Vine in 1914: Basra

British troops entered Basra as recently as 2003, but they were also there almost 100 years earlier. In 1914, Basra was part of the Ottoman Empire, which had entered the war on the side of the Central Powers, lining up alongside Germany and Austria-Hungary. It was home to vast quantities of oil, which the Allies needed to power their new Dreadnought battleships. The Battle of Basra saw the Allies capture the city, with 500 of their troops killed or injured.