The Battle of Beersheba

 

The Battle of Beersheba is important in Zionist history in that this victory by the British against Ottoman forces during World War I led directly a few months later to the capture of Jerusalem, and the retreat of Ottoman forces from Palestine. British control over Palestine set the stage after the war for the British Mandate and with it the Balfour Declaration. The cavalry charge of the ANZAC during this battle became a foundational legend in Australian military history. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was comprised of volunteers who joined the British Army during World War I.

 

The Ottomans were allied with Germany on the presumption that Germany was strong, modern and likely to win a short war. Germany had also become the Ottoman Empire’s main military patron. The Allies were a coalition led by France, Britain, and Russia, and later joined by Italy, Japan, and the United States. 

 

The Allies attempted to force the Dardanelles in February 1915 in an attempt to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war and open a sea route to Russia, but their ships were sunk or crippled and the navy withdrew. They next attempted a landing at multiple points on the Gallipoli peninsula in April 1915, but this devolved into trench warfare with heavy losses on both sides, including Anzac solders, and the Allies eventually withdrew. Each side lost about 250,000 soldiers.

 

In early 1915, Ottoman forces launched two attacks on the British who controlled the Suez Canal, and both were repulsed. After this, the Ottomans adopted a defensive position. In March 1917 the British and Anzac forces attempted to capture Gaza and almost succeeded on the first day, but confusion, poor coordination and fear of Ottoman reinforcements led senior commanders to order a withdrawal. The Ottomans reoccupied Gaza, heavily fortified it and turned it into a formidable stronghold. A frontal assault the next month met a fully prepared Ottoman defensive system with trenches and machine gun nests, and the British suffered heavy casualties with negligible gains. Confidence in the existing command was shattered leading to the appointment of General Edmund Allenby as commander and a strategic rethink to break the stalemate. It was decided to fight at Beersheba, the eastern anchor of the Ottoman line.

 

Allenby’s success was due to tactical surprise and good luck. Intelligence put considerable effort into deceiving the Turks into believing that the British were again about to attack Gaza. Dummy camps were set up, false wireless traffic and a staged build up near Gaza. A famous ruse involved a “captured” officer’s satchel planted with misleading plans suggesting a renewed Gaza attack.

 

On October 30 to 31 1917, ANZAC and its supporting units made a dash across the desert at night on horseback, arriving in Beersheba at dawn. At first light, infantry assaults were made south and west of the town. By mid-afternoon, it was clear that infantry alone might be unable to take the town before nightfall. By now, the horses urgently needed water and wells needed to be secured.

 

At around 4.30 p.m. a mounted charge of the horse brigade was ordered and some 800 to 900 troopers advanced in extended lines across open ground, many carrying bayonets in hand. The Ottoman defenders expected dismounting action and set their sites for longer ranges. The speed of the charge caused many rounds to pass overhead. The troopers leaped over the trenches, fighting hand-to-hand where necessary and pushed rapidly into the town. Beersheba fell before nightfall and several wells were captured intact, while others were quickly repaired.

 

The fall of Beersheba led to the collapse of the eastern end of the Ottoman line and within days Gaza was abandoned.

 

This battle demonstrated that mounted shock action still had battlefield relevance, although this was the last major cavalry charge in military history. British casualties were surprisingly light, between 100 to 120, and only about 31 Australian Light Horse losses. The Ottomans lost several hundred soldiers and between 700 to 1,200 were taken as prisoners.