Il the Sinai Desert

IL THE SINAI DESERT Sir Archibald Murray's objective was to secure control of the Sinai desert, which he saw could be effected by an advance to El `Arish near the Egyptian frontier. A position here would bar the northern route across the desert and flank the more southerly routes. It would also enable offensive operations to be undertaken against enemy forces concentrating in southern Palestine. But an invasion of Palestine was not seriously contemplated at this time; the advance was initiated to safeguard Egypt and the Suez canal. Murray estimated the force necessary at five divisions and four mounted brigades, a much smaller force than that needed ade quately to garrison the defensive system along the canal. More over, the farther the defence was removed from Egypt the less chance there was of a sympathetic rising there.

British Advance on El 'Arish.

The first step was to oc cupy the Qatiya oasis, 25m. east of the canal, and thus deny to the enemy the only district within striking distance where a sufficiency of water permitted the assembly of a large force. The construction of a broad gauge railway from El Qantara towards Qatiya was begun, and large numbers of camels were collected to form the transport of the force, since in the soft sand of the desert wheeled transport was impossible. For the guns, special "pedrails" were constructed and teams doubled. Towards the end of April 1916 the Turks made a raid on the Qatiya oasis and surprised and cap tured some advanced posts of yeomanry. The Anzac Mounted Division, formed in March from Australian and New Zealand troops reoccupied the area next day. The object of the Turkish raid seems to have been to cause alarm and thus to prevent the further withdrawal of troops from Egypt for France, which had been going on during the spring of 1916.

By July the advance had reached Romani at the western end of a scattered group of oases extending for some 15 to 2om., when a strong Turkish force entered the eastern end. This force con sisted of the 3rd Division and certain other units, totalling about 18,000 men under Kress von Kressenstein. After a pause for

preparation, at dawn on Aug. 4, it attacked the British position at Romani, held by the 52nd and 42nd Divisions, the Anzac Mounted Division and some yeomanry, in all about 30,00o men, under Lt. Gen. the Hon. H. A. Lawrence. The Turks made a determined assault but were heavily repulsed and pursued as far as Bir el Abd. Their losses, including some 4,00o prisoners, amounted to nearly half their total force. They may perhaps be accounted fortunate to have escaped at all, for intense heat and lack of water pre cluded the more vigorous action in pursuit, which might have made possible the annihilation of the Turkish force.

The defeated Turks retreated to El `Arish, leaving a small de tachment at Bir el Mazar till the middle of September, when it was dislodged by the Anzac Mounted Division. There was no further fighting till December. The progress of the British force (now under Lt.-Gen. Sir Charles Dobell) towards El `Arish was governed by the rate (about 20M. a month) at which the railway and its accompanying pipe-line could be laid. The water supply available in Sinai was too brackish for constant drinking by troops; even the railway locomotives could not use it for long without loss of efficiency. The Sweetwater canal, which runs from the Nile at Cairo to the Suez canal, was the source of the pipe-line supply ; from large reservoirs and a great pumping station built at El Qantara it was forced through a ia-in. pipe to railhead. In 1917 this pipe-line was extended up to Gaza.

Occupation of El 'Arish and Rafah.

Early in December the railhead was within tom. of El `Arish. Elaborate water and transport arrangements were now made to enable the advanced guard of the British force to capture El `Arish. This advanced guard was known as the Desert Column, and consisted at this time of the Anzac Mounted Division and 42nd and 52nd Divisions, under Lt.-Gen. Sir Philip Chetwode. Just as all was ready the enemy withdrew and El `Arish was occupied Dec. 20.