PALESTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1918, Page 5

PALESTINE.

I OPERATIONS DETAILED. Superb Skill of Infantry. Wide Encircling Movement. 20,000 Prisoners Taken. London, Sept. 22. Mr. Massey, writing from Palestine Headquarters, says:—General Allenby has crushed the Turkish 7th and Stli Armies, and his cavalry lias closed every exit except one, which cannot be reached by many of the enemy. In a wide, encircling movement, the horsemen brilliantly broke down all attempts to put up delaying rearguard fighlß. We have taken prisoner forces wliich, when counted, will probably amount to 20,0f10. Our cavalry captured Nazareth, Nali'iis, Beisan, and Jenin. They had cm- cnarge on the Plain of Armageddon and another at Jenin. They secured an enormous quantity of valuable booty, and we have not heard the last of their efforts Once the infantry had broken through the southern defences, the cavalry had great opportunities, while the infantry has continued to display superb skill and endurance in driving the enemv from the hills between the Plain of Sharon and the Judean plateau. The cavalry moves, perfectly timed, have been a masterly success. Their unfailing regularity in fulfilling the plans laid down by the Staff suggested that they were regulated by the clock. The British Yeomanry, Australian Light Horse and Indian cavalry were all in magnificent condition; thev performed a feat almost without parallel. Critics, who have declared that the day of cavairv is over, must hide their heads. The utter defeat of the Turkish Palestine army would not have been possible but for Ceneral Allenby's bold use of cavalry in the role of mounted troops. They most admirably performed their part in this extremely important battle, which will probably take a leading place in military text booksThe prisoners already counted in these operations exceed 15.%0, but thousands more have been taken and not vet passed in. The whole country T have passed through is littered with abandoned. bombed transport and anmrmition depots and motor lorries. A large amount of rollin" stock at Xeblus (the '"icchem of the Bible) was taken this ift.ernoon by the Australian T,i?ht Tlor?e. French mounted troorn later pa=*ed ; iito the town. We previously occupied M»shudih (Samaria). —Aus- ' N7. rnMe Assoc. DIFFICULT COUNTRY. Irish and Welsh troops, operating in the appallingly difficult country between the Nablus Road and the Jordan Valley, are harassing the remnant of the enemy's forces, who are striving to get away by the lwivieh Ford to the oast ; of the. Jordan. The road thither has been ineessantlv bombed. Directly the ■ Londoners and Indian infantry had carried the three lines of trenches on the i sea coast early on Thursday, the Yeo- ■ marry and Indian cavalry moved up the sea shore at a gallop, crossed the Nahr Falik, swept north, and got over the 1 TTanr Isknnderun, collecting 850 prisoners oti the way. ' After sundown they advanced northeast, left the low ground and got into | the hills past of Mount Carmel. They | rode over the Plain of Esdraelon at sun- [ rise, and vesterdav they climbed the hill on which Nazareth stands. There they met considerable opposition, but surrounded the town, which, was taken during tiio morning with 2300 ppsoner j, The Mavor, in surrendering the town. , stated that General Liman von Sanders the German-Turkish generalissimo,'had left Nazareth the previous evening, when he heard the cavalry were over the Iskandrum. I saw this hatdh of prisoners as they trkmpe-I over the plain to-dav. They included manv Herman telegraphists, , mechanics, and other technical troops. CAVALRY RECORDS. The section of cavalry that captured XnsKireth covered over' ft miles in 24 hours, with stiff fighting at several places. Another cavalry column passed through tlie Mount Tabor defences and also moved north a few miles from the coast. This composed the jeomanry : and Indian cavalry. Their objective id i Afulch, where the Faifa. vailway joins the line from the south. Marching through the Miistnus oasis during the night, they secured 400 prisoners on the , way. They were opposed at Lejjan . (the ancient Megiddo), but beat off the enemy. Before advancing into the plain, a regiment of Indian Lancers, acting as advance guard, had the opportunity all cavalry desire. A Turkish battalion was lightly dug in on the flat about two miles from the entrance to the pasF The Lancers dashed from the narrow defile, extended, galloped over this plain of Armageddon, and crashed into the infantry and machine-gunners I '"'th the lance, killinsr DO and wounding as many more. They also took 410 , prisoners. GREAT DASH AND BRAVERY. The charge was most brilliantly executed- The cavalry had to gallop over exposed ground against rifle fire and ma-c.iine-gun fire, but they never faltered, each wave of horsemen ridinc through the enemy. Those not killed "threw im their hands. The last column then moved along the plain to Afuleh, which was won "in a very short time, and the garrison of ; 1500 was captured. There was an im- , mense amount of material at the sta- , tion. eight locomotives, two complete ! trains, forty lorries, and a great quantity of stores. A portion of the column d:d not remain long at Afuleh, but, turning eastwards, proceeded up the Valley of Jezrcel to Beisan. Along the route and in, the town it added another thousand Turks to the hag. One regiment was detached, and took TJisr and Mejamie, nine miles south of _ the Sea of Galilee, to prevent any reinforcements coming by that roadSome of the cavalry in this colun" ■ marched 70 miles in two days. Tho Australian Lifjht Horse, with the i yeomanry and Indians, captured Jenin, I Almost midway between Afuleh and Sar i maiia. They also had a long march , They attacked Jenin from the north an?. Turkish battalion «Atre»ol»d botly Of-

posed the Light Horse brigade. The I latter, which had recently been armed with swords, charged the trenches, aabring many and rounding up 1000 prisoner. There was fighting Jenin all last night, some Germans- resisting strongly, but early this rooming the place was entirely ours. 'Nearly 1l\.) prisoners in all were taken by the cavalry. The story of the cavalry told thus briefly was full of incident. All the regiments showed great dash and staying power, frequently fighting in difficult country. No task was too heavy for them to undertake.—Aus-N.Z. Cable Assoc". SHEPHERDING THE ENEMY. I [ INTO THE ARMS OF THE CAVALRY. Received Sept. 23, 9.35 sm. 1 London, Sept. 22, 9 p.m. A Palestine cornmunkme states: —By i 9 in the evening of the 21st our left wing of infantry, pivoting on their left - about Birasur, had reached the line • Beitdejan-Sainaria-Birasur, shepherding . the enemy on and westward of the Jeru-salem-Nablus Road into the arms of the cavalry operating southwards from Jenin and T'-'san. Othi-.- ;iy columns attempted to escarp in,(i the Jordan Valley in the direction of Uisreddamie, which the enemy still held. These columns suffered se--1 fere losses, being bombed and ma-chine-gunned at Jow altitudes. I We hold Nazareth and the rait and road passages over the Jordan at Jisrrnfinmie. Eighteen thousand prisoners and 120 ■ gu<is have so r ar bsen counted i THE TURKS' ACCOUNT. Received Sept. 23, 9.55 p.m. / London, Sept. 22. A Turkish communique, dealing with ■ the British attack, speaks of the most , violent nirrht-long nVhting on the 18th ■ September with forces continimllv rein- ■ forced on a wide front east of tho JeruRoad. Tho Turks claim i the attack was arrested on Sine Jalnd I -ml Wndi Abzn Zerka, but admits that. I I'fter two hours' violent bombardment. ■ <?ipnorted hv nnval fnms and desperate ■ hand-tn-bnnrl fin-hting. the British penes trntrd th" Tiir'nVh -positions between the eoast of Lvddn, and thnTulKeram roili war. and adds that the Turks nnd with- • drawn to Tul Keram—Aus.-N.Z. Cable ; s?oe\