PALESTINE.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 September 1918, Page 3

PALESTINE.

301 MASSEY'S HEPOIIT

1 I’l.ll PRESS ASSOCIATION'. —I*ol*YUIGFT. • (Received This Day at 1.5. p.m.) LONDON, September 22. Mr Massey says the Irish and Welsh troops were operating in appalling difficult country between Nablus road and Jordan valley, liarrassing the remnant of the enemy’s forces, who were striving to get away by Damueli ford to the cast of the Jordan. The road thereto has been incessantly bombarded. Directly the Londoners and Indian infantry has carried three- lines of trenches on the sea coast early on Thursday the Yeomanry and Indian cavalry moved up the seashore at a gallop, crossed the Nahr flank and swept north. They got over Hani Istlanderun collecting 850 prisoners on the way. After sundown they advanced northeast and left the low ground and got into the hills east of Mount Carmel. They rode over th e Plain of Esdraclon arid at sunrise yesterday they climbed the hill on which Nazareth stands. There they met considerable opposition, but they surrounded the town which .was taken during the morning with 2,500 prisoners. The Mayor in surrendering llic town, stated Liman von Sanders the German and Turkish Generalissimo, left Nazareth the previous evening, when he heard the cavalry were over Iskande-

rum. . .. I saw this batch of prisoners as they camped over the plain to-day. Tnej included many German fofegraphists, mechanics and other technical troops. The section of cavalry capturing Nazareth covered over fifty miles in 21 hours, with stiff lighting at several places. Another cavalry column passed through Tabor defences and also moved north a few mile s from the Coast. This was composed of Yeomanry and Indian cpvalry. 'Their objective is Afulehcr where the Haifa railway joins the line from the south. Marching through Musmas Hass during the night they secured -100 prisoners on the way. They were opposed at Bejjam (ancient Megiddo) but cut off the enemy before advancing into the plain . A regiment of Indian Lancers, acting as Advance Guard, had the opportunity that all cavalry desires. A Turkish battalion was lightly dug in on the Hat, about; two miles from the entrance to the Pass. The Lancers dashed from a narrow defile, extended and galloped over this Plain of Armegeddon and crashed into the infantry and machine, gunnel's with the lance, killing ninety and wounding as many more. They a - st> took 410 prisoners. The charge was most brilliantly executed. The eavalrv had to gallop over exposed ground against heavy rifle and machine gun fire. They never faltered, eacli wave of horsemen riding through the enemy and those not killed threw up their hands. The last column then nmv.gd along the plain to Alfulch which was won in a very short time and the garrison of 1,500 captured. Thm» wfts an immense amount of material at the station, an engine, locomotive, and

two complete trains, forty lorries and great quantities of stores. Portion of tho column did not remain long at AJfulch. Moving eastwards they pro- | ceeded tip the Valley of Jazreel to BeiI ban. Along tho route and in the town | they added another thousand Turks to j the bag. One regiment was detached, and took Jisr el Mejaraiveh, nine miloa south of the Sea of Gnllileo to prevent any reinforcements coming by that road. This column marched seventy miles in two days. Australian Light Horse with Yeomanry and Indians captured Jenin, almost midway between Afulch and Samaria. They also bad a long march and attacked Jenin from tho north and west. On the western outskirts a Turkish battalion entrenched hotly opposed the Light Horse Brigade. The latter had recently been nrmi ed with swords and they charged tho trenches sabring many and taking a thousand prisoners. There was fighting for Wenin all last night. Some Gormans wore resisting strongly but early this morning the place was ontireiy ours. Nearly 7,000 prisoners in all, , were taken by the cavalry. The story of the cavalry is told thus briefly. It was full of incidents. All the regiments showed great dash and staying power, frequently fighting in difficult country, but no task was too heavy for them to undertake.

THE OFFICIAL REPORT. TAUSTRALIAN N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION! A REUTER.] (Received This D-v at tio«n t LONDON, Seput. 22. Palestine official.—The enemy resist a nee by eight o’clock in the evening had collapsed everywhere, except on the Turkish left in Jordon Valley. Our left swinging eastwards, had ' reached the line of T)idioh-Bakn,-Messudih iunetion astride tho railway and roads converging on Nablus from the west and right wing traversing difficult country against considerable resistance. IV e readied the line of Khnnyibcit-Eshn-vveih facing tho north road. Northward our cavalry traversing the Field of Armageddon occupied Nazareth and Afiilehehnn, collecting. disorganised masses of enemy and transport arriving from the south. All avenues of escape except tho fords over the Jordan between Beilian and .Jisreddaneor, were thus closed to the enemy. Eastward of the Jordan, King Hedjaz’s Arabs had effected numerous demolition of railways radiating from Doran, destroying several important bridges, including one in Ytirmak Valley.

Accurate figures of the captures are not yet available. Eight thousand prisoners and one hundred guns and large quantities of stores and ‘mechanical transport, four aeroplanes , many locomotives, much rollng stock are already counted. The air services inflict ed the severest losses on the Turks retreating over difficult roads. A German mail carrying aeroplane landed in the midst of our troops at Afuloli. Tho pilot, who at first believed tho place was still in Turkish hands, destroyed his machine and contents before being taken prisoner.