CAMPAIGN IN PALESTINE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17428, 24 September 1918, Page 5

CAMPAIGN IN PALESTINE

GENERAL ALLENBTS SURPRISE. COLLAPSE OP ENEMY RESISTANCE. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reutcr. LONDON, September 22. Palestine official: The enemy' 6 resistance by 8 o'clock in the evening had collapsed everywhere, except on the Turkish left in the Jordan Valley. Our left, swinging eastwards, had reached the line Diaich-Baka-Messudieh Junction, and were astride the railway and road converging on Nablus from the west. The right wing was traversing difficult country against considerable resistance. We reached the line Khanyibeit-Eshaweih, facing north, astride tlie Jernsalem-Nablus road. -- Northward our cavalry were traversing the field of Armageddon, and occupied Nazareth, Afuleh, and Biesan, collecting disorganised masses of the enemy and the transport arriving from the south. All avenues of escape except the fords over the Jordan between Biesan and Jisred Daneor were thus closed to the enemy eastward of Jordan. The Hedjaz Arabs had effected numerous demolitions of railway's radiating from Durat, and destroying several important bridges, including one in the Yurmah Valley. The accurate figures of the captures are not yet available, but 8000 (? 18,000) prisoners,. 100 guns, and large quantities of horse and mechanical transport, four aeroplanes, many locomotives, and much rolling 6tock have already been counted. Air' services inflicted the severest losses on the Turks retreating over difficult roads. A German mail-carrying aeroplane landed in the midst of our troops at Arfuleh. The pilot, who. at first believed that the place was still in Turkish hands, destroyed his machine and contents before being taken prisoner. MR MASSEY'S ACCOUNT. EXTENT OF THE VICTORY. PROBABLY TWENTY THOUSAND PRISONERS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, September 22. Mr W. T. Massey, writing from Palestine Headquarters, says : General Allenby lias crushed the Turkish 7th and Bth armies. His cavalry has closed every exit, except one, and this latter' cannot be reached by many of the enemy, and in a wide encircling movementour horsemen brilliantly broke down all attempts to put up delaying rearguard fights. .We have taken prisoner forces which, when counted, will probably amount to 20,000. Our cavalry has captured Nazareth, Nablus, Biesan, and Amerin. They had one charge 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 our infantry had broken through the southern defences our cavalry had great opportunities, while our infantry has continued to display superb skill and endurance in driving the enemy from the hill ' between*Hhe Plain of Sharon and the Judean Plateau. Our cavalry movements, perfectly timed, have been A MASTERLY SUCCESS, their unfailing regular fulfilling of the plans laid down by the Staff suggesting that they arc regulated by clock. The British Yeomanry, the Australian Light Horse, and the Indian Cavalry were all in magnificent condition and a high state of training, and performed a feat almost without parallel. Those critics who have declared that the day of cavalry is over must hide their heads. The utter defeat of the Turkish Palestine army would not have been possible but for General Allenby's bold use of cavalry in the role of mounted corps. They proved most adaptable, and performed their part in this extremely important battle, which will probably take a leading place, in military test books. The prisoners already counted in these operations exceed 18,(X)0, but thousands more have been taken, and have not yet passed in. The whole of the country we parsed through is littered with abandoned bombed transport, ammunition depots, motor lorries, and a large amount of rolling stock. Nablus, which is the Shechem of the Bible, -was taken this afternoon by the Australian Light Horse. French mounted troops later passed into the town. We had previously occupied Messudieh and Samaria. The Irish and Welsh troops are operating in APPALLINGLY DIFFICULT COUNTRY between the Nablus road and the Jordan Valley, .and are harassing the remnant of the enemy's forces, who are striving to get away by the Damieh Ford to the east of the Jordan road, which has been incessantly bombarded. Directly the Londoners and the Indian infantry had carried the three lines of trenches near the sea coast early on Thursday the Yeomanry and Indian cavalry moved lip the sea shore at a gallop,-crossed the Nahr Falik, swept north, and got over the Iskanderun River, collecting 860 prisoners on the way. After sundown they advanced north-east, left the low ground, got into the hills east of Mount Carmel, and rode over the Plain of Esdraelon. At sunrise yesterday they climbed the hills on which Nazareth stands. There they met with considerable opposition, but they surrounded the town, which was taken during the morning, with 2500 prisoners. Trie Mayor of Nazareth, in surrendering the town, stated that General Liman von Sanders, the German-Turkish generalissimo, had left Nazareth the previous evening when he heard that our cavalry had gone over the Iskanderon.

I saw this batch of prisoners as they camped over the nlaiu to-day, and they included many German telegraphists, mechanics, and other technical troops. The section of cavalry -which captured Nazareth covered over 50 miles in 24 hours, with stiff fighting at several places. Another' cavalry coliunn passed THROUGH THE TABOR DEFENCE, and also moved north a few miles from the coast. Tliis section comprised and Indian cavalry, and their objective is Afuleh, where the Haifa railway joins the line from the south. Marching through Musinasocass during the night, they secured 400 prisoners oil the way. They were opposed at Lejjan, the ancient Megiddo, but they cut off the enemy. Before advancing into the plain a regiment of Indian Lancers, acting as an advance guard, had the opportunity which all cavalry desire. A Turkish battalion was lightly dug in on the flat about two miles from the entrance to the pass. The Lancers dashed from the narrow defile, then took extended order, and galloped over tliis_ plain of Armageddon. They crashed into the Turkish infantry and machine-gunners with the lance, lulling 90 and wounding as many more. They also took_4lo prisoners. This charge was most brilliantly executed. The cavalry had to gallop over exuosed ground against heavy rifle and macEine-gun fire. They never faltered, each wave of horsemen riding through the enemy. Those Turks not killed threw up their hands. This column then moved along the plain to Afuleh, a railway junction, which was won in very short time, the garrison of 1500 being capfured and an immense amount of material. Standing at the station were engine locomotives and two complete trains, besides 40 lorries and a great quantity of stores. Portion of this column did not remain long at Afuleh. Moving eastward, they proceeded up the Valley of Jezreel to Biesan (near the Jordan). Along the route and in the town they added ANOTHER THOUSAND TURKS to their bag. One cavalry regiment was detached and took Jisr-el-Mejamie (east of the Jordan), nine miles south of the Sea of Galilee. In order to prevent any enemy reinforcements coming along that road some of the cavalry belonging to this column marched 70 miles in two days. Hie Australian Light, Horse, with the Yeomanry and Indians, captured Jenin, almost midway between Afuleh and Samaria. They also had a long march. They attacked Jenin from the north and west. _ On its western outskirts a Turkish battalion lay _ entrenched, and hotly opposed the Light Horse Brigade. The latter had recently been armed with swords, and charged the trenches, sabring many and rounding up. a thousand prisoners. _ There was fighting-for Jenin all last night, some Germans resisting strongly; but early this morning the place was entirely ours. Nearly 7000 prisoners m 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. They were frequently fighting in difhcult country, and no task was too heavy for them. to undertake. TURKISH OFFICIAL REPORT. A PARTIAL ADMISSION. Admiralty, per Wireless Press. LONDON, September 22. (Received Sept. 23, at 7.45 p.m.) A' Turkish communique, dealing with the British attack, speaks of most violent night-long fighting on September 18, with forces continually reinforced on a wide front east of the Jerusalem-Nablus Toad. . The Turks claim that tie attack was arrested on the line Jalud-Wadi AbzuZerka j but admits that, alter two hours* violent bombardment, supported by naval guns and desperate hand-to-hand fighting, the British penetrated the Turkish positions between the coast and the LyddaTulkeram railway, and adds : The Turks have withdrawn to Tulkeram. LATEST BRITISH REPORT. "SHEPHERDING" THE ENEMY. RETREATING TURKS SUITER SEVERELY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, September 22 (9 !pjn.). (Received Sept. 23, at 9.55 p.m.) A Palestine communique states : By 9 p.m. on Saturday our left wing of infantry, pivoting on their left about Birasur, had reached a line Bertdegan-Samaria-Birasur, and were "shepherding" the enemy on and westward of the JerusalemNab lus road into tlie arms of the cavalry operating southward from Enin and Beisan. Other enemy columns attempted to escape into the Jordan Valley, jn the direction of Jisreddamie, which the enemy still holds. These columns suffered severely, being constantly bombed and machine-gunned from low altitudes by our airmen. We hold Nazareth and the rail and road passages over the Jordan at Jisreddamie. Eighteen thousand prisoners and 120 guns have been counted.