PALESTINE CAMPAIGN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3344, 17 April 1918, Page 15

PALESTINE CAMPAIGN.

Palestine official: Our troops westward of the Tulkerann-Ramleh railway advanced on a five-mile front for one mile and a-half in depth, capturing the villages Elkeff and Rafata. The prisoners included a few Germans. There was all-day fighting in the coastal sector on Wednesday. 'The Turco-Germans penetrated our advanced positions in the direction of Berukin and El Kefr, but were ejected. We advanced our lines at several points, and inflicted substantial losses. A Turkish attack on the east bank of the Jordan, in the vicinity of El Ghoraniyeh, on Thursday broke down with heavy losses under our artillery fire, and our mounted forces pursued the retreating enemy within a short distance of Shunetimrin. An attack astride the Jericho-Nablns road, westward of the Jordan, was also repulsed. MR MASSEY’S REPORT. Mr W. T. Massey, writing from Palestine on Thursday, says: For the past three days there has been heavy fighting on the foothills east of

the Plain of Sharon (which stretches between Jaffa and Acre;. The Turks have been reinforced by German battalions and by other Turks from the Mesopotamia front. Despite the fact that the enemy were fighting; from prepared defences, with strong artillery support, they have been forced back several thousand yards, and have lost ridges and hills and some important villages. Some Germans are serving in the ranks of the Turkish battalions* suggesting that the enemy consider that the Turks, after six months of consistent defeats, require stiffening. The attack began at dawn on April 9 (Tuesday), and was delivered by West Country and Indian troops from the Una of the Wadi Ballut, a wide watercourse, now dry, with very steep banks. We rapidly gained ground, capturing German and Turkish prisoners, and the villages of Rafat and El Keir, which remained in our hands, repeated enemy counterattacks failing with heavy losses. A* Berukin, a 2200 ft hill, there was stout fighting; till 3.30 p.m., when we captured it. The enemy are holding up our advance with many machine guns hidden between boulders. A Turkish counterattack delivered south of the village waa broken up by our artillery. Just as it was getting dark the enemy strongly attacked from a ridge on the west, but wera driven off with heavy los3. All the ground gained was held, and during tne night of April 10 further progress was made.., Writing in the *■ evening Mr Massey] says: —The enemy gathered under the banks of Wadi Lesham and counterattacked through an olive grove. They got into, our line, but we rapidly collected a force and drove them out. They comprised both Germans and Turks, and we inflicted numerous casualties. Those who succeeded in getting away retired over tha ridge. A" number of counter-attacks elsewhere were easily repulsed. The country; is very difficult, there being no roads. AN ENEMY PLAN FRUSTRATED. Mr Massey, writing from Palestine Headquarters on April 13, says: After the cavalry raid on the Hedjaz railway and the destruction of sections of the line north and south of Amman, our forces returned to the west of the Jordan, bringing several thousand Armenians and Copt refugees from the villages we had passed through to save them from further bitter oppression by the Turks. The only troops we had east of the Jordan were the Australian Light Horse, who had been left to defend the bridgehead at Ghoranniyeh. Considerable bodies of Turks were known to have moved south through the pass from Es Salt and to have assembled about Shunet and Nimrin and the road north o£ the hill El Hand. The enemy had planned a scheme to drive us over the Jordan and destroy the bridge, but tha manoeuvre wholly failed. The Turks suf-. fered overwhelming casualties, the pert centage of killed to the total force engaged being exceedingly high. The battle began at an early hour on Thursday morning by the enemy shelling Musallabeh, in the foothills overlooking the Besan road, about nine miles north or Jericho. This place was held by the Imperial Camel' Corps, who were also holding the line at Wadi Aujeh and strongpoints to the north. The gun fire on tha Camel Corps was heavy, for two hours an average of 40 shells a minute being fired at them before the attack developed. This was quickly checked by our artillery and machine guns, with considerable losses to the enemy, who were 2000 strong. Meanwhile another Turkish N force had moved over the broken ground from the hills east of the Jordan along two routes towards Ghoranniyeh. The Australian Light Horse were dug in on the low mounds and mud' cliffs, which make a peculiar formation on the east bank of the Jordan, and lend themselves well to defence. They were behind wire entanglements, and had machine gun posts and a strong artillery support west of the river. The Turks were in greatly superior numbers, but got.no nearer than 300 yards of our wire, when they were stopped by a withering fire and held up. During the whole day the enemy could neither advance nor retire. Another brigade of Light Horse crossed farther south, and tried to envelop the attackers, who, however, threw out machine gun detachments to protect their flanks, the nature of the country assisting them greatly. Later in the day the enemy artillery opposite Ghoranniyeh was silenced by our heavies. As soon as darkness had fallen the Turks began to retire, leaving large burying parties working till dawn in front of our wire. "Many graves were visible, and-probably there were more in the nullahs, yet at daylight yesterday 367 Turkish and German dead were counted in front of the Light Horse defending tha bridgehead. The Light Horse took more prisoners than they had in casualties. As the enemy had also suffered heavily at Musallabeh,! their attempt to destroy the Jordan cross; ing had spelt disaster for them. ARAB SUCCESSES. The Press Bureau reports that advices from Egypt state that the Arabs have had several successful engagements, defeating or capturing small bodies of Turks in the Southern Hedjaz, also destroying portion of the Hedjaz railway near Bowat, and derailing a train near Sirjediz. Moreover, the Arabs occupied Kerak (near the southeast corner of the Dead Sea) on Sunday. In the House of Commons, Lord Robert Cecil said that since the declaration ot independence by Mecca in July, 1016, Britain's Arabian allies had cleared the r- ■" " ■ ■■'■" i -1

Bed Sea coast for BGO miles. The Arabs had also accounted for 40,000 Turkish troops. The Government of Hedjaz had also inaugurated a new era of order and justice.