The Battles of Megiddo begin

[michaeldr]

Letter from Allenby to Lady Allenby

"19 September 1918

We attacked at 4.30 a.m., today. Now - 3 p.m. - the Turks are breaking, everywhere. I left here, at 4.30 a.m., and motored to Arsuf. There, was General Shea; whose division attacked the Turkish right, on the coast. All was going well: and the head of the cavalry was just pushing along the beach, below the castle, making for the Nahr Falik. Two destroyers of ours were shelling the coast road, N. of the Nahr Falik - which, you remember, is the river a few miles N. of Arsuf. Then, I motored to the Headquarters of the other Divisions; all dong well, too. Now my cavalry is many miles north of Arsuf; making for the Turks' communications in the valley of Esdraelon. His infantry and artillery are falling back; hunted by my airmen, with machine gun fire and bombs. So far, many guns and 2,500 prisoners have been caught; but there will be many more. My losses are light. I bombed the Headquarters of Liman von Sanders and his two Army Commanders last night. On the E. of the Jordan, the Arabs and the Druses are up; and they have cut the Hedjas railway, N.S., and W. of Deraa. Deraa is the junction, where the railway into Palestine leaves the Damascus-Medina line; so, Liman von Sanders has lost his only railway communication with the outer world. I really don't know what he can do; and I am beginning to think that we may have a very great success. The weather is perfect; not too hot, and very clear; just right for my artillery and my aeroplanes in pursuit. My horses are very fit, and there is plenty of water on the route which they will follow; and they are in sufficient strength to be irresistible. Sir Pertap is with them; quite recovered from his fever, and as keen as a boy. News from France, again, is capital, and in Salonika we are having success against the Bulgarians. The Austrian peace offensive has, of course, begun actively; but I hope that noone will deal with them."

The photographer here must be mistaken in his note on this picture; on the 19th September 1918 Allenby was too busy to receive visitors. The next day however he was able to find the time.

Letter from Allenby to Lady Allenby

"20 September 1918

My battle is a big one; and, so far, very successful. I think I have taken some 10,000 prisoners and 80 or 90 guns, already - perhaps more -; and captures increase, hourly. My Cavalry are now in rear of the Turkish Army; and their lines of retreat are cut. One of my Cavalry Divisions surrounded Liman von Sanders' Headquarters, at Nazareth, at 3 a.m. today; but Liman had made a bolt, at 7 p.m. yesterday. We took 4 aeroplanes at Afule, in the Vale of Esdraelon. One had just flown in, with the German mails. An officer of mine in a motor car, saw it land; and he shot the Observer and Pilot with his revolver. I was at Tulkaram today, and went along the Nablus road. It is strewn with broken lorries, wagons, dead Turks, horses and oxen; mostly killed and smashed by our bombing aeroplanes.

The same bombing of fugitives, on crowded roads, continues today. I think I ought to capture all the Turks' guns, and the bulk of his Army. Rushdie Pasha saw the artillery battle, from a hill east of Jaffa yesterday; and he will go out on to the battlefield at Tulkeram tomorrow. Today he is in Jerusalem. Mrs Gary and her girl arrived for breakfast today. They went on to Jerusalem, with Col. Finley, for a few days. I told Mrs Gary, truly, that if she had come yesterday she could have seen the battle; today is too late, as the tide has rolled far northwards. Rushdie rubbed into her the fact that he had seen it, and she had not. My losses are not heavy, in proportion to the results gained. I hope to motor out, tomorrow, to see the Cavalry in Esdraelon. The Cavalry Headquarters are at Armageddon, at the present moment. It is called by a different name on the map.

European news is good, too.

I have your letter of the 19th; and have received the parcel of Ponds extracts etc, thank you."

Notes:

'Sir Pertap is with them; quite recovered from his fever, and as keen as a boy' - the Indian General was about 73 years old at this time

'Mrs Gary' was the wife of Mr. Hampson Gary, the US Diplomatic Agent and Consul-General to Egypt (sometimes referred to as the American Minister)

'Rushdie Pasha' (who may well be the second gentleman in the photograph above) was Husayn Rushdi (Pasha) an Egyptian politician and aristocrat; Minister of Justice and later Prime Minister; in 1914 helped form the terms of the British Protectorate.

[letters and details from 'Allenby in Palestine, the middle east correspondence of Field Marshal Viscount Allenby' selected and edited by Matthew Hughes, Army Records Society/Sutton Publishing, 2004

photograph from a collection held at the LoC (USA)]