Seven Pillars of Wisdom · Chapter
LXXXII explained
Lawrence and Joyce conduct a reconnaissance by car to Mudowwara, testing the terrain for armored car operations.
What happens
Lawrence and Joyce conduct a reconnaissance by car to Mudowwara, testing the terrain for armored car operations. They return to Guweira and launch an attack on Turkish positions near Tell Shahm, demonstrating the vulnerability of the railway to mechanized warfare. The chapter also covers Maulud's progress in containing Maan and the strategic debate over Medina.
Themes in this chapter
War and Guerrilla Tactics
The chapter details the use of armored cars and raids to disrupt Turkish railway operations, highlighting the effectiveness of mobile warfare.
Futility and Meaning
Lawrence reflects on the British insistence on capturing Medina despite its military insignificance, and the strategic deception required to maintain their support.
Characters to notice
- T.E. Lawrence
Narrator and participant in the reconnaissance and attack; reflects on British attitudes toward Medina.
- Joyce
In charge of the armored car operation; accompanies Lawrence on the reconnaissance.
- Maulud el Mukhlus
Leads the containment of Maan, forcing Turkish withdrawals.
- Sherif Ali ibn el Hussein
Mentioned as conducting operations near Medina.
- Sherif Abdulla
Mentioned as conducting operations near Medina.
- General Clayton
Sent the mountain gun section from Egypt.
Key passages
“The British seemed curiously dense about Medina. They insisted that it must be captured, and lavished money and explosives on the operations which Ali and Abdulla continually undertook from their Yenbo base. When I pleaded to the contrary, they treated my view as a witty paradox.”
Lawrence found the British obsession with capturing Medina irrational, as it held no strategic value, but his objections were dismissed as clever jokes.
Highlights the disconnect between Lawrence's guerrilla perspective and conventional military thinking.
“The certainty that in a day from Guweira we could be operating along the railway, meant that traffic lay at our mercy. All the Turks in Arabia could not fight a single armoured car in open country.”
The ability to reach the railway quickly from Guweira gave the Arabs a decisive advantage, as Turkish forces were helpless against armored cars in open terrain.
Emphasizes the tactical superiority of mechanized units in desert warfare.