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Subject:
A bit of history: 26 March 1917: Anniversary of the First Batttle of Gaza
tjkhan
3/25/2006 2:48:53 PM
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| From Wikipedia:
"British operations in the Middle East during the war had always been secondary to the Western Front. General Sir Archibald Murray, commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Force that contained all troops in Egypt and the Mediterranean, was frequently required to send divisions to France which seriously hampered his ability to mount an offensive. He was fortunate that there was limited demand for cavalry in France which meant he was able to retain the prized Anzac Mounted Division with only a slight struggle. (The commander of the Australian Imperial Force, General Sir William Birdwood, wanted the light horsemen sent to France as infantry reinforcements.) Murray was even able to expand his mounted force with the formation of the Imperial Mounted Division.
In January 1917, Murray was required to send the British 42nd Division to France, leaving him with only three infantry divisions; the 52nd (Lowland), 53rd (Welsh) and 54th (East Anglian) divisions. These five divisions (three infantry, two mounted) comprised Murray's Eastern Force under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Charles Dobell. The spearhead of this force was the Desert Column, under the command of General Philip Chetwode, which would be making the attack. However, while Chetwode was nominally in command of the attack, Dobell was present to oversee the battle which needlessly complicated and confused the decision making.
The Battlefield
For millennia the town of Gaza had been the gateway for armies travelling via the coastal route to and from Egypt and Palestine. To prevent a modern, mobile army from out-flanking the fortress, the Turks formed a strong defensive line from Gaza on the coast to Beersheba, 30 miles inland to the south-east. The terrain favoured defence and inland the only reliable water supplies were in the vicinity of Beersheba.
Gaza was on a low hill, two miles from the Mediterranean shore. To the west, towards the beach, was heavy sand. To the east was a north-south ridge, the peak of which was the 300 ft knoll called Ali Muntar. Close around the town and along the ridge were cultivated fields bordered by thick cactus hedges which were ideal for defence and ambush.
In March 1917, with his force securely established south of Gaza and supplied via rail from Egypt, Murray signalled to his superiors his intention to capture Gaza. His decision was motivated partly by the belief that the Turks were about to retreat northwards to the Jaffa-Jerusalem defensive line.
The estimated Turkish strength in Gaza was 4,000 with a further 11,000 troops in the vicinity. The British forces involved in the attack numbered 22,000 and comprised the 53rd and 54th Divisions, two brigades from each of the Anzac and Imperial Mounted Divisions plus the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade.
Preparations
The assault on Gaza was to be a swift attack with all units, including artillery, advancing during the night which involved crossing the deep Wady Ghuzze. The advance, which started at 2.30 am on March 26, was further hindered by a thick fog which did not dissipate until 8 am. The main assault would be carried out by the 53rd Division, under the command of Major General A.G. Dallas, with the support of one brigade (the 161st Brigade) of the 54th Division. The two mounted divisions and the camel brigade would provide screens on the flanks; the Anzac Mounted Division would surround Gaza to the east and north while the Imperial Mounted Division and camel brigade were positioned on the eastern flank to hold off Turkish reinforcements from elsewhere in the Gaza-Beersheba line.
Despite the fog, the mounted troops completed their encirclement of Gaza without mishap. While the fog made navigation difficult, it also shielded the horsemen's movements from observation. The advance completely surprised the Turks; two German aircraft were almost destroyed on the ground, a number of isolated Turkish posts were surrounded and the commander and staff of the Turkish 53rd Division were captured while travelling to take command of the Gaza garrison.
The advance of the infantry was less successful. The plan was for the 53rd Division to have crossed the Wady Ghuzze by 5 am and be in position to assault Ali Muntar, south-east of Gaza, at 8 am after a preparatory bombardment from the artillery. The 158th Brigade would attack from the right (east) and the 160th Brigade from the left (west) with the 159th Brigade in reserve. However the infantry were not in position until 8.30 am and the artillery did not commence the bombardment until 9 am by which time any element of surprise was lost.
The battle
For reasons that remain unclear, General Dallas delayed the attack. Uncertainty about the Turkish strength made him hesitate and he left his headquarters to go forward and view the battlefield. Dallas and his staff were absent from the 53rd Division's headquarters for two hours or more, during which time Chetwode was desperately trying to cont |
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