyderabad and Mysore who served present day Gaza strip, Israel and Palestine during the First World War under British Indian Army. Even as the 100th anniversary of the battle was celebrated this year, not many outside of the army are aware of the Rajasthan connection to it. The heroism, tenacity and cavalry skills of the Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers that took control of the city from the Turks on September 23, 1918, proved to be a decisive factor in the victory over the Ottoman Empire. The historical battle of Haifa paved the way to the victory of the British Army and 30 years latter to the creation of the State of Israel. The Jodhpur Lancers were the cavalry unit of the erstwhile Princely State of Jodhpur, from 1885 to 1952. In the early 20th century, the Jodhpur Lancers served under the British Army in China, South Africa, the Middle East and France, among other places, earning honors for their courage and dedication. In their final drive, the Jodhpur Lancers part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade (along with the Hyderabad & Mysore Lancers) were in the saddle for 500 miles over 38 days; but it was at the Mediterranean town of Haifa on September 23, 1918, that they covered themselves with glory. The victory was even more special as the Indian soldiers were armed only with lances (a kind of spear) and swords while the Turks had had in their possession advance artillery and machine guns. The Indian troops displayed exemplary cavalry skills and valor during what was considered to be the last major cavalry campaign in military history. Their action on the battlefield on horses with swords and lance against machine guns was described in the Official History of the War, 1919: “No more remarkable cavalry action of its scale was fought in the whole course of the campaign”; and is rated variously by military historians as “one of the greatest ever cavalry charges on a regimental scale”, and, as “the last great cavalry charge”. Their finest hour was on 23 September 1918, when the Jodhpur Lancers, in a daring cavalry charge, armed only with swords and lances, liberated the town of Haifa, Israel, which was guarded by the machine guns and artillery of the Turkish troops of the Ottoman Empire. In this gallant action, the Indian troops also secured the safety of the residents of the town and the spiritual leader 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the heir of Bahá'u'lláh, the leader of the Bahá'í faith. They delivered 'Abdu'l-Bahá from the threat of crucifixion made by Kemal Paşa, the Ottoman military chief. The Bahá'í community in India, therefore, commemorates the Battle of Haifa as a day of deliverance of their spiritual leader. The gallant action of the Indian troops is remembered by the Israeli government too and the Mayor of Haifa has had a chapter on the Indian role in liberating the port city, included in the history text books of students in Haifa. In the huge loss of blood and lives incurred, these Indian soldiers had successfully built a robust political relationship between two nations, born out of British dominance, and being celebrated for the last hundred years. This article provides a comprehensive historical account of the Jodhpur Lancers and Battle of Haifa – their origin, their deeds and dash and their role in the armies of British India and their princely state. This article also reminds us, lest we forget of the sacrifice of so many Indians who fight in the Great War and who died in foreign lands, as brave sons of India.
pages	217-227
issue	7
volume	10
language	English
manual tags	'ABDU'L-BAHA; WORLD WAR I; HAIFA; BATTLE OF HAIFA (1918); JODHPUR LANCERS

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