The First Battle of Gaza
March 26th-27th, 1917
After all Ottoman forces pushed out of the Sinai Peninsula in early January 1917, Sir Archibald Murray (commander of the British troops on the Palestine Front) along with British led forces were now able to think of an attck on Ottoman controlled Palestine. While planning the assult it was then discovered that an advance into Palestine could be achieved through a push towards Gaza. The British were then also ordered to first remove Turkish forces from their positions located on a series of ridges between Gaza and Beersheba. It is this area that formed the passageway into Palestine.
On March 26th, General Sir Charles Dobell (co-commander of the Eastern Forces and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force(EEF) ) was incharge of the assult so he positioned his troops 13 miles from Gaza behing a dryed out riverbed. Moving under the cover of thick sea fog, his cavalry division succeeded in cutting of the rear east and south-east of Gaza.
Thinking that victory was almost achieved by the end of the day, Sir Charles Dobell ordered cavalry commander Sir Philip Chetwode to withdrawl the cavalry divisions. But in turns out the advance was proving to be a failure. Then with the advance turning into a failure, German general Kress von Kressenstein along with Ottoman troops arrived to oppose the British lead troops(who out-numbered the 2 to 1).
Resuming the next day as planned, the British expectingly found the town's durable garrison of 4,000 had been hastily reinforced by Kressenstein. So with combined Turkish counter-attacks and with a lack of water supply, Sir Charles Dobell called of the attack in defeat.
During the battle, the Ottomans suffered only approximately 2,400 casualities while Sir Charles Dobell suffered 4,000 casualties resulting in an Ottoman victory.
On March 26th, General Sir Charles Dobell (co-commander of the Eastern Forces and the Egyptian Expeditionary Force(EEF) ) was incharge of the assult so he positioned his troops 13 miles from Gaza behing a dryed out riverbed. Moving under the cover of thick sea fog, his cavalry division succeeded in cutting of the rear east and south-east of Gaza.
Thinking that victory was almost achieved by the end of the day, Sir Charles Dobell ordered cavalry commander Sir Philip Chetwode to withdrawl the cavalry divisions. But in turns out the advance was proving to be a failure. Then with the advance turning into a failure, German general Kress von Kressenstein along with Ottoman troops arrived to oppose the British lead troops(who out-numbered the 2 to 1).
Resuming the next day as planned, the British expectingly found the town's durable garrison of 4,000 had been hastily reinforced by Kressenstein. So with combined Turkish counter-attacks and with a lack of water supply, Sir Charles Dobell called of the attack in defeat.
During the battle, the Ottomans suffered only approximately 2,400 casualities while Sir Charles Dobell suffered 4,000 casualties resulting in an Ottoman victory.