| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Sinai and Palestine Campaign during the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I was a series of battles which took place on the Sinai Peninsula, Palestine, and Syria between January 28, 1915 and October 28, 1918. The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I was fought between the Allied Powers, primarily the British and the Russians on the one hand and the Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 When World War I broke out in 1914 all of the Commonwealth nations including Australia were called to defend Great Britain. The Dominion of New Zealand is the former name of the Realm of New Zealand. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell KCB, KCMG, CVO, DSO (1859 - 1929 was a British Army officer and colonial governor General Sir Archibald James Murray GCB, GCMG, CVO, DSO (23 April 1860 - 21 January 1945 was a British Army officer during Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode 1st Baron Chetwode 7th Baronet of Oakley GCB OM GCSI KCMG DSO ( 21 September Sir Charles Macpherson Dobell, KCB, CMG, DSO (22 June 1869 &ndash 17 October 1954 was a Canadian soldier who was a Major-General Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby 1st Viscount Allenby GCB GCMG GCVO ( April 23 1861 - May 14 1936 General Sir Henry George "Harry" Chauvel GCMG, KCB ( April 16, 1865 - March 4, 1945) was a general Ahmed Djemal Pasha (Ahmet Cemal Paşa (May 6 1872 - July 21 1922 was a prominent Young Turk, and member of the Three Pashas. Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein ( April 24, 1870 - October 16, 1948) was a German General from Nuremberg Erich von Falkenhayn ( 11 September 1861 &ndash 8 April 1922) was a German Soldier and Chief of the General Staff Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders ( February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German general who served as adviser The Middle Eastern theatre of World War I was fought between the Allied Powers, primarily the British and the Russians on the one hand and the The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common British, Australian, and New Zealand forces opposed the German and Turkish forces. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish
Contents |
Ottoman advance towards the Suez Canal
The Ottoman Empire, at the urging of their German ally, chose to attack British and Egyptian forces in Egypt and shut the Suez Canal in the First Suez Offensive. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation Prelude Following Egypt's entry into the war in support of the British considerations had to be made regarding two threats the anti-British sentiment felt by many Arab citizens The Ottoman army, under the command of the Turkish Minister of Marine, Djemal Pasha, was based in Jerusalem. Ahmed Djemal Pasha (Ahmet Cemal Paşa (May 6 1872 - July 21 1922 was a prominent Young Turk, and member of the Three Pashas. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the At this time, the Sinai was an almost empty desert and very hard for an army to cross (no roads, no water). The chief of staff for Ottoman army was Colonel Kress von Kressenstein, who organized the attack and managed to get supplies for the army as it crossed the desert. Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein ( April 24, 1870 - October 16, 1948) was a German General from Nuremberg
First Suez Offensive
The Ottoman Suez Expeditionary Force arrived at the canal on February 2, 1915. Prelude Following Egypt's entry into the war in support of the British considerations had to be made regarding two threats the anti-British sentiment felt by many Arab citizens Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The attack failed to achieve surprise as the British and Egyptians were aware of the Ottoman army's approach. In fighting that lasted for two days the Ottomans were beaten, losing some 2000 men. Allied losses were minimal.
Because the Suez Canal was vital to the Allied war effort, this failed attack caused the British to leave far more soldiers protecting the canal than they had planned on, resulting in a smaller force for the Gallipoli Campaign. The British forced the colonial Egyptian Army and Egyptian Navy to be enlarged to help defend Egypt. However, most Egyptians were poorly-armed and poorly-trained.
Battle of Romani
More than a year passed with the British troops content to guard the Suez Canal and the Ottomans busy fighting the Russians in the Caucusus and the British at Gallipoli and in Mesopotamia. Prelude The Ottoman army goal for the first attack was to control or destroy the Suez Canal thereby denying the use of the waterway to the Allies and in doing so aiding the Then in July, the Ottoman army tried another offensive against the Suez. Again, the Ottomans advanced with an over-sized division. Again they ran into a well prepared Allied force, this time at Romani. Again, they retreated after two days of fighting August 3 - August 5, 1916. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
British advance across the Sinai
This attack convinced the British to push their defence of the Canal further out, into the Sinai, and so starting in October, the British under Lieutenant General Sir Charles Dobell began operations into the Sinai desert and on to the border of Palestine. Sir Charles Macpherson Dobell, KCB, CMG, DSO (22 June 1869 &ndash 17 October 1954 was a Canadian soldier who was a Major-General Initial efforts were limited to building a railway and a waterline across the Sinai. After several months building up supplies and troops, the British were ready for an attack. The first battle was the capture of Magdhaba on December 23 1916. The Battle of Magdhaba took place near the tiny Egyptian outpost of Magdhaba in the Sinai desert, some 22 miles from El Arish on the Mediterranean Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city This was a success, the fort was captured.
On January 8, 1917 the Anzac Mounted Division attacked the fort-town of Rafa. Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Battle of Rafa was a World War I battle that took place at the outpost of Rafa (known today as Rafah) on the border between the Egyptian Sinai The attack was successful and the majority of the Turkish garrison was captured. The British had accomplished their objective of protecting the Suez Canal from Turkish attacks but the new government of David Lloyd George wanted more. David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only
Palestine campaign
The British army in Egypt was ordered to go on the offensive against the Ottoman Turks in Palestine. The Ottoman Turks were the subdivision of the Ottoman Muslim Millet that dominated the ruling class of the Ottoman Empire. In part this was to support the Arab revolt which had started early in 1916, in part this was to try and accomplish something positive after the years of fruitless battles on the Western Front. The Arab Revolt (1916&ndash1918 ( الثورة العربية Al-Thawra al-`Arabīya) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining The British commander in Egypt, Sir Archibald Murray, suggested that he needed more troops and ships, but this request was refused. General Sir Archibald James Murray GCB, GCMG, CVO, DSO (23 April 1860 - 21 January 1945 was a British Army officer during
The Ottoman forces were holding a rough line from the fort at Gaza, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, to the town of Beersheba, which was the terminus of the Ottoman railway that extended north to Damascus. Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Beersheba (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע Be'er Sheva, بئر السبع, Birüssebi is the largest City in the Negev desert of southern The British commander in the field, Dobell, choose to attack Gaza, using a short hook move on March 26, 1917. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
First Battle of Gaza
The British attack was essentially a failure. The First Battle of Gaza was a World War I battle on the southern border of Palestine. Due to mis-communication, some units retreated when they should have held onto their gains and so the fortress was not taken.
The government in London believed the reports from the field which indicated a substantial victory had been won and ordered General Murray to move on and capture Jerusalem. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The British were in no position to attack Jerusalem as they first needed to break through the Ottoman defensive positions. These positions were rapidly improved and credit for the Turkish defence is given to the German chief-of-staff Baron Kress von Kressenstein. Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein ( April 24, 1870 - October 16, 1948) was a German General from Nuremberg
Second Battle of Gaza
A second attack on the fort of Gaza was launched one month later on April 17, 1917. The Second Battle of Gaza, fought in southern Palestine during World War I, was the second attempt mounted by British Empire forces to break the Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. This attack, supported by naval gunfire and even a few early tanks was also a failure. The British Mark I was the world's first combat Tank, entering service in the middle of World War I, born of the need to break the domination of trenches and It was essentially a frontal assault on a fortified position, and it didn't work at the cost of some 6,000 British casualties. As a result both General Dobell and General Murray were removed from command. The new man put in charge was General Sir Edmund Allenby and his orders were clear: take Jerusalem by Christmas. Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby 1st Viscount Allenby GCB GCMG GCVO ( April 23 1861 - May 14 1936 Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the
Allenby - after personally reviewing the Ottoman defensive positions - asked for more forces: three more infantry divisions, aircraft, and artillery. This request was granted and by October, 1917, the British were ready for their next attack.
The Ottoman army had three active fronts at this time: Mesopotamia, Arabia, and the Gaza front. The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between Allied Powers represented by the British Empire They also had substantial forces deployed around Constantinople and in the (now quiet) Caucasus front. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Given all these demands, the army in Gaza was only about 35,000 strong, lead by the Ottoman General Kustafa and concentrated in three main defensive locations: Gaza, Tell Esh Sheria, and Beersheba. Allenby's army was now much larger, some 88,000 troops in good condition and well equipped. Many of the British forces were Anzacs from Australia and New Zealand. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island
Battle of Beersheba
A key feature to the British attack was to convince the Turks (and their German leaders) that once again, Gaza was to be attacked. The Battle of Beersheba took place on 31 October 1917, as part of the Sinai and Palestine campaign during World War I. This deception campaign was extremely thorough and convincing. When the British in fact launched their attack on Beersheba, the Turks were caught by surprise. The attack on Beersheba has been called the last successful cavalry charge in history. The victory on October 31, 1917 did not end the campaign because the Turks redeployed some forces and largely held their position. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse
The British then attacked the Ottoman position at Tal Esh Sheria on November 6 and they forced the Turks to abandon this position after a short battle. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with
Third Battle of Gaza
On the 7th, the British attacked Gaza for the 3rd time and this time, the Turks, worried about being cut off, retreated in the face of the British assault. The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during World War I. Gaza had finally been captured.
The Turkish defensive position was shattered, the Ottoman army was retreating in some disarray, General Allenby ordered his army to pursue the enemy. The British followed closely on the heels of the retreating Ottoman forces. An attempt by the Turks to form a defence of a place called Junction Station (Wadi Sarar) was foiled by a British attack November 13, 1917. Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St General Falkenhayn next tried to form a new defensive line from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to Jaffa. Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world The first British attack on Jerusalem failed but with a short rest and the gathering of more infantry divisions, Allenby tried again and on December 9, 1917 Jerusalem was captured. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year This was a major political event for the British government of David Lloyd George, one of the few real successes the British could point to after three long bloody years of war.
On the Turkish side, this defeat marked the exit of Djemal Pasha back to Istanbul. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Djemal had given real command to German officers like von Kressenstein and von Falkenhayn more than a year earlier but now, defeated like Enver Pasha was at the Battle of Sarikamis, he gave up even nominal command and returned to the capital. İsmail Enver ( Ottoman Turkish: اسماعيل انور ( November 22, 1881 in Constantinople - August 4 The Battle of Sarıkamış (Sarykamysh (Сражение при Сарыкамыше Sarıkamış Savaşı also known as The Campaign in Armenia, resulted in a decisive Less than a year remained before he was forced out of the government. General Falkenhayn was also replaced, in March of 1918.
The Final Year: Palestine and Syria
The British government had hopes that the Ottoman Empire could be defeated early in the coming year with successful campaigns in Palestine and Mesopotamia but the Spring Offensive by the Germans on the Western Front delayed the expected attack on Syria for nine full months. The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht ( Kaiser's Battle) and also known as the Ludendorff Offensive was a series of German attacks along the General Allenby's army was largely redeployed to France and he was given brand new divisions recruited from India. These divisions spent the spring and summer of 1918 training.
Because the British achieved complete control of the air with their new fighter planes, the Turks, and their new German commander General Liman von Sanders, had no clear idea where the British were going to attack. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Generalleutnant Otto Liman von Sanders ( February 17, 1855 - August 22, 1929) was a German general who served as adviser Compounding the problems, the Turks, at the direction of their War Minister Enver Pasha withdrew their best troops during the summer for the creation of Enver's Army of Islam, leaving behind poor quality, dispirited soldiers. A defence minister (or defense minister) is a Cabinet position which regulates the Armed forces in some sovereign nations İsmail Enver ( Ottoman Turkish: اسماعيل انور ( November 22, 1881 in Constantinople - August 4 Army of Islam was a Field Army of the Ottoman Empire established between March 1918 - August 1918 the creation of this military force was ordered by the Enver T. E. Lawrence and his Arab fighters were of significant use during this time. His forces staged many hit-and-run attacks on Turkish supply lines and tied down thousands of soldiers in garrisons throughout Palestine, Jordan, and Syria. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern
Battle of Megiddo
General Allenby finally launched his long-delayed attack on September 19, 1918. The Battle of Megiddo of September 19 - 21, 1918, and its subsequent exploitation was the culminating victory in British General Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. The campaign has been called the Battle of Megiddo (which is the correct spelling of the name of an ancient town known in the west as Armageddon). In Christian mythology Armageddon ( Greek Αρμαγεδδων; also spelled Har-Magedon in some modern English translations also known as Again, the British spent a great deal of effort to deceive the Turks as to their actual intended target of operations. This effort was, again, successful and the Turks were taken by surprise when the British attacked Meggido in a sudden storm. The Turkish troops started a full scale retreat, the British bombed the fleeing columns of men from the air and within a week, the Turkish army had ceased to exist as a military force.
Australian Lighthorse troops marched unopposed into Damascus on September 30, 1918. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common T. E. Lawrence and his Arab troops entered Damascus the next day to receive an "Official" surrender. The war in Palestine was over. The Turkish government signed an armistice on October 28, 1918 and outright surrendered two days later. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine 600 years of Ottoman rule over the Middle East had come to an end. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.
In popular media
This campaign has been depicted in several films. The most famous by far is Lawrence of Arabia (1962), though it focused primarily on T. Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 Epic film based on the life of T E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt. Other films dealing with this topic include Forty Thousand Horsemen (1941), and The Lighthorsemen (1987), with Peter Phelps and Nick Waters, both of which focused on the role of the ANZAC cavalry forces during the campaign. The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian Feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in the Peter Phelps (born September 20, 1960 in Sydney) is an Australian actor of English & Scandinavian descent
Summary
The British lost a total of 550,000 casualties [citation needed] - more than 90% of these were not due to battle but instead due to disease, heat, etc. Total Turkish losses are unknown but almost certainly larger. They lost an entire army in the fighting and the Turks poured a vast number of troops into the front over the three years of combat. Military historians argue if this campaign by the British was worth the effort. In the opinion of General Esposito (the editor of the West Point Atlas of American Wars) This considerable subsidiary effort might have been put to better use on the more decisive Western front.
Even so, the historical consequences of this campaign are hard to overestimate. The British conquest of Palestine led directly to the British mandate over Palestine and Trans-Jordan which, in turn, paved the way for the creation of the states of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement The Emirate of Transjordan ( Arabic: ar إمارة شرق الأردن) was a former Ottoman territory incorporated into the British Mandate of Palestine For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية
External links
- First World War. com. Defence of the Suez Canal, 1915. Retrieved December 19, 2005.
Sources
- Grainger, John D. (2006) The Battle for Palestine: 1917 Boydell Press. ISBN 1 84383 263 1
- Bruce, Anthony (2002). The Last Crusade: The Palestinian Campaign in the First World War. John Murray.
- Esposito, Vincent (ed. ) (1959). The West Point Atlas of American Wars - Vol. 2. Frederick Praeger Press.
- Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to End All Peace. Avon Books.
- Keegan, John (1998). The First World War. Random House Press.
- Woodward, David R (2006). Forgotten Soldiers of the First World War - Lost Voices from the Middle Eastern Front. Tempus Publishing.
- Preston, Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Martin (1921) The Desert Mounted Corps: An Account of the Cavalry Operations in Palestine and Syria 1914 to 1918. Houghton Mifflin Company. [1]
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic