THE VICTORY IN EGYPT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3008, 20 February 1917, Page 7

THE VICTORY IN EGYPT

9ESERT COLUMN DEFEATS TURKISH ■ :. GARRISON

ANZAC MOUNTEDS IN ACTION .- . / ■

From EI Arish Mr. W. T. Massey sends air account of tho recent, brilliant victory of tho mounted troops of-the Desert Column at- Maglidaba; Tho Turkish garrison thero ivas utterly do- . feated by tho Anzac Mounted Division and tho Camel Corps composed of' men from the' British Yeomanry and colonial regiments:- aVhcn tho -troops loft ■. their baso 011 Wctlnesday, says Mr. Massey, to concentrnte on'tho railhead, an immediate advance on El Arish was . not;in contemplation, but tho news, ieceived at spyeii p.m., that tho Turks had,evacuated tho town determined the General to press on to EI Arish, which he, surrounded at dawn the next morning. Some infantry followed the mounted troops through tho appallingly heavy "going." Thursday night the troops spent in bivouac after their twenty-five milo march the previous night, n The Attack. i Three hours after sunset on Friday tho General Commanding . tho Anzao jMonnted Division assembled his brigades of: tho Camel Corps in Wadi, south of El Arish, whero tho troops wore rationed and the horses fed and watered, 'ready to move off to the attack on Maghdaba early next morning. The difficulties of provisioning tho troops . were enormous-, but were overcome by the strenuous labours of the supply branch."- TJjo- men had only been at 'El Arish thirty-six hours, and the slow-moving camel convoy had to bring supplies from the railhead. One con'voy was late in arriving, owing to losing its way -in tho darkness, hut soon after midnight' the ' provisioning 'was completed. The force moved eff "at one o'clock at a sharp trot, and covered over twenty miles of what they describe as an uneventful.' march in Tinder four hours.., Tho night 'as 'very dark, and the surfaco of tho /ground was often broken.' The guns were hauled by teams of animals, but the journey through Wadi was apt nearly so lieavy as that experienced_ in ■the march from the railhead on Wed'neßday. ' ■ At ten minutes to five the column -reached a point twenty-three miles from El Arish. The General and his ,-brigadiers went forward to reconnoitre the enemy's position. The task was one of great difficulty because of tho dawn; tho light being immediately behind Maghdaba, Ti-hich was also obscured by the smoke of many bivouao fires. Maghdaba is a convex position,*. Tnit looks'absolutely flat, and lies almost. in Wadi itself. As we know, there were five redoubts very cunningly placed, so as to cover not merely the approaches to the position, but to ■ support each redoubt in , every possible . way: Tlie siteing of the redoubts had heen done so well that only one could be seen from the artillery observation ■Dost, though the guns got on this, and blew it to pieces in a very short time. Others were extremely difficult to locate, and the Turks fought in them for eight liours. ■

. Camel Corps Co In. .- it eight o'clock the brigades moved' north of : tho cnomy's position iinder cover of tho 6and dunes to the east ■and- south-cast of Maghdaba in order to! cut off the enemy's" retreat.' : The. Camel Corps, with a mountain battery, began a, frontal attack. Batteries of Territorial artillery supported the, attack throughout the day with splendid ,'gunnery, and tho Anzac troops,, who' had-the assistance of some of these batteries at tho Battle of Romani,,woro ■loud. ii;.their. praise of the accurate work of the gunners. Shortly after the troops moved off aeroplane messages indicated that some of tne enemy forces were retiring. The brigades on the east of Maghdaba pushed on quickly to complete their envelopment, and a reserve brigade went forward at the trot to prevent the enemy froni getting away. However,' it was found that only small parties of the enemy were retiring. The main enemy position Doing very strongly lield;' jthe reserve brigade came under heavy machine-gun fire, while tho .enveloping brigades were also observed and shelled by Krupp and mountaingims. The Camel Corps' likewise -received attention from tho enemy's gjins while moving across the wide plain between tie point'of assembly and tho redoubts, this track affording .not a vestige of cover; but tho camelry advanced with magnificent steadiness. ' Tho reserve brigade was unable to get further without serious losses' among the horses, and swung to the right to assist;tho Camel Corps nrits attack and completeenvelppment of the enemy from the west. Lack of cover prevented rapid progress, hut advance was everywhere substantial.- When the redoubt was destroyed by gun-fire tho Turks showed white flags, but as -tiw heavy fire continued from other ■parts of the enemy's position no notice was taken. Except in one portion of the lino tho advance, was decked about noon, and when it seemed that tho enemy was determined to hold on supports were brought up for a further eflort. . ■' ■

The-last stage of tho .fighting was heavier than the first. The aeroplanes which wore under constant machine-gun and artillery fire, circled over tho iedoubtSj and scored many hits with boinlyi. As the artillery firo increased jd intensity the dismounted troops added to the volume of their attack and the. resistance, which had been most determined, collapsed at four o'clock. J.ne lurks-did not all surrender then' for individual firing from tho west of iWadi went on till dark.

Ihrougboiit the afternoon the question of water, was always a-pressing problem. Most of the inen. suffered agonies from thirst, but their fightin" spirit was unaffected, although water was most urgently required. The difficulty, was solved as regarded the ■horses when tho position with wells was taken, and tho men had not to wait long, for tho commander, in the early hours'of the..day. had water con™K" dißpatcliecl from El Arish to the hnttlenejd. Other water rations roachPd tho force as it was returning and the men got hack to-day, having their .hearts _desire, to spend Christmas inreocoupied El Arish, satisfied, and very litte the worso.for lrnving .had three Jiight inarches and a long day's heavy' ogbting in four days. ' ''

1350 Prisoners. This flying column dealt with (lie feneiny very thoroughly. Out of a force of about 2000 it captured 1350 officers and men and four mountain guns—all the enemy had. The killed mid wounded formed a.high proportion of the remainder of the garrison. The prisoners include. Khabr Bey, the commandant,- and Von Kress. KressenBtein is said to have left his post, in a motor-car for 'Jcsusalem at three o'clock in tho morning of the sitlaclc. Most of the 7>risoners are Syrians of bis build, well nourished, as far as J could see. but not well clothed. They ■seem glad to b<? in captivity, hut they put up a light which disgraced neither [>ificer« no>- men. Ou'r !-r f 'Horv *•*" they described as very deadly. One £itn, whicli was being limbered tip to get away, was observed by our gunners' team and blown to pieces before it was hitched in.