Kut 1916: Courage and Failure in Iraq

The Allied campaign in Mesopotamia began in 1914 as a relatively simple operation to secure the oilfields in the Shatt al‑Arab delta and Basra area. Initially it was a great success, but as the army pressed towards Baghdad its poor logistic support, equipment and command left it isolated and besieged by the Turks. By 1916 the force had not been relieved, and on 29 April 1916 the British Army suffered one of the worst defeats in military history. In Kut 1916, Patrick Crowley recounts this dramatic battle story of blunders, sacrifice, imprisonment and escape.