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The Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Expeditionary warfare

Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a nation's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad....
 (EEF) was formed in March 1916 to command the growing British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 military forces in Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. It was originally commanded by Sir Archibald Murray, later by Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby

Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order was a United Kingdom soldier and administrator most famous for his role during World War I, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918....
. It consisted of the British XX
British XX Corps

The British XX Corps was a World War I army corps that was formed in Palestine in 1917. Following the British failure in the Second Battle of Gaza, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force underwent a major rearrangement with the appointment of General Edmund Allenby as the new Commander-in-Chief....
 and XXI Infantry Corps, under the command of Generals Philip Chetwode and E.S.






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Allenby Enters Jerusalem 1917
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Expeditionary warfare

Expeditionary warfare is used to describe the organization of a nation's military to fight abroad, especially when deployed to fight away from its established bases at home or abroad....
 (EEF) was formed in March 1916 to command the growing British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and British Empire
British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, and other Dependent territory ruled or administered by the United Kingdom , that had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries....
 military forces in Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. It was originally commanded by Sir Archibald Murray, later by Allenby
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby

Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order was a United Kingdom soldier and administrator most famous for his role during World War I, in which he led the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the conquest of Palestine and Syria in 1917 and 1918....
. It consisted of the British XX
British XX Corps

The British XX Corps was a World War I army corps that was formed in Palestine in 1917. Following the British failure in the Second Battle of Gaza, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force underwent a major rearrangement with the appointment of General Edmund Allenby as the new Commander-in-Chief....
 and XXI Infantry Corps, under the command of Generals Philip Chetwode and E.S. Bulfin, respectively, along with the Desert Mounted Corps
Desert Mounted Corps

The Desert Mounted Corps was a World War I Allies of World War I army corps that operated in the Middle East during 1917 and 1918. Originally formed as the Desert Column in February 1917 under the command of General Sir Philip W....
, four (mostly Australian) cavalry divisions under Australian Lieutenant General Sir Henry George Chauvel.

The force initially consisted mostly of British and Egyptian troops, but most of these were sent to the Western Front
Western Front

Western Front was a term used during the World War I and World War II world war to describe the "contested armed frontier" between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West....
 in early 1918 to help repel Germany's Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive

The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht and also known as the Ludendorff Offensive was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914....
. In the meantime, new troops were then dispatched from India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and Anzacs
Anzac

ANZAC is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, an army corps that fought at the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I and was disbanded in 1916....
 in particular made up a large portion of the army. Though it was feared that mostly Muslim Indian troops might desert and join Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 forces in the region (who had declared a jihad
Jihad

Jihad , an List of Islamic terms in Arabic, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic language, the word jihad is a noun meaning "struggle." Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah "....
 against the Allies early in the war), this fear proved unfounded, as the Indians fought valiantly on the front lines of most of the army's major engagements. The force also included a small contingent of French and Italian troops. The forces of the Arab Revolt
Arab Revolt

The Arab Revolt was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing independence from the ruling Ottoman Turks and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen....
, led by Prince Feisal of Mecca, were also unofficially attached during Allenby's Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
 offensive.

The force's role evolved from a defense of Egypt to the invasion of Palestine
Palestine

Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. It is derived from a name used already much earlier for a narrower geographical region, mainly along the coastal region....
 which involved: the capture of Beersheba
Beersheba

Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 186,100....
 and Gaza
Gaza

Gaza is a Palestinian people city in the Gaza Strip, approximately southwest of Jerusalem, with a population of 410,000, making it the largest city under the control of the Palestinian National Authority....
 in October-November 1917 (see Third Battle of Gaza
Third Battle of Gaza

The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during World War I. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Turkey defensive Gaza-Beersheba line....
), entering Jerusalem
Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
 on December 11 1917, and Allenby's successful campaign of 1918, resulting in the defeat of the Turks at Megiddo
Battle of Megiddo (1918)

The Battle of Megiddo of 19 September – 21 September 1918, and its subsequent exploitation, was the culminating victory in United Kingdom General Edmund Allenby's conquest of Palestine during World War I....
, and the capture of Damascus
Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
, Beirut
Beirut

Beirut is the Capital and largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2.1 million as of 2007. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's coastline with the Mediterranean sea, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport and also forms the Beirut District area, which consists of the city and its suburbs....
, and Aleppo
Aleppo

Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate; the Governorate extends around the city for over 16,000 km? and has a population of 4,393,000, making it the largest Governorate in Syria by population....
. The force's successes ultimately led to Turkey's exit from the war and the British Mandate of Palestine.

See also

  • History of Palestine
    History of Palestine

    The history of the Southern Levant is the account of events in the greater geographic area in the Southern Levant....
  • Postage stamps and postal history of Palestine