IN PALESTINE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9720, 24 July 1917, Page 2

IN PALESTINE

ROUND ABOUT BEERSHEBA BRILLIANT WORK OF BRITISH CAVALRY. (From \V. T. Massey.) BEFOUE GAZA, May 24. Once again the Turks have been made to tool the full force ot vhe British cavalry stroke. The Comman-der-it.-Chief decided upon the destruction of the greater part of the rail .ray line south-east of Beershcba by mounted troops of the Desert Column, under Major-General Chauvel. By another of those dashing raids which have characterised all the operations of the column since the occupation of El Arish at Christmas, they attacked more than 20 miles of the line simultaneously, and destroyed it absolutely beyond repair except under complete reconstruction. The operation is even more important than the wreckage of the line, for it appears that the Turks are short of railway material, for they had begun to take up and carry away part of the line nearest to Kossaima to build the lino towards Gaza. limy looked to this section of the lin ■- to furnish some badlly-needed mater'al, but they will not find a sound tail or sleeper. Two nights ago two columns moved out on their. destroying missions. The Camel Corps started on a 32 miles march to Auja, a police post on the Turco-Egyptian frontier.. They had previously destroyed the bridge tlmre, and they spent yesterday in smashing the whole railway eastwards to Wadi-el-Abiad, including many culverts over the wadis. Being well to the west of Beershoha, they had moro time than the cavalry, whose operations were timed to cease at 10 o’clock. The explosions by the camel men were heard like a heavy artillery battle till late in the afternoon. DUST STORM OBSCURES STARS. ■ Tho task of smashing the railway between Asluj, fifteen miles due south of Beersheba, and Hadaj was entrusted to . the Field Engineers of tho Anzocs and Imperial 'mounted troops, who have been specially trained in methods of rapidly destroying a railway line. They were covered by the remainder of the troops, who moved south and east from dusk on Tuesday till dawn yesterday for moro than thirty miles. They were delayed somewhat by the ■ extreme darkness of tho night and a dust-storm which obscured the stars and rendered it difficult to see the tracks.

Some of the country. was very difficult, one column hav.ng to march in the blackness of the night over a long width of limestone ridges with sharp jagged edges. One demolition party arrived at Asluj at six, and tho other at Hadaj at seven. Working towards each other, by ten o'clock they had destroyed ten miles of lino, including three bridges of 24 arches with substantial stone and concrete pillars. So complete was the destruction of this section of the strategic military line that not one length of rail remained Whole. Every bolt had the head, knocked off. EXPLOSIVES LEFT BEHIND.

It was not part of the scheme that the cavalry and camelry should join hands, and a short section between their spheres of operations remains untouched. There is, however,’ a break between the undamaged part and tho new line of ten miles, and the undestroyed portion is isolated and useless. While the engineers were blowing up the railway the cavalry made a strong demonstration against Beersheba, and got within five miles of the town, which they shelled lavishly, and destroyed the railway bridge to the north. They also drove off two Turkish cavalry brigades which appeared south of Beersheba during the afternoon. Our troops returned to their bivouacs in the afternoon. The Turks made a poor reply to this heavy loss, inflicted on them. This morning an aeroplane with three men and explosives came down at Sahnena, a few miles from Bir el Abd, to attempt to cut our railway and pipe line. The men alighted and were about to place dynamite in position, when our patrol opened a heavy fire. The enemy airmen fled in the machine, leaving all their explosives and implements. Blood trails showed that one man was hit. Not tho slightest damage was done to us.