ALLEMBY'S TRIUMPH.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1919, Page 7

ALLEMBY'S TRIUMPH.

EAST OF THE JORDAN.

IFALL OF DAMASCUS. MEMORABLE DAY FOR ARABS.

Damascus, Oct. 8. The few thousand Germans who were with the Turkish seventh and eighth armies west of the Jordan mot the same fata as their allies; the majority destroyed or captured. But one must give the Germans credit for a stout resistance.

Having the great body of Turks on Samaria safe, and already most cf them accounted for, General Allenby decided to clear Haifa. The Indians and yeomanry, supported by horse artillery, rode into the town, and again the only opposition was from the Austrians and Germans. <f We tried to cover their retreat," said a captured Gorman officer, "hut we expected them to do something, if only keep their heads. But at last we decided they wera not worth fighting for."

Before Haifa fell our troops were moving swiftly east of Jordan. A division of Indian and yeomanry cavalry crossed the Jordan about Beisan and rode eastwards. Simultaneously the Anzae Mounted Division forded and swam the river further south and moved on Es Salt and Amman. The Australians and New Zealanders were familiar with the country. This was their third expedition to the Plateau of Moab and the heights of Gilead. They knew every goat walk on the steep mountain side. This time they were there to stay The Fourth Turkish Army on the east was to share the fate of the seventh and eighth armies on Samaria.

The tactics employed on both aides of the river were broadly similar, General Allenby depended for success upon the speed and durability of his horses. On the fringe of tho desert was the army of the Sheriff of Mecca, a picturesque, galloping, thrusting, well-armed force. As the Anzacs marched upon Es Salt and Amman, the Arabs made a detour into the desert and appeared on the flank of the enemy and cut the railway north of Deraa where the Hadjaz line junctions with the line which supplied the Turks west of the Jordan THE RACE FOR DAMASCUS. Meanwhile the Indian and Yeomanry Division had crossed Eastern Palestine and was approaching Deraa, where they joined hands with the Arab army. Then the Arabs, the Indians, and the Yeomanry aped on towards Damascus. There' was still a chance for escape for about 20,000 Turks, who had moved northwards of Deraa before the arrival of our forces. These struggled gamely towards Damascus, where they hoped cither to make a stand at the great enemy supply base, or escape by railway to the north. But General Chauvel still bad in hand the Australian Mounted Division and another strong force of Indians and Yeomary, which had returned to the Jordan after the capture of Haifa. With the Australians leading, he inarched from Esdraelon Plain north-east, across Jordan for Damascus. There ensued one of the grand racc-s of the war Our liocaes, already tired, were called upon for the heaviest work of the whole Light'florae campaign. Marching by Beisan, the 4th Light Horse Brigade took Senak, after a stiff figlit, and then co-operating with the 3rd Brigade, which had come down from Nazareth, occupied Tiberias. A day's partial restj during which our men. swam and fished in the blue waters of Galilee, and then the Australian Division marched swiftly for the Jordan crossing, a few miles south of Lake Huleh. But the enemy was now seized of our intention, and the German machins-gunnere put up some fine resistance. Their stand at senak was aimed to prevent ua reaching Damascuo before the 30,000 Turks retreating from the direction of Dc-raa, and also to permit of the removal of as many military stores U3 possible from the city. South of Lake Huleh also the Germans fought well and delayed us for a few hours. We then ran through as far as liunneitra, but a favr miles further on were again held up by ma-chine-guns and a field battery BEFORE THE CITY

as the advance guard of the 4th Light Horso. Regiment,' travelling north-east, came within view of the green and generous plain of Damascus, we saw some eight miles away, on our right, and travelling north-west, a great convcrgMg column of the fugitive Turks from Deraa. Nearly all of these were captured, the Hermans once more fighting well, with their machine-guns. But even the Germans were now almost atthe end of their hopes and resistance, and again and again on this last day before Damascus, and 'in two days which followed, they abandoned their machine gnns and fled at the galloping approach of the Australian swords. That evening many thousands of prisoners vverc captured. The city was enveloped. At dusk there was the enemy tragedy at the Adans, Pass, which leads out from Damascus towards Beyrout. Here 'ii column many miles, in length wits committed into a deep and narrow and singularly beautiful gorge. Then followed the fight between the long-armed enemy column and the handful of dismounted light horsemen, who were perciied in pockets of the cliffs on either side. The Germans, working their machine-guns from the tops of motor-waggons and lorries, fought to the death.. Three 'hundred and seventy officers and men were killed, and fell among the dead and dying horses, and the wild tumult of the chaotic column. We had scarcely & man hit. That ended the attempt to leave ftamasefus by the west. But the enemy Was streaming out by the north along the road to Aleppo. Tlieir run, however, was brief. Early next morning the Third Light Horse Brigade was in hot pursuit. The German jnanhine-gunners again attempted a rearguard, but they could not withstand the charge;- of the elated Light Horsemen. Thousand of prisoners and hundreds of were taken I>y the Brigade. ONE REGIMENT TAKES 12,000 HSOSQ2IEKS.

But the chief honors of -fcUo morning with the Fourth L%ht IX«nc R«gimen*. Soon after sunruio a-squadron rojeeived orders to 'patrol into fee city. 'Winding along the crooked lanes between flie irrigated ovdianlE and gardens it came upon tihe gfcasst tffikiah barracke ijwaiming' vritl) tseops. The Turks did not art once siißfctsdev, ana the squadron leader before attacking waited the arrival of the remainder of the regiment. 'Hen followed a fitting termination to the wonderful and piiacI tieally eloudless British ride. A few Lfcuw}«f<l 4«W&SJMUI Lwht BuMi&m# of

this one regiment before noon took nearly 12,000 prisoners in Damascus, together with dozens of field, pieces and scores of machine-guns. Scarcely a shot was fixed. There was no formal surrender; each -body laid down their arms as the Australians rude up -with their swords.

_ The Victorians entered the city andt joined hands with the exulting Arabs. These two forces, which had star-ted dundrcds of miles apart, with two mountain systems intervening, were mingled together in the midst of the swirling populace. To the Arabs, Damascus was the dazzling prize, the promised reward. Here he was to proclaim and set up the Arab Government. Riding in from his tent on the desert, or his little mud village, he was in Damascus the lord _of a city of 250,000 souls, the oMest city in the world, and a city distinguished by tlio richness ajid strange character and beauty of its surroundings. Fired with pride, he rode the streets on his sprightly desert horse, his long robes touched with brilliant patches of si lie and richly-woven Persian saddle bags. His gold and silver scabbards flashed in the sunlight, and he fired hia rifle freely at the skies. Ameer Feisal, the third son of the Sheriff of (Mecca, who was soon to be proclaimed the new ruler, rode into the city. The Arabs of the city gave an almost fanatical greeting to the prince. He was pelted with flowers and rare rugs, and showered with all the scents of the east.