PALESTINE.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 October 1918, Page 5

PALESTINE.

MORE PRISONERS TAKEN. Received 11.45 a.m. LONDON, Sept 30. Mr. Bonar Law states in Palestine the British have captured ten thousand additional prisoners. HISTORY OF LATEST OPERATIONS. Received 11.50 a.m. LONDON, Sept 30. Mr. Massey, writing from Palestine headquarters on Sunday says: -""North of the Lake of Tiberias on September 28 the cavalry of Allenby's army swam and forded the Jordan. Last night and to-day they captured the high ground east thereof. The situation develops most favourably. By a,,stupendous effort equal to any.sustained cavalry operations in history, mounted troops hold the far-flung line. Horsemen are converging in.; two great columns on the main Damascus road ilfrom.; the south. The yeomanry and i Indian cavalry, are,- mounting eastI wards from. Beisan, having taken TJrj bia, • where a portion of the Turks' I Fourth Army was not destroyed at Amman, and intended to make a stand at this important railway junction. They secured touch with friendly Arabs on the east, ignoring bodies of the enemy between Diara and Amman, and marched north of Sheflts j Miscken, which is within one cavalry--1 bound of Damascus. In going forward several times the cavalry left the enemy parties in their rear. Time pressed and in order to reap the full results of their bold strategy the mcun:ed troops left the advancing infantry to clear the enemy out of an isolated valley, the Germano-Turks were holding a position on the railway. After Derraa was taken the infantry subsequently dealt with them, and prevent- , ed the destruction of some useful railJ way works. The Turks fear designs on Damascus, and have sent down to the Jordan from Damascus a force composed of Germans, Turks, and seme Circassians on our left, who had also to be watched. When our*cavalry were opposite, the bridge south* of Lake Lule, motor lorries from Damascus had deposited one thousand men on. the steep eastern bank, covering the bridge with machine guns. They blew up the centre arch of a 400-year-old bridge, making a crossing there impossible A brigade of Australian Light Horse swam the river with their horses, south of the bridge, another Australian brigade making the passage 6*f the river to the north. The banks were hard for mounted men to negotiate, as the ground approaching the river was marshy, but so swiftly were the difficulties surmounted, before the enemy could scramble back to the lorries 250 Turks and Germans were cut off and captured. Our cavalry Is astride the Damascus Road.