26 REDS & A BOTTLE OF WINE

On this day in 1917 General Sir Archibald Murray, commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Force lead a bold attack on the city of Gaza in an attempt to cut off 17,000 Turkish troops from their supplyline in Mesopotamia.

The plan was to use mounted troops to surround the city while the 53rd Division, led by 3 time Eastern Expeditionary Force cool name champion Major General A.G. Dallas, would bring the pain. Unfortunately for a few hundred British soldiers General Dallas had a bit of a freak-out and didn't attack for five hours.

The fighting lasted all afternoon and straight through suppertime. Slowly the British, with help from New Zealand and Australian forces (I mean, this was a WORLD war), were tightening the noose around the city of Gaza.

By late evening the British were a bit peckish and called the whole thing off, much to the surprise of the Turks who were left to wonder why they weren't all dead. When asked to explain this ridiculous decision making General Murray said something stupid about the horses being thirsty.

He tried to take Gaza again in April but the Turks were like: "Oh no, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice..."