FORTY MILES FROM DAMASCUS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 6, 2 October 1918, Page 6

FORTY MILES FROM DAMASCUS

.ALLENBY'S CAVALRY STRATEGY RAPID ADVANCE OF THE TROOPS '10,000 TURKS SURRENDER The New Zealand High Commissioner reports:— London, September 30, 8.10 p.m. Palestine report:—"The Turkish garrison .on tho Hedjaz railway have surrendered at Ziza, numbering 10,000." MR. MASSEY'S DISPATCH . CONVERGING MOVEMENT ON DAMASCUS ROADS.

London, September 30. Mr. W. ! T. Massey, writing from Headquarters in Palestine on Sunday, states:—"On Saturday the cavalry of General Allenby's army swam and forded the Jordan, north of Lake Tiberias. Last night and to-day we captured high ground east of the river. The situation is. developing most (favourably. By a stupendous effort, equal to any sustained cavalry operations in history, the mounted troops hold a far-flung line. The horsemen are converging in two great column* on the mam Damascus roads. J rum the south the Yeomanry and Indian cavalry are moving eastward from Beisan, having taken Irbid, where a portion of< the Turks' Fourth Army not. destroyed at Amman intended to stand., At this important railway junction wo secured touch with the friendly Arabs on the east, and ignoring bodies of tho enemy between Derra and Amman, marciicd north on Sheikh Miskin, which is within one cavalry bound of Damascus. In going forward the cavalry soveral times left enemy parties in the rear. Time pressed, and in order to reap the full results of their bold strategy, the mounted troops left tho advancing infantry to clear the enemy out of tho isolated valleys. The Germans and Turks were holding positions on tho railway, after Derra | was taken, but the infantry subsequently dealt with them* and prevented tho'destruction df some useful railway works. Tho Turks fear designs on Damascus, and have sent down to the Jordan from Damascus a force composed of Germans and Turks and some Circassians. Our ] left has also to bo watched. When our cavalry were opposite tho bridge south of Lake Huleh, motor lorries from Damascus had deposited a thou* sand men on tho steep eastern bank to cover the bridge with machineguns. They blew up the centra arch of the 400-year-old! bridge, making' a crossing thero impossible. A brigado of Australian Light Horse swam tho river with their horses south of the bridge, and another Australian Brigade made the passage of the river to the north. The harass were hard for the mounted men to negotiate, as tho ground approaching the river _is marshy, but so swiftly wero tho difficulties surmounted that before the enemy could scramble back to his lorries 250 Turks and Germans wero cut off and captured.' Our cavalry astride tlio Damascus road' has since advanced to El Kuneitera, within forty miles of tho ancient* city—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.