Battle of Magdhaba

The '''Battle of Magdhaba''' (officially known by the British as the Affair of Magdhaba) took place on 23 December 1916 south and east of Bir Lahfan in the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai desert]], some {{convert|18|-|25|mi|km}} inland from the [[Mediterranean]] coast and the town of [[El Arish]]. The Battles Nomenclature Committee assigned 'Affair' to those engagements between forces smaller than a division; 'Action' to engagements between divisions and 'Battle' to engagements between corps.[Battles Nomenclature Committee 1922 p. 7] This [[British Empire]] victory against an isolated [[Ottoman Empire]] garrison, secured the town of El Arish on the [[Mediterranean]] coast during the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] of [[World War I]]. In August, a joint Ottoman and [[German Empire]] Army had been forced to retreat back to Bir el Abd, after the British Empire victory at the [[Battle of Romani]]. Subsequently they retired further eastwards to El Arish, while the captured territory stretching from the [[Suez Canal]] was consolidated and garrisoned by the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]]. Patrols and reconnaissances were carried out to protect the continuing construction of the railway and water pipeline and destroy water cisterns and wells in the central Sinai desert. By December, construction of the infrastructure had sufficiently progressed to enable the [[Allied]] advance to recommence during the evening of 20 December. By the following morning, the mounted force had reached El Arish to find it abandoned by the Ottoman Army. A strong defensive position was located at Magdhaba, some {{convert|18|-|30|mi|km}} inland to the south east (on the Wadi el Arish). After a second night march by the [[ANZAC Mounted Division]], the attack on Magdhaba was launched by [[Australian]], [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[New Zealand]] mounted troops, against a well-entrenched Ottoman force defending a series of six redoubts. During the day's fierce fighting, the mounted infantry tactics prevailed (riding as close to the front line as possible and then dismounting to make their attack with the bayonet supported by artillery and machine guns), assisted by aircraft reconnaissances. All the redoubts were eventually located and captured and the Ottoman defenders surrendered in the late afternoon. ==Background== [[Image:MapSinaiWWI.jpg|thumb|right|Map of the Sinai from the Suez Canal zone to Rafa when the railway reached Bir el Mazar]] At the beginning of the First World War, the Egyptian police controlling the Sinai Peninsula had withdrawn, leaving the area largely unprotected. In February 1915, a German and Ottoman force [[First Suez Offensive|unsuccessfully attacked]] the Suez Canal. After the [[Gallipoli Campaign]] a second joint German and Ottoman force again advanced across the [[Sinai Peninsula]] towards the Suez Canal during July 1916. This force was defeated at the [[Battle of Romani]] in early August after which the [[ANZAC Mounted Division]] under the command of [[Major-General]] [[Harry Chauvel|Henry Chauvel]] had pushed the Ottoman Army's Desert Force commanded by [[Friedrich Freiherr Kress von Kressenstein]] out of Bir el Abd and across the [[Sinai desert]] to [[El Arish]]. [[File:OH Aust photos 597 railway.jpeg|thumb|left|Laying the railway across the Sinai]] ===Consolidation of British territorial gains=== By mid-September 1916 the ANZAC Mounted Division had pursued the retreating Ottoman Army along the northern route across the Sinai Peninsula to the outpost at [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Bir el Mazar Raid September 1916|Bir el Mazar]]. The [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Maghara Hills Raid October 1916|Maghara Hills]], in the interior of the Sinai Peninsula, was also attacked in mid-October by a British force based on the Suez Canal. Although not captured at the time, all these positions were eventually abandoned by their Ottoman garrisons in the face of a growing British force. Along the British [[lines of communication]], which stretched across the Sinai from the Suez Canal, garrisons were grew; patrols and reconnaissances were regularly carried out to protect the continuing advance of the railway and water pipeline built by the [[Egyptian Labour Corps]]. These supply lines were marked by railway stations and sidings, airfields, signal installations and standing camps where troops could be accommodated in tents and huts. At this time the Egyptian Expeditionary Force had a ration strength of 156,000 British Empire troops, plus 13,000 Egyptian labourers in the Egyptian Labour Corps. ===Ottoman positions in the Sinai=== [[File:Hafir el Aujah00042v.jpg|thumb|Ottoman military town of Hafir el Aujah, principal desert base|alt=Distant view of Hafir el Aujah, Ottoman desert base]] Ottoman operations in the Sinai were sustained and supported by their principal desert base at [[Auja al-Hafir|Hafir El Auja]], located on the Ottoman Empire side of the Egyptian frontier. El Auja was linked to [[Beersheba]], [[Gaza]] and northern [[Palestine]] by road and railway.El Kossaima has been described as railhead [Bruce 2002, p. 81] but Keogh's Map 3 shows railhead at El Auja. Both Wavell and Powles refer to 15 miles of line being destroyed on 23 May 1917 on the railway from Beersheba to Auja. [Wavell 1968, p. 90, Powles 1922, pp. 110, 113] The Ottoman garrison in the Sinai could enjoy rest periods at El Auja base; the base could also supply and support garrisons in the area with reinforcements, ammunition and rations. In the case of Magdhaba, water was available from wells in the village. If left intact, Ottoman forces at El Arish, Magdhaba and El Auja could seriously threaten the British advance along the north route towards the Egyptian frontier with the Ottoman Empire.Map 3 shows the position of Auja, Magdhaba and Beersheba. ====Water==== The area of oases which extended from Dueidar, {{convert|15|mi|km}} from Kantara along the Darb es Sultani (the old caravan route), and on to Salmana {{convert|52|mi|km}} from Kantara could sustain life. But from Salmana to Bir el Mazar, ({{convert|75|mi|km}} from Kantara) there was little water, and beyond the Mazar area there was no water, till El Arish was reached on the coast {{convert|95|mi|km}} from Kantara. [[File:Map 3 Sinai detail Keogh p.26.jpeg|left|thumb|Keogh's Map 3 shows the desert – Magdhaba and the railway from Auja to Beersheba.|alt=Map of Magdhaba and surrounding area]] Before the British advance to El Arish could begin the problems created by the absence of a water supply between El Mazar and El Arish had to be solved. The countryside within {{convert|20|mi|km}} of El Arish was thoroughly explored, and all wells tested and noted; by mid-December, the pipeline's eastward progress made it possible to store sufficient water at Maadan (Kilo. 128). By this time, it was also possible to concentrate sufficiently large numbers of [[Egyptian Camel Transport Corps]] camels and camel-drivers to carry water forward in support the attacking force. ====Conditions==== [[File:GermanStnAbouAugeileh00055v.jpg|thumb|German station at Abou Augeileh|alt=Photograph of desert tent, mounted soldiers and camels]] The campaign across the Sinai desert required great determination (as well as conscientious attention to detail by all involved) to ensure that ammunition, rations and every pint of water and bale of horse fodder required was available when needed. The British base was some {{convert|30|mi|km}} to the west of El Arish; almost at the limits of their [[lines of communication]]) making mounted operations so far from base in such barren country extremely hazardous and difficult.By comparison, cavalry actions during the [[Austro-Prussian War|European Wars]] of 1866 and [[Franco-Prussian War|1870]] and the [[American Civil War]] raids took place in fairly close proximity to the units' bases and in country where food and water were readily available. For long-range desert operations, it was necessary that all supplies be well-organised and suitably packaged for transportation on camels (moving with the column or following closely behind). It was vital, also, that the soldiers were well trained for the conditions. If a man was left behind in the inhospitable Sinai he might die in the burning desert sun during the day or bitter cold at night; if a water bottle was accidentally tipped up or leaked, it could mean no water for its owner for perhaps 24 hours in those extreme temperatures. In these conditions mounted troops worked to provide protective screens for the construction, patrolling newly occupied areas and carrying out reconnaissance augmenting aerial photographs to improve maps of the newly-occupied areas. This work was augmented by the [[Australian Flying Corps]] which carried out detailed reconnaissance in the area of [[El Kossaima]], [[Hafir el Auja]] and [[Abu Aweigila]] by on 15 November, when 24 photographs of all camps and dumps were taken. ===British War Office policy=== The British [[War Office]]'s stated policy in October 1916 was to maintain offensive operations on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] while remaining on the defensive everywhere else. However, the battle of attrition on the [[Battle of the Somme|Somme]] (coupled with a change of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Britain's Prime Minister]]; [[David Lloyd George]] succeeded [[Herbert Asquith]] on 7 December) made attacks on [[German Empire|Germany]]'s weak points away from the Western Front desirable. Encouraged to seek success in the East without any reinforcements, the commander of the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]], [[General]] [[Archibald Murray]] thought that an advance to [[El Arish]] would threaten the southern Ottoman Empire and prevent the transfer of Ottoman units to other theatres of war. ===Creation of Eastern Force and Desert Column=== After the victory at Romani, Lawrence (who had commanded No. 3 Section of the Suez Canal Defences) was transferred to the [[Western Front]] and Murray moved his headquarters back from Ismailia on the Canal to Cairo, to be in a more central position. His responsibilities extended from the Western Frontier Force, waging the continuing campaign against the [[Senussi Campaign|Senussi]] in the [[Libyan Desert|Egyptian Western Desert]], to the Eastern Force in the [[Sinai Peninsula]]. During October, [[Lieutenant General]] Sir [[Charles Dobell]] was appointed to command the newly-created [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Creation of Eastern Frontier Force|Eastern Force]]. With his headquarters at [[Kantara]], Dobell became responsible for the security of the Suez Canal and the Sinai Peninsula. {{Quote box |align=right |width=25% |quote=Yesterday we were inspected by General Chauvel who is just back from his trip to England. We were all pleased to see him as he is well liked by both officers and men. A chap feels pretty safe with a leader like him. I saw him riding backwards and forwards under heavy fire at Romani and Bir-el-Abd and it seemed that he did not know what danger was. Now that he is back we don't think it will be long before we are at the Turks again.|source=Trooper Ingham}} Eastern Force consisted of the [[42nd (East Lancashire) Division]], the [[52nd (Lowland) Division]], the ANZAC Mounted Division, the [[5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade]] and the [[Imperial Camel Corps]] Brigade. Murray considered this force to be under strength by at least a division for an advance to [[Beersheba]], but felt he could gain El Arish on the Mediterranean Sea and form an effective base there for further operations. Chauvel (commander of the ANZAC Mounted Division) had been granted six weeks' leave. He travelled to Britain on 25 October, returning to duty on 12 December 1916. Five days before Chauvel's return, on 7 December 1916, Murray appointed Lieutenant General Sir [[Philip Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode|Philip Chetwode]] commander of the newly-formed [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force|Desert Column]]. Chetwode had commanded cavalry on the Western Front, pursuing the retreating Germans after the [[First Battle of the Marne]]. The new command structure of the Desert Column grouped the [[53rd (Welsh) Division]] (serving in the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Suez Canal Defences|Suez Canal Defences]]) with the 42nd and 52nd Divisions, the ANZAC Mounted Division, the 5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade and the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade. ==Prelude== By early December 1916 the railway had reached Bir el Mazar, about half way between Kantara on the Canal and the Egyptian\Ottoman territorial border. At the same time British intelligence reported the Ottoman Army was building a railway from Beersheba towards Magdhaba. ===Advance to El Arish=== Mounted patrols to the outskirts of el Arish had found 1,600 well-entrenched Ottoman troops holding the town, supported by forces based {{convert|25|mi|km}} southeast of el Arish on the banks of the Wadi el Arish at Magdhaba and Abu Aweigila. On 20 December, a week after Chauvel returned from leave, the advance to El Arish began with the ANZAC Mounted Division leaving Bir Gympie at 21:45. They moved out without the [[2nd Light Horse Brigade]], which was in the rear patrolling the lines of communication which now stretched {{convert|90|mi|km}} back to Kantara on the Suez Canal.The 2nd Light Horse Brigade was based south of el Ruag and the Bardawil, at Hod el Hassania with units patrolling the area to Bir el Magerbra in the south and Hod el Ge'eila, Hod Willegha, Bir Jameil, Hod um weigh Gamel and Bir Bayud in the east. The [[1st Light Horse Brigade|1st]] and [[3rd Light Horse Brigade]]s, the [[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]], the 5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade and the newly formed three battalions of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade with the [[Hong Kong and Singapore Battery]] of [[mountain gun]]s made the {{convert|20|mi|km|adj=on}} trek to El Arish. On the day they set out, Australian airmen reported that the Maghara Hills (in the centre of the Sinai Peninsula) and the 1,600 strong Ottoman garrison at El Arish appeared to have been evacuated. As the ANZAC Mounted Division approached [[Um Zughla]] at 02:00 on 21 December a halt was called until 03:30, when the trek continued to El Arish. Forward troops entered the town at 07:45 to make contact with the civil population and organise water supplies for the British Empire force. Only one prisoner was captured; lines of observation were set up, maintaining a close watch over the country east and south of El Arish. By 16:00 the 1st and 3rd Light Horse, New Zealand Mounted Rifles and the Imperial Camel Corps Brigades were in bivouac at El Arish. The only casualties during the day were two members of the 1st Light Horse Brigade, who were blown up by a stranded mine on the beach. [[File:General view of El Arish.jpg|thumb|View of El Arish|alt=Walled town of El Arish, with camel and men in foreground]] On 22 December (the day after El Arish was occupied), the leading brigade of the 52nd Division reached the town; with the 5th Mounted Yeomanry Brigade, fortified and garrisoned the position. At 10:00, Chetwode landed on the beach opposite the ANZAC Divisional Headquarters to begin his appointment as commander of Desert Column. Chetwode reported that he had arranged a special camel convoy with rations and horse feed to arrive at El Arish at 16:30 that day, with a view of the ANZAC Mounted Division advancing on Magdhaba, {{convert|18| mi|km}} away. The first ship from Port Said landed supplies at El Arish on 23 December. With essential rations organised, the division commanded by Chauvel marched out at 00:45 on the night of 22/23 December after establishing the Ottoman force which had moved out of El Arish was moving to the south east along the Wadi el Arish. ===Ottoman force=== [[File:Falls skMap12 Magdhaba.jpeg|thumb|Falls' Map 12 shows the Ottoman defences in green and Chauvel's attack in red]] On the banks of the Wadi el Arish {{convert|25|mi|km}} south east of El Arish Magdhaba and Abu Aweigila (about another {{convert|15|mi|km}} further along the wadi) were garrisoned by Ottoman forces. The garrison at Magdhaba had been increased from 500 to about 1,400 Ottoman soldiers; there may have been as many as 2,000, consisting of two battalions of the [[80th Infantry Regiment (Ottoman)|80th Infantry Regiment]] ([[27th Infantry Division (Ottoman)|27th Infantry Division]], attached to the [[3rd Infantry Division (Ottoman)|3rd Infantry Division]] for most of 1916). The two battalions were the 2nd Battalion, commanded by [[Izzet Bey]] (about 600 men) and the 3rd Battalion, commanded by [[Rushti Bey]]) supported by a dismounted camel company. Two squads from the 80th Machine Gun Company (said to have been armed with only one machine gun) remained at Magdhaba, while the remainder of the company was sent north to Shellal. The defending force was supported by a Mountain Battery of four Krupp 7.5 cm Gebirgskanone M 1873 guns on loan from the [[1st Mountain Regiment (Ottoman)|1st Mountain Regiment]], since the 80th Regiment's own artillery battery was stationed at [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Raid on Nekhl|Nekhl]]. Attached to the Ottoman garrison at Magdhaba were a number of military service units (including elements of the 3rd Company of the 8th Engineer Battalion, 27th Medical Company, 43rd Mobile Hospital and the 46th Cooking Unit). The garrison was commanded by Kadri Bey, Commanding Officer of the 80th Infantry Regiment. The first indications of the Ottoman Army's withdrawal from El Arish had been seen by Allied planes as early as 25 October so their retirement was not a sudden, panicked reaction. A series of well-situated and developed redoubts made up the Ottoman garrison position at Magdhaba which were almost impossible to locate on the flat ground near the Wadi el Arish. Six fortified redoubts, linked by a series of entrenchments, on both sides of the wadi extended over an area of about {{convert|2|mi|km}} from east to west and more narrow from north to south. They were inspected the day before the attack (on 22 December 1916) by von Kressenstein, commander of the Ottoman "Desert Force", who drove from his base at Hafir el Auja. He expressed satisfaction with the garrison's ability to withstand any assault. Being about {{convert|40|mi|km}} from the British railhead and {{convert|25|mi|km}} from El Arish, the Ottoman Army probably did not think a force large enough to successfully attack the garrison could be organised before the British had established a supply base at El Arish. In this they underestimated the determination of the Australian, British and New Zealand forces. They would also have been unaware of the arrival of a new British commander, Chetwode and his staff, who had organised the necessary logistical support for an immediate long range attack. ===British Empire force=== The assault on Magdhaba was to be made by the [[1st Light Horse Brigade]] ([[1st Royal New South Wales Lancers|1st]], 2nd and 3rd Light Horse Regiments), the [[3rd Light Horse Brigade]] (8th, 9th and 10th Light Horse Regiments), the [[New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade]] ([[Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment|Auckland]], [[Canterbury Mounted Rifle Regiment|Canterbury]] and [[Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment|Wellington]] Mounted Rifles Regiments), the [[Imperial Camel Corps]] Brigade. These regiments were supported by the Inverness and Somerset Batteries, [[Royal Horse Artillery]], and the Hong Kong and Singapore Battery of mountain guns. The Inverness battery alone firing 498 rounds during the action.The Inverness battery alone firing 498 rounds during the action. [Falls 1930 Vol. 1 p. 258] [[File:MSMMT p. 255 Guard outpost system.jpeg|left|thumb|Guard systems for marching column|alt=Diagram of troop deployment in the shape of a hand]] Chauvel's force marched out just after midnight following an unexpected delay caused by incoming columns of the 52nd Infantry Division, crossing the long camel train carrying water to support the advance. The mounted division rode for 40 minutes, dismounted and led their horse for ten minutes before halting for ten minutes every hour until about 05:00 on 23 December, when the column halted on the plain {{convert|4|mi|km}} from Magdhaba. The column had been guided by scouts although the garrison's fires had been clearly visible for about an hour, indicating an attacking force was not expected to set out so soon after the {{convert|30|mi|km}} ride to El Arish. The attacking force was supported by the [[Royal Flying Corps]] [[No. 5 Wing RAF|5th Wing]] stationed at [[Mustabig]]. This was a composite formation of the [[No. 14 Squadron RAF|No. 14 (British) Squadron]] and the [[Australian Flying Corps]]'s [[No. 1 Squadron RAAF|No. 1 Squadron]] (also known as No. 67 Australian Squadron). It was ordered to provide close air support, long-range scouting and long-range strategic bombing. One British and ten Australian planes dropped a hundred bombs on Magdhaba on 22 December; during the battle they bombed and machine gunned the area, but targets were difficult to find. ==Battle== At 06:30 the No. 14 (British) Squadron and the Australian Flying Corps' No. 1 Squadron attacked the Ottoman defences, drawing some fire which revealed the locations of machine guns and trenches. Five [[redoubt]]s were identified, arranged around the village, housing the only supply of water in the area. During the battle they also provided frequent reports (14 were received between 07:50 and 15:15) giving estimated positions, strength, and movements of the Ottoman garrison. These were often given verbally by the observer, after the pilot landed near headquarters. [[File:Magdabah00056v.jpg|thumb|left|Magdhaba village|alt=Magdhaba, with camels in foreground]] Following Chauvel's plan, a strongly enveloping action was quickly initiated. The main attack (coming from the north and east) was made by the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (commanded by [[Brigadier General]] [[Edward Chaytor]]), which moved in a line of troop columns. They were supported by [[Vickers Machine Gun|Vickers]] and [[Lewis gun|Lewis]] machine guns and the 3rd Light Horse Brigade, under the command of Chaytor. Their attack began on the virtually featureless battleground (except for the village and the Wadi El Arish), when British artillery opened fire as Chaytor's group moved towards the Ottoman garrison's right and rear. Despite heavy Ottoman fire some of the mounted troops found cover and dismounted about {{convert|1600|yd|km}} from the redoubts and entrenchments, while others got as close as {{convert|400|yd|km}} before dismounting to attack on foot.While fighting dismounted, one quarter of the yeomanry, light horse and riflemen were holding the horses; a [[brigade]] was then equivalent in rifle strength to an infantry [[battalion]]. [Preston 1921 p.168] At the same time units of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade were moving straight on Magdhaba in a south easterly direction (following the telegraph line), and by 08:45 they were slowly advancing on foot in line. The 1st Light Horse Brigade followed the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade units in reserve. [[Image:Powles pp.48-9 Magdhaba.jpg|right|thumb|Map of Magdhaba, showing Ottoman redoubts in green and attacking forces in red|alt=Battle map of Magdhaba]] At 09:25 Chaytor ordered a regiment to circle the entrenched positions and move through Aulad Ali to cut off the enemy's retreat to the south and south east. Brigadier General Royston led the [[10th Light Horse Regiment (Australia)|10th Light Horse Regiment]] with two sections of Machine Gun Squadron, capturing 300 prisoners at Aulad Ali. Ottoman Army batteries and trenches at Magdhaba were difficult to locate, but by 10:00 the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade was advancing towards their firing line. At this time, an aerial report described small groups of the garrison beginning to retreat. As a result the still-mounted 1st Light Horse Brigade was ordered to move directly on the town, passing the dismounted Imperial Camel Corps Brigade units on their way. After meeting severe shrapnel fire as they trotted over the open plain, they were forced to take cover in the Wadi el Arish. Dismounting in the wadi they continued their advance at 10:30 against the Ottoman left, while the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade units continued their advance over the flat ground for {{convert|900|yd|m}}, covering fire provided by each section in turn. [[File:9th Light Horse Regiment Magdhaba.jpg|thumb||left|Advance of the 9th Light Horse Regiment (3rd L. H. Brigade)|alt=Cavalry at a distance]] By 12:00 all brigades were hotly engaged, as the 3rd Light Horse commenced a sweep round the garrison's right flank. An hour later the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade units' right had advanced to reach the 1st Light Horse Brigade and 55 minutes later the fierce fighting was beginning to tell on the Ottoman garrison. There continued to be reports of small numbers of troops retreating, and at 14:15 the 10th Light Horse Regiment was moving across the Wadi el Arish, round Hill 345 to attack Redoubt No. 4. By 14:55 the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade units were within {{convert|500|yd|m}} of the Ottoman defences and, with the 1st Light Horse Brigade, at 15:20 they attacked the garrison's No. 2 redoubt. Ten minutes later the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (with fixed bayonets) swarmed over the trenches to the east of the houses; the 10th Light Horse Regiment (advancing from the south) captured two trenches on that side, so that all retreat to the Ottoman garrison was cut off. At 16:00 the Light Horse captured No. 2 redoubt, and Chaytor reported gaining buildings and redoubts on the left. After a telephone call between Chauvel and Chetwode, pressure continued to be exerted and an attack by all units took place at 16:30. The Ottoman garrison held on until the dismounted attackers were within {{convert|20|yd|m}}, but by that time, there was no doubt that the Ottoman Army was losing the fight; the garrison began to surrender in small groups. All organised resistance ceased 10 minutes later and as darkness fell, sporadic firing petered out; prisoners were rounded up and horses collected and watered at the captured wells. Chauvel rode into Magdhaba and gave the order to clear the battlefield. British Empire casualties totaled between 146 and 163, of whom five officers were killed and seven wounded, 17 other ranks were killed and 117 wounded – a total of 12 killed and 134 wounded including the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade which suffered the loss of two officers, seven men and 36 other ranks wounded. [[File:Magdabah00057v.jpg|thumb|Military staff at Magdabah before the attack|alt=Group of Ottoman military officers]] No more than 200 Ottomans escaped before being captured. The surviving garrison of 1,250 was captured, and there may have been between 1,242 and 1,282 Ottoman prisoners. Those captured included Khadir Bey, Izzat Bey, Rushti Bey (commanders of the 80th Regiment, the 2nd and the 3rd Battalions) and 43 other officers. Over 300 Ottoman Army soldiers were killed; 97 were buried on the battlefield, and 40 wounded were cared for. ===Clearing the battleground=== Lieutenant Colonel Granville with part of his own regiment; the [[1st Light Horse Regiment (Australia)|1st Light Horse Regiment]], two squadrons of the [[Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment]] and one squadron from 3rd Light Horse Brigade bivouacked for the night at Magdhaba and continued clearing the battlefield the next morning. Convoys with supplies were ordered up to support these troops. Material assistance was given to the returning columns by the 52nd Division in the loan of camels, fantasses, sand-carts and gun teams, the latter going out on the commanding generals' initiative to meet the returning teams. A dressing station set up {{convert|3|mi|km}} west of Magdhaba by the New Zealand Field Ambulance Mobile Section and 1st Light Horse Field Ambulance treated 80 wounded during the day of battle; urgent surgery was performed, tetanus inoculations administered and patients given nourishment. These cases were evacuated during the night by sand-carts and torturous [[Light horse field ambulance|camel cacolets]] to El Arish, with the No. 1 Ambulance Convoy assisting. The remaining wounded (44 Allied and 66 Ottomans, collected on 23 and 24 December) were taken to an Ottoman hospital within the fortifications and later were sent to the dressing-station; from there, at 17:00 the ambulance convoy set out on its {{convert|23|mi|km}} march to the receiving station. The convoys were met a few miles from El Arish by sand-carts lent by the 52nd Division; the wounded who had endured the cacolets travelled in comfort to the receiving station, arriving at 04:00 on 25 December. The 52nd Division supplied medical stores and personnel to assist and although arrangements were made for evacuation to the railhead two days later, evacuation by sea was planned. Due to a gale with rain and hail on 27 December this could not be carried out; on 29 December the largest single ambulance convoy organised in the campaign (77 sand-carts, nine sledges and a number of cacolet camels) moved out in three lines along the beach with 150 wounded. A few, who could not be moved, were evacuated the following day to Kantara on the Suez Canal. ===Return to El Arish=== The ANZAC Mounted Division had left El Arish carrying only one water bottle per man, which was insufficient water to cover a round trip to Magdhaba of at least twenty-four hours. Additional water was organised by Desert Column staff, and sent from El Arish to Lahfan; a water convoy from Lahfan ordered to move to Magdhaba at 15:10 was reported to be on its way at 15:30. It was only after filling up from the water convoy that the New Zealand Mounted Rifles and 3rd Light Horse Brigades were able to leave Magdhaba. They marched back in their own time, drawing rations and forage at Lahfan; ahead of them Divisional Headquarters, ANZAC Mounted Division and an escort had left Magdhaba at 23:30, reaching El Arish at 04:10 on 24 December 1916. In an address to the troops after the battle, Chetwode expressed his appreciation for the mounted rifle and light-horse method of attack. He said that in the history of warfare he had never known cavalry to not only locate and surround the opponent's position, but to dismount and fight as infantry with rifle and bayonet. With the victory at Magdhaba the occupation of El Arish (the first town on the Mediterranean Sea) was secured, and the 52nd Division quickly fortified the town. The [[Royal Navy]] arrived on 22 December 1916, and supplies began landing on the beaches on 24 December. With the arrival of the railway on 4 January 1917 (followed by the water pipeline), El Arish quickly developed into a major base for the Allied army. After their defeat aerial reconnaissance found Ottoman forces moving their headquarters from Beersheba, while the garrison at El Auja was slightly increased. Other Ottoman outposts at El Kossaima and [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign#Raid on Nekhl|Nekhl]] remained, along with the strong defensive system of trenches and redoubts at El Magruntein (defending [[Battle of Rafa|Rafa]] on the frontier between Egypt and Ottoman territory). ===Battle honours=== On 28 September 1917 Chauvel wrote to General Headquarters – {{cquote|The point is now that, during the period covered by Sir Archibald's Despatch of 1–3–17, the Australia and New Zealand Troops well know that, with the exception of the 5th Mounted Brigade and some Yeomanry Companies of the I.C.C., they were absolutely the only troops engaged with the enemy on this front and yet they see that they have again got a very small portion indeed of the hundreds of Honours and Rewards (including mentions in Despatches) that have been granted. My Lists when commanding the A. & N.Z. Mounted Division, were modest ones under all the circumstances and in that perhaps I am partly to blame but, as you will see by attached list, a good many of my recommendations were cut out and in some cases those recommended for decorations were not even mentioned in Despatches.|}} ===Criticisms=== Kress von Kressenstein has been accused of withdrawing his troops and leaving the garrison at Magdhaba isolated. Chauvel has been accused of deciding to withdraw: * Because his force was at the extreme limits of the mounted units' lines of communication, and therefore could not remain in the field for long; limited access to water forced a decision to withdraw. * After reviewing the latest reports from the brigades and the overall situation, Chauvel decided to break off the action; before the order reached the troops, by 16.30 the battle was in their favour. ==External links== {{Commons category|Battle of Magdhaba}} *[http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/ Australian Light Horse Studies Centre] *[http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1104498 El Arish and El Magdhaba] *[http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1104498 Comparison of Maps – Australian, British and Turkish Histories] {{coord missing|Egypt}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Magdhaba, Battle Of}}