Bible Provides Plan for WWI Battle

I came across a very interesting World War I story. One of that war's theatres of conflict was in the Holy Land where the British and other Commonwealth forces, under accomplished General Allenby, were fighting the Turkish forces who were allied with Germany and Austria. 

Sheer cliffs of Michmash

In 1917, General Allenby, along with his Sixtieth British Division,  entered the plain surrounding Megiddo and Mischmash (these lie north of Jerusalem) en-route to attack Jericho and drive the Turkish army back across the Jordan River. Directly in their path was the small town of Michmash which was located on a high, rocky hill overlooking the plain of Megiddo, also occupied  by the Turks. It was an almost impregnable with its sheer cliffs. 

Where is Michmash?

Jonathan and
armour-bearer climbing
cliffs at Michmash

The British forces were faced with a problem. How on earth would they penetrate that town? But General Allenby and his Brigade Major Vivion Gilbert, knowing their Bibles well, remembered that the name of that town was mentioned in I Samuel chapters 13 and 14. Here it describes how Prince Jonathan, along with his armour-bearer, found a secret rocky passage on the hillside that lead to the top of the town that was being used as a fortress by the Philistine army. With God's help, Jonathan and his armour-bearer, were able to surprise the Philistines and in the confusion the Philistines fought each other and were quickly and easily defeated. 

Jonathan and armour-bearer

General Allenby

General Allenby and those with him discovered that the topography of the area was still very similar. They managed to find that secret passage. His troops scaled these same sheer cliffs that Jonathan climbed thousands of years before and took the Turkish garrison by complete surprise. It was a decisive victory for General Allenby and the Commonwealth forces. Being victorious at Megiddo, Jericho, and Jerusalem, he finally broke the power of the Turkish army, a very important development for the future of the Holy Land, the Middle East, and the outcome of the war. 

At the end of the war, General Allenby was decorated as Lord Allenby 'Viscount of Megiddo'. 

This story shows how much God is at work in the affairs of man and the workings of history. The relevency of  His word is shown also in this story for guiding the details of modern day history. 

God Bless







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Reference: 


Katherine Pollard Carter, The Mighty Hand of God, Missouri: Impact Books, INC., 1991, pp. 87-89. 
(other references for that chapter in the book)