Ultima șarjă. Megiddo, septembrie 1918
The Final Battle. Megiddo, September 1918

Summary/Abstract: Battle of Megiddo was by far the decisive battle within the British offensive started by General Edmund Allenby from Sinai Peninsula, in October 1917. From tactical point of view it can be described as the most complex military encounters occurred in the Middle East during the First World War. The battle fought, for almost one week in September 1918, by the Egyptian Expeditionary Forces, was the key strategic endeavor in gaining the full control of Palestine by the British army. The staunch, as well unconventional strategy employed by Allenby against the Yildirim Group in Palestine paid off, ultimately, by the full-scale destruction of two Ottoman Armies. Nevertheless, the Megiddo Battle should be seen as an adapted employment of the European style of conducting the war in the Middle East. By placing the cavalry assets to the core of the operational plan, he achieved an astonishing combination between speed, effective actions and geographical force projection. Moreover, the way in which Allenby used the logistics, air reconnaissance and fighting capabilities, was instrumental in neutralizing the adversary’s ability to articulate a meaningful reaction. Within days, British occupied Damascus and Beirut, paving the way for final defeat of Ottoman Empire, officially sanctioned, one month later, through the Mudros Armistice.

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