The battle of Nery in the opening weeks of the Great War began when the advancing Germans surprised the 1st British Cavalry Brigade quartered in the small French town. Chaos ensued, and the British took time to organise their defence, but eventually struck back with two batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery especially distinguishing themselves. The Queen s Bays cavalry regiment charged in classic style, and the Germans, mistakenly believing themselves outnumbered, withdrew with heavy casualties. Though tiny by later Great War standards, the affair at Nery , in which three VCs - two of them posthumous - were won, was a textbook example of guns and horses teaming up to turn defeat into victory, and author Patrick Takle gives the battle its full due. AUTHOR: Patrick Takle spent 33 years in the British Army, serving in the Infantry and as an Intelligence Officer in specialist units. Following his retirement, he pursued a career as an international banker and management consultant, working in Eastern Europe. He is the author of The Affair at Néry and British Army in France After Dunkirk, both in print with Pen and Sword Military.
