Siege of Kut-al-Amara

Article abstract: Type of action: Siege in World War I. Result: Unsuccessful British defense of a town on the Tigris River.

While making his drive toward Baghdad, Sir Charles Townshend and his Indian Sixth Division (having twice as many Asian Indians as Britons) were besieged in the small town of Kut-al-Amara. With 10,000 able-bodied men (2,000 being sick or wounded), he fortified his position on the banks of the Tigris, hoping to survive a brief siege. When a Turkish assault failed with heavy casualties, the Turks, led by Colonel Nur-ed-Din with German adviser...

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