SUCCESSFUL NIGHT MARCH AND ENCIRCLEMENT

Sun (Christchurch), Volume IV, Issue 1163, 2 November 1917, Page 5

SUCCESSFUL NIGHT MARCH AND ENCIRCLEMENT

CAVALRY PERFORM BRILLIANTLY B t i Cable. — Press Association. — Copyright. (A. 4 N.Z.) (Rec. Nov. 2, 5.40 a.r- ) NEW YORK, Nov. 1. Reports received here state that Beersheba has been captured. (A. & X.Z. i R.uter.) ( R<v. Nov. 2, 11.5 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 1. All official message from Egypt says:—After a night march we attacked Beersheba yesterday morning. While our infantry attacked the western and south-western defences, mounted men made a wide turning movement through the desert and approached from the east. Beersheba was occupied in the evening, despite determined resistance. Beersheba is 40 miles from Jerusalem ami about 30 miles south-east of Gaza. It is connote.l with Jerusalem by rail, ami was the enemy's railhead ami principal base for his attacks on the Suez Canal. The British attack on Beersheha is a completion of the unsuccessful assault upon Gaza iu March last. Upon that oc: '.tsion the British found their advance upon the town itself ami were compelled to dig in a little to the south of the city, lvhere next day heavy Turkish attacks were repelled with very great slaughter. The British failure —for such it, in effect, was—seems to have been due somewhat to generalship, for a change was afterwards made in the command, General Sir Archibald Murray giving place to Geueral Sir Edmund Allenby. Bince that change no definite move has been made till the present, but expectations have been formed of a British offensive, to meet whieh the Germans were reported to have concentrated troops at Aleppo under General von Falkenhayn. The map in another column gives a bird's-eye view of the interconnection, by the railway system, of the two theatres of war— Palestine and Mesopotamia.