THE MIDDLE EAST FRONT

THE SINAI-PALESTINE CAMPAIGN

THE THIRD BATTLE OF GAZA:  OCTOBER 1917  

THE CAPTURE OF JERUSALEM:  DECEMBER 1917

THE ARAB REVOLT: 1916 -1918

    As we have seen, in the First and Second Gaza Wars (March/April 1917), the Egyptian Expeditionary Force had failed to break through the Ottoman defences and begin the planned invasion of Palestine. In both attacks no advance was made, and the casualties suffered were heavy on both occasions. It was not until October, under the command of General Edmund Allenby that a third and successful attempt was made.

    With an enlarged force of some 40,000 – including a sizeable contingent of Indian infantry and ANZAC mounted troops – Allenby put to good use the experience he had gained in the Boer War, where he had been in command of mounted units. Towards the end of October, aware that the Turks were expecting a full-scale attack upon Gaza, he feigned such an assault by moving infantry along the coast and shelling the city by sea as well as by land. In the meantime, however (see map), he launched his main attack upon Beersheba on the northern edge of the Sinai. He sent a large mounted force on a long and arduous journey inland, and this pounced upon and captured the city totally by surprise – an event remembered to this day by the gallant charge of the men of the Australian Light Horse. The Turks, totally outflanked, had no alternative (see map below), but to abandon Gaza to the British on the 6th November, and to retreat north along the coastal route for some 75 miles. Meanwhile,xafter taking Beersheba, the E.E.F seized the Ottoman base at Sheria, and a week later won the Battle of Mughar Ridge, seizing the height by mounted troops. This enabled the capture, nearby, of Junction Station (also known as Wadi es Sara); the cutting of the Ottoman railway link with Jerusalem; and, on the 16th November, the capture of the port of Jaffa, fifty miles north of Gaza. It was a notable run of victories for the British and Empire forces, but it came at a cost. Over the period October to December they lost close on 20,000 men.

     Thexroad to Jerusalem was now open but not so the terrain. The taking of Junction Station had virtually split the Turkish army in two, but the Judean Hills stood in the path of the Holy City, and these had a series of well-placed defensive outposts. On the 18th November Allenby launched a cavalry attack on Latron, the most westerly of these Turkish positions, but suffered heavy casualties as a consequence. He revised his plan, and the following day launched an attack based on two infantry divisions with cavalry support. This proved more successful. Despite wet and treacherous weather, Nebi Samwil, a hill only five miles north-west of Jerusalem, was captured, and from this commanding position the British force was able to repel a series of Turkish counter-attacks. After a battle lasting five days (20th to 24th November) Allenby sensed a weakening in the Ottoman position. He launched an all-out attack on the city and, facing little resistance, took over the city on the 11th December, capturing some 12,000 prisoners and more than 100 guns. It was, as the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George put it, “a Christmas present for the British people”. As a mark of respect to the Holy City – a sacred centre, as he pointed out, of three great religions of mankind – Allenby entered the city on foot and no Allied flags were flown (see pic below). He was fully aware that many of his soldiers and workers were Islamic. This was not be seen as the triumph of a crusade.

Acknowledgements

Map of Sinai: ww100.govt.nz Map of Third Battle of Gaza: ossetti.net Map of Palestine: nzhistory.govt.nz. Entry into Gaza: Sleekburn Prints Entry into Jerusalem: haaretz.com Emblem: greatwarforum.org City of Jerusalem: (detail) destination.360.com

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     Incidentally, on the Allied side, General Edmund Allenby – understandably – was the hero of the hour. However, among the Central Powers, and within the Ottoman Empire in particular, there was much dissatisfaction concerning the handling of the campaign and the German military who ran it. The commander, Field Marshall General Falkenhayn, was summarily dismissed. ……

    …… When forces of the E.E.F captured the port of Jaffa in mid-November it was constantly under fire, being well within range of Ottoman artillery situated on the north bank of the Yarkon River. To remedy this, during the night of the 20th December – despite atrocious weather conditions – units of the 52 (Lowland) Division crossed the river in hastily built pontoons and canvas boats and, taking the Ottoman forces completely by surprise, drove them back a distance of five miles, well beyond the range of Jaffa. By dawn they had taken the towns of Mulebbis and Fejja, and artillery had been transported over the river to provide a workable bridgehead. At one crossing point the brigade did come under heavy fire, but this event is seen as one of the most remarkable feats of the Palestine Campaign and, as such, Jaffa was designated a battle honour ……

    …… The Crusaders captured the city of Jerusalem in July 1099 and this was accompanied by the massacre of most of the Muslim and Jewish population. It then became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but was recaptured by Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, in 1187, and he permitted freedom of worship for all religions. It was not until the coming of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 730 years later, that it again fell into Christian hands. This time the city and its inhabitants, made up of all faiths, were treated with respect.

THExARAB REVOLT 1916-1918

     As noted earlier, both in the Sinai campaign and the advance to Jerusalem, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was assisted by the invaluable work of the Beduin guerrilla army. This Arab Revolt, advancing north along the east coast of the Red Sea, by its constant attacks upon the Hejaz Railway and Ottoman defences, tied down thousands of Turkish troops. And, in particular, the capture of Aqaba in July 1917, masterminded by the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, was of enormous assistance to the British forces regarding the supply of men and armaments. Following the capture of this valuable port, the Arab force (re-equipped, as we have seen, and renamed the Arab Northern Army), continued its advance northwards, now working in liaison with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, operating on the other side (the western side) of the Dead Sea and the River Jordan. In January 1918, for example, having abandoned an attempt to take the well-fortified town of Ma’an, it won an outstanding victory at the Battle of Tafileh, south-west of the Dead Sea, and later in the year seized the key railway junction of Deraa.

    Such operations, plus an increased number of attacks upon the Hejaz Railway (known as “Operation Hedgehog”), served to ease the pressure on the Allied forces. Allenby wrote to Faisal at this time, “Thanks to our combined efforts, the Ottoman army is everywhere in full retreat.” As we shall see, he was able to advance further into Palestine, winning the Battle of Megiddo in the September, and seizing the town of Amman later that month. The road to Damascus, the Syrian capital city, was now open. It was reached and taken on the 1st October, 1918.

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