The Capture of Beersheba 31 October 1917

[TerryK]

The following notes are summarised from my new book, 'Devils on Horses: In the Words of the Anzacs in the Middle East 1916-19' (Exisle, 2007).

After the double failure of the EEF at Gaza in March and April 1917, both sides began a period of static warfare that lasted for the next six months. In May, General Murray ordered the Turkish railway line between Asluj and Auja to be destroyed. Raiding parties were formed from the ICC Brigade and the 1st LH Brigade of the Anzac Mounted Division. The rest of the Anzac Mounted Division protected the raiders from Turkish interference and the Imperial Mounted Division was ordered to create a diversion towards Beersheba. Eleven kilometres of line and five bridges south of Asluj, including one bridge with 18 arches, were blown up by the demolition parties accompanying the 1st LH Brigade. The cameliers destroyed another seven bridges and wrecked a further nine kilometres of line. The NZMR Brigade suffered no casualties. The ease with which these raids were carried out suggested to General Chetwode that the Turks did not expect any serious attack on the eastern end of the Gaza–Beersheba line. This started him thinking seriously about the inland option as an alternative for future attacks.

Two British Yeomanry brigades arrived in June and July, bringing the number of mounted brigades in the EEF to ten. Chauvel’s Desert Column was renamed the Desert Mounted Corps (DMC). He regrouped his horsemen into the Anzac Mounted Division under Chaytor, the Australian Mounted Division and the Yeomanry Mounted Division.

The success of the railway raid could not compensate for Murray’s double failure at Gaza and he was ordered to return to England on 11 June. His replacement was General Sir Edmund Allenby, the former commander of the British 3rd Army in France. The War Office expected Allenby to quickly break the Gaza–Beersheba line, to capture Jerusalem and finally to expel the Turks from Palestine entirely. Allenby refused to begin his offensive until he felt completely ready. General Chetwode presented Allenby with a detailed proposal to break the stalemate in front of Gaza. Chetwode envisaged infantry attacks on Gaza and the central part of the enemy line, to hold the Turks opposite them in place, while the high ground towards Beersheba was captured. This would force the Turks to evacuate Beersheba; after that, the rest of the Turkish line should be able to be rolled up towards the coast, aided by the EEF’s mounted divisions operating behind the collapsing enemy defences. Chetwode was confident that his horsemen could slow the withdrawal of the Turks long enough for the British infantry divisions to catch and destroy them; all they needed was water. After carefully evaluating all the options, Allenby accepted a slightly modified version of Chetwode’s plan.

On 12 August, Allenby arranged his forces into two infantry corps (20 and 21), and the Desert Mounted Corps (DMC). In all, Allenby had at his disposal 75,000 infantrymen, 17,000 horsemen and cameliers, and 460 guns. Four days after the commencement of an artillery bombardment of Gaza, Beersheba was to be captured by 20 Corps and the DMC. The infantry would attack Beersheba from the south-west, drawing the defenders towards them and capturing the heights overlooking the village to the west and south. At the same time, the DMC's Anzac and Australian Mounted divisions would ride in from the east and south-east and capture Beersheba and its vital wells. With the village and its water secured, 21 Corps would attack Gaza. At the same time, 20 Corps was to break through the other end of the main enemy line at Sheria and Hareira; the DMC’s roles were to protect 20 Corps’ right flank and threaten the Turkish line of retreat. The EEF’s longer-term objective was the Turkish railway at Junction Station: its capture would isolate the Turkish forces in the Judean hills around Jerusalem. Finally, Allenby would try to capture the Holy City itself.

Allenby believed there were 46,000 rifles, 250 machine guns and 200 artillery pieces, as well as 2800 cavalrymen, in the Turkish line or close behind it, and reinforcements were thought to be heading south. With the EEF seemingly safely blocked south of Gaza, the Turks had decided to try to recapture the Mesopotamian city of Baghdad with a new force called the Yildirim (‘Thunderbolt’) Army Group. Its German commander, Falkenhayn, wanted to use the Yildirim to attack the EEF instead, and, by mid-September, seven Turkish infantry divisions and Pasha 2 were on their way to southern Palestine – but they were too late.

The Anzac Mounted Division was ordered to leave Asluj at 6 p.m. on 30 October, and march to a position east of Beersheba. From there it was to cut the Hebron road between Tel el Sakaty and Tel el Saba and seize both hills. The Australian Mounted Division was to be prepared to advance into Beersheba, or assist the Anzac division.

The New Zealanders departed Esani at 5 p.m. on 28 October, bound for Khalasa. The men reached their destination at 9.30. After a day’s rest, the New Zealanders rode from Khalasa to Asluj, arriving at 9.30 p.m. on 29 October. Behind them, the Australian division rode to Khalasa. Allenby’s great concentration was complete by dawn on 30 October, which was a rest day for the 10,300 horsemen of the Anzac and Australian mounted divisions.

At 9 a.m. on 31 October, after an all-night march, Chaytor sent the 2nd LH Brigade cantering towards Tel el Sakaty to cut the Hebron Road and to protect the division from counter-attack from the north. The light horsemen successfully cut the road and captured the lightly defended tel, but they were unable to secure the hills to the west.

Tel el Saba, allocated to the NZMR Brigade, proved to be a much more difficult nut to crack. It was defended by about 300 Turks whose role was to protect eight machine guns that dominated the wadi and the flat land along its banks. The New Zealand brigade began its assault on Tel el Saba at 9.10 a.m. on 31 October 1917. The Canterbury regiment was ordered to cross Wadi Khalil and envelop the hill from the north, while the Aucklands attacked directly from the east. The Aucklands (as they were known colloquially) slowly advanced on foot, under covering fire from Vickers machine guns. The advance slowed to a crawl, and casualties mounted. The light shrapnel shells of the Somerset Battery were practically useless against the entrenched Turks and Germans, and the enemy machine guns were difficult to spot. At 11 a.m. Chaytor ordered the commander of his reserve 1st LH Brigade to send two regiments and a battery into the fight; at 1.30 p.m. Chauvel ordered Major General Hodgson to place one of his brigades and two artillery batteries at Chaytor’s disposal.

The 1st LH Brigade captured the blockhouses on the southern bank of Wadi Saba and turned the machine guns in them against the main enemy position. To the north, the Canterbury regiment crossed Wadi Khalil and threatened Tel el Saba from the north, but long-range fire from the hills overlooking the Hebron Road stopped them from reaching the tel. This support allowed the Aucklands to get very close to the first enemy position. Two or three machine guns and 60 prisoners were taken at 2.40 p.m. The guns were immediately turned around and used against the main defensive position. Twenty minutes later the Aucklands, reinforced by a WMR squadron and a light horse squadron, completed the job by charging the tel itself. As they clambered up the steep slopes, a number of fleeing Turks were shot down as they ran. 132 prisoners were taken, along with four Maxim machine guns and a camp cooker. Twenty-five Turks lay dead on the tel. Enemy aircraft and artillery bombed and shelled the tel and its environs for the next two hours. Eight NZMR Brigade men were killed and 26 wounded on 31 October, almost all from the AMR. Six horses were killed and 19 wounded.

Chaytor immediately ordered the 1st and 3rd LH brigades (the latter from Hodgson’s division) to advance immediately on foot to the northern outskirts of Beersheba, but they were hotly opposed and made little progress. The capture of Tel el Saba had removed the main enemy position dominating the eastern approach to Beersheba but the day was far advanced and the town and its vital wells were still in Turkish hands. With the sun almost setting, there was little time left to capture Beersheba.

General Chauvel had always intended to use the Australian Mounted Division for the assault into Beersheba, using a standard dismounted attack, but that was now out of the question. Instead, the 4th LH Brigade was ordered to lead a mounted charge into Beersheba, followed by the 5th and 7th Mounted brigades. Grant’s two leading regiments were ordered to carry their bayonets in their hands as they rode. The horsemen were ready to go at 4.30 p.m., just before sunset. They set off at a trot until the squadrons had spread out and settled, then they increased the pace to a canter. The last two kilometres or so were ridden at the gallop. At the first trench line, the 4th ALH Regiment killed 30 to 40 Turks before the survivors surrendered. Further south, small groups of men from the 12th regiment killed about 60 Turks, while the rest of the regiment galloped straight on for the town. Seeing the town invaded by these Australians, the Turks abandoned their defences and attempted to flee without stopping to destroy most of the wells. The New Zealanders moved forward from Tel el Saba to the edge of Beersheba, reaching it by 6 p.m. Half-an-hour later, Beersheba was firmly in the hands of the Desert Mounted Corps.

The DMC captured more than 1500 Turks in the day’s fighting. The entire DMC lost 53 men killed and 144 wounded. Although all the wells in Beersheba were prepared for demolition, the speed of the Australian charge had not given the German engineers enough time to destroy more than two of them before they were captured or chased off. Two reservoirs holding about 410,000 litres of water were taken intact. The water in Beersheba, plus a few pools of rainwater in surrounding wadis, seemed to be enough to meet nearly all of the needs of the forces around Beersheba.

[montbrehain]

The end of this month would probably be a good time to be at Beersheba. if anybody is there , some pics would be nice "MO"

http://www.ww1-israel.org/content_page.php?id=38

[asdarley]

From the memoires of Gunner B Windridge B Battery H A C

"We got into position at the back of Beersheba and waited until both Gaza and Beersheba were heavily assaulted by frontal attacks and then we dashed in at the back of Beersheba and captured it. Beersheba was inhabited by wealthy Germans and Turks who had been trying to make a road to the Indian ocean that way. The well of Abraham was still there."

Nice to hear the words of someone who was there!

[Gyrene]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvjE3h0Ahz8

[scott 64]

Happened to watch " the Lighthorsemen " last weekend. Was it really the last great cavalry charge in history ? or just a beat up on the dvd cover ? Would be interested to know peoples opinions ( without trying to hi-jack this thread ).

Regards Scott

[Crunchy]

Scott,

Not really,later cavalry charges occured. For example the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Yeomanry at Huj on 8th Nov 1917 and the 11 LH at Semakh on 25 September 1918, although Beersheba was on a larger scale. There were inicidents of large cavalry charges in the Second World War - Polish in 1939 and Russian on the Eastern Front.

Cheers

Chris

[scott 64]

Thanks Crunchy

Did not think that was the case but had to ask. I wonder ( probably off topic ) how effective would a cavalry charge be against tanks and the like ?

Many thanks for the reply

Scott

[stevenbecker]

Mate,

I did read somewhere that the attacks by Polish Lancers on German tanks is a Myth.

That a tank may have been in the area of a Polish Cavalry attack is always possible but a direct attack using sword or lance on an armoured tank even a Polish soldier is not that silly.

Purhaps the term last Great Cavalry charge is a missed used sentence as the 4th LH Bde was not cavalry but mounted Infantry, and as stated others also did charges after this.

Of cause this maybe the last well known charge as few others are well recorded in western histories after this one.

Post war the great Cavalry battles between the Russian Red Army and the Poles during the 1920's seem to have missed western notice, as are the wide use of cavalry by the russians on the eastern front.

Cheers

S.B

[Gyrene]

The story of the Polish cavalry attacking tanks was a myth created by Goebbels.

[scott 64]

Thanks Gyrene and Steve

for the info. We better leave it there before the Mods come chasing us!

Regards Scott

[bantamforgot]

I seem to remember that a Cheshire Yeomanry unit took part in one of the last cavalry actions , in the British army at least, I would welcome further details , perhaps from another "cat"

Colin

[Gibbo]

William Shirer claimed in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich that he saw, a few days after the event, the corpses of a Polish cavalry regiment that had charged tanks. I read somewhere else that the Poles had in fact been caught by tanks as they attempted to break out of an encirclement. Both sides used mounted troops on the Eastern Front in WWII but usually as mounted infantry so I'd agree with the Russo-Polish War as the likely occasion of the last cavalry charge.

[Gibbo]

An article on the Russo-Polish war in Strategy & Tactics magazine no. 156, published December 1992, suggests the battle of Komarow on 31 August 1920, during the Soviet retreat from Warsaw, as the last major cavalry v. cavalry battle.

[Ozzie]

Not forgetting that the 12th LH was with the 4th for the Charge at Beersheba.

Cheers

Kim

[bushfighter]

Terry

Well done on writing your book & many thanks for sharing your research with us.

I hope that you have or have seen:

"The Changing Land Between The Jordan & The Sea: Aerial photographs from 1917 to the present" by Benjamin Z. Kedar. Yad-Ben Zvi Press & MOD Books. ISBN: 965-05-0975-5

The many Great War aerial photographs add a superb visual dimension to histories of the ground actions.

Harry

[michaeldr]

Scott,

quote: "Was it really the last great cavalry charge in history ? or just a beat up on the dvd cover ? Would be interested to know peoples opinions"

I suppose that it all depends on what you mean by 'last' and 'great'

Chris' answer is very fair and he quotes some 'later' examples

Another one might be the charge at Haifa on 23rd September 1918

The Marquess of Anglesey in his 'History of the British Cavalry' referred to it thus

"The speed and good order demonstrated by the leading squadron of the Jodhpores when it was forced to change direction under heavy fire, were other vital ingredients in what was almost certainly the only occasion in history when a fortified town was captured by cavalry at the gallop."

see also

Mo

At least one forum Pal should be there at Beersheva at the end of the month

and I have no doubt that we will see his pictures of the events either posted here or on the web-site which you quoted above

[At the moment it looks very much like work will keep me away; more's the pity]

Looking forward to hearing more on this

Harry,

That book is a special favourite of mine and a few years back I put a review of it on The Long, Long Trail

I cannot recommend it too highly

Michael

[scott 64]

Hi Michael

sorry mate i think i asked a too broader a question!

Perhaps i should have asked what was the light horses last charge or maybe was Beersheba their greatest charge.

Thanks for your previous thread on Haifa- very interesting

Kind Regards

Scott

[digger5410]

Page 35 is the handwritten account of the charge from the 12th Australian Light Horse Regiment's War Diary. A friend's father and uncles were in the charge with this Regiment.

http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM4/10/AWM4-10-17-9.pdf

[digger5410]

After the charge my friend's father was with a patrol when they came across a very hungry and very thirsty Turkish soldier. He was quite sure the Australians would kill him outright but the Aussies gave him some water and bully beef, saying "this will kill you too it just takes longer." The Turk was so grateful he gave my friend's father a medal he'd received for being at Gallipoli. That medal now rests peacefully in our local war museum along with a colour patch of the 12th Light Horse

Rod

[scott 64]

ROD

thanks for posting the war diary - most interesting

Regards Scott

[michaeldr]

If these two links both work, then they should let our Oz Pals know what the local English language press is saying about the anniversary/events

see http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVt...p;itemNo=918246

and see http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apa...icle%2FShowFull

regards

Michael

[bluedog]

Michael

Thank you for enabling other Pals to read about our victory.

It is great to see that a memorial and memorial park are to

be established.

800 "Colonials" achieved something that Gen. Haig had been

dreaming that his cavalry could do on the Western Front.

Thank you for the Links

Peter

[DaveMurphy]

G'day All,

For those of us in Australia, the ABC's 7:30 Report for tomorrow night has just advertised a short story about the charge. Looks as though a bunch of Light Horse grandchildren have retraced their footsteps and should show some decent footage of Beersheba (hopefully! )

Cheers,

Dave

[scott 64]

Thanks Michael for the links - good articles

Thanks Dave - will tune in tonight hopefully it is not too short.

Regards Scott

[Borden Battery]

New Zealand Mounted Rifles - NZMR Reinforcement Badges

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Association Incorporated provides communities and individuals with the ability to share, remember and participate in their military history. The website has a discussion forum, animated maps, information on the Association, Battle Honours, Honours List, list of mounted regiments, and machine gunners. [CEF Study Group - Oct 2010]

http://www.nzmr.org/badges2.htm