(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Lenny Ben-David - The World War I campaign in the Middle East saw more soldiers die from epidemic diseases than from bullets, bombs, or artillery shells. Typhus, cholera, malaria, and the Spanish flu decimated soldiers and civilians across the region. One-third of Jerusalem's population died from the epidemics that struck before 1918. The total number of casualties in the Ottoman army was 771,844; 466,759 of whom died of illnesses. This article is from the author's forthcoming book Secrets of World War I in the Holy Land.
2023-09-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive