Kut: The Death of an Army is the fascinating, yet largely forgotten, story of the British-Indian Army, which was besieged in Mesopotamia from 1915 to 1916. It is an expert account of the tragic five-month Turkish siege, in which their enemies essentially outlasted them.
The author reveals the day-to-day preoccupations of not only the Anglo-Indian forces, but their enemies the Turks as well as local civilians caught in the chaos. Throughout the campaign, the British were beaten back by the Turks, and the ever-prevalent human suffering of the men, so far away from home in this foreign ground, less than helped the cause: starvation, heavy shelling, inadequate medical supplies and disease were all taking their toll. By the end of the campaign, approximately 30,000 British and Indian soldiers had lost their lives.
This informative book will be of interest to anyone wanting a concise and accessible introduction to the conflict and will be essential reading for both students of the First World War, as well as those who have a penchant for military history in general.
