MOUNTAIN WARFARE
The advance was resumed on the 18th of November. During the preceding
two days there had been no movement of importance on the part of our
forces. The 22nd Mounted Brigade had located the Turkish rearguard at
Amwas on the 16th, and had then cleared the foothill country as far
as Ramleh, without meeting any more of the enemy. On the same day the
8th Mounted Brigade had entered Ludd without opposition, rounding up a
few prisoners there. The Anzac Division remained in observation of the
northern group of the Turkish forces, along the Nahr el Auja, and the
Australian Mounted Division moved close to Amwas, in preparation for
the advance up the Jerusalem road.
In order to avoid fighting in or near the Holy Places, the
Commander-in-Chief determined to try and isolate Jerusalem completely.
In order to do this it was necessary to gain possession of the only
road which traverses the Judæan Range from north to south, between
Nablus and Jerusalem.
The Yeomanry Division was accordingly directed to move by the old
Roman road from Ludd, through Berfilya and Beit Ur el Tahta, to Bire,
pushing through the mountains as quickly as possible. The two available
infantry divisions were to advance up the Jerusalem road, preceded by
two brigades of the Australian Mounted Division, to about Kuryet el
Enab, whence they were to strike north-eastwards towards the Nablus
road. The 5th Mounted Brigade, moving up the Wadi Surar, would protect
the right flank of the infantry during their advance. Finally the 53rd
Division, now about Hebron, was to press on from that place, and secure
the Jericho road, east of Jerusalem.
The city would thus be cut off from all sources of reinforcement and
supply, and, it was hoped, would capitulate without further bloodshed.
On the morning of the 18th the Australian Mounted Division found a
force of the enemy entrenched on the hill of Amwas, which stands square
in the middle of the pass, just where it debouches into the Vale of
Ajalon. The artillery of the division, assisted by some of the guns
of the 75th Division, opened a vigorous fire on the enemy on Amwas
Hill, to which the Turks made but a feeble reply, while the 3rd A.L.H.
Brigade endeavoured to pass through the hills to the north, round the
enemy's right flank.
All day the regiments struggled on among the rocks, scrambling up and
down the steep hills, and making very slow progress. By four o'clock in
the afternoon they had advanced barely five miles, and the order was
then given to return, and leave the task to the infantry the next day.
The threat to their flank had, however, been enough for the Turks, who
retired during the night, abandoning four guns, the teams of which had
been killed by the fire of the R.H.A.
There had been no fighting to speak of, but the action was of great
interest from the associations of the place. From its position in the
mouth of the valley, Amwas is, and always has been, the key of the pass
to Jerusalem. Who holds this hill holds the city. From the earliest
ages, all the armies that have sought to take Jerusalem have passed
this way, save only that of Joshua. Philistine and Hittite, Babylonian
and Assyrian, Egyptian and Roman and Greek, Frankish Knights of the
Cross, all have passed this way, and all have watered the hill of Amwas
with their blood.
The Australian Mounted Division handed over the further advance to the
75th Division next day, and withdrew to the mouth of the Nahr Sukereir,
to get grazing for its horses. Two days later the division marched back
to El Mejdel, in order to relieve the supply situation. Our broad-gauge
railway had now nearly reached this place, and it was possible to draw
supplies direct from railhead with the divisional train.
The 8th and 22nd Brigades of the Yeomanry Division plunged into
the hills on the morning of the 18th, and soon found themselves in
difficulties. In this mountain country, in which there were no wheeled
vehicles, and all goods were carried on the backs of donkeys, what was
known to the natives as a good road was usually little more than a
goat track, winding in and out among the boulders. As far as Beit Sira
there was some semblance of a road, though, even on this portion of it,
the gunners were at work all day removing the biggest of the boulders
from the path, before their guns could pass. Beyond Beit Sira the road
was nothing but the merest footpath, leading straight down and up the
numerous deep and narrow ravines that intersect the country in all
directions. Sometimes it required half an hour's reconnaissance to move
forward half a mile.
Under such conditions, the 8th Brigade accomplished a remarkable feat
in penetrating nearly as far as Beit Ur el Tahta by nightfall. The 22nd
Brigade reached Shilta the same evening, but had to send back all its
guns and transport, owing to the difficulties of the country. The 6th
Brigade, starting on the following morning, reached Beit Ur el Tahta
about two in the afternoon.
Cavalry, as such, were really unable to operate in this country. They
were confined to the roads, or the tracks that did duty as roads, and,
even on these, they could often move only in single file. Consequently
they were exceedingly vulnerable, and their inability to make effective
use of flank guards, or even to deploy quickly when attacked, increased
the dangers to which they were exposed. Horses were little more than
an encumbrance, reducing the number of men available for dismounted
fighting, largely increasing the amount of transport required, and
adding but little to the mobility of the troops.
In the present case, however, there were several reasons for attempting
to push the Yeomanry through the hills. In the first place it was known
that the enemy forces had been broken into two widely separated groups,
and there was thus little danger of any attack from the north, for
the next few days at any rate. Moreover there was a saving of time in
employing the Yeomanry instead of the 52nd Division, as the latter was
a day's march farther west when the plan of advance was decided upon.
Finally, native reports of the hill country had led to the belief that
it was of a much easier nature than proved to be the case.
The winter rains broke with a heavy downpour on the 19th, and this
added to the difficulties of the cavalry, turning the valley bottoms
into a sea of viscid, black mud, and the beds of the ravines into
rushing torrents. The sudden drop in temperature which accompanied
the rain was a severe trial to our troops, who were dressed in light,
khaki-drill clothing, and had no blankets, greatcoats, or tents.
During the morning of the 19th of November the 8th and 22nd Brigades
struggled through the rain and mud along the Wadi el Sunt, towards
Beitunia and Ain Arik respectively, but about mid-day they encountered
a force of Turks which had come down the main road from Nablus to Bire,
and then marched westwards to oppose the Yeomanry advance. Unable to
make headway against the difficulties of the country and the opposition
of the enemy, who was in considerable force, the brigades held their
position, and awaited the arrival of the 6th Brigade.
On the 20th the division made another effort to get on, the 6th Brigade
moving to the assistance of the 8th. All wheels, including the guns,
had to be sent back to Ramleh, as they were unable to move, and water
for horses was scarce, despite the rain. Strong, organised resistance
was now encountered at Beitunia, and prisoners captured from the enemy
in the course of the fighting proved to be men from fresh, well-trained
units from Aleppo, part of the Yilderim force. Little headway was made
during the day. Rain came on again in the night, and no supplies were
able to reach the division.
Next day the Yeomanry made a final attempt to storm the high ridge of
Beitunia, which had held up their advance for two days. The 6th and
8th Brigades attacked the ridge itself from the west, while the 22nd
Brigade, operating farther north towards Ram Allah, tried to turn
the enemy's right flank. The attacking brigades got to within a few
hundred yards of Beitunia village, on the top of the ridge, when they
encountered a fresh enemy force, that outnumbered them by three to
one. The Turks had a number of field and mountain guns, that had come
from the north along the metalled road, while our troops had only one
mountain battery. The Yeomanry made several desperate attempts to
force their way up the steep, rocky sides of the ridge, but were unable
to reach the top. Early in the afternoon, more enemy reinforcements
arrived from the north, and counter-attacked strongly, forcing our
troops back into the deep ravine on the west side of the ridge. The
situation soon became serious, and orders were given for all three
brigades to break off the action and retire to Beit Ur el Foka. The
withdrawal began after dark, and was carried out successfully.
It is almost impossible to exaggerate the difficulties of the
cavalry. The country was a maze of high, rocky ridges, running in
all directions, and separated by deep and narrow ravines, the sides
of which were almost precipitous, and the bottoms muddy morasses.
The ground was covered with a mass of boulders, among which grew
sparse patches of coarse scrub. Mounted work was, of course, out of
the question in such country, and all the horses had to be kept far
back from the fighting line. A quarter of the whole force was thus
occupied in holding the horses, and, as the division had already
been considerably weakened by the fighting of the past three weeks,
the actual number of rifles available for the advance was hopelessly
inadequate. It was clear that the attempt of the division to reach
the main road had been definitely checked, and the only thing to be
done was to try and hold on to the positions already gained till
reinforcements could arrive. Men and horses were short of food, owing
to the great difficulty of getting up supplies in these roadless
mountains during the rains.
While the Yeomanry Division was slowly fighting to a standstill in
the north, the 75th Division, advancing along the main road towards
Jerusalem, and the 52nd Division on the track north of this road,
through Beit Likia, pressed slowly forward, against strong resistance
from the enemy, to Kustul and Beit Dukka respectively. The latter
division sent a brigade to the north on the night of the 21st, and
seized the high hill of Nebi Samwil, the traditional tomb of the
Prophet Samuel. This hill dominates all the country to the east, even
to Jerusalem itself, which can be seen from its summit. It was from
here that the followers of Richard Coeur de Lion first looked upon
Jerusalem in 1192, and pointed it out to the King. But Richard hid his
face in his casque, lest he should see it, and prayed: 'Lord! let me
not set mine eyes upon Thy Holy City till I have rescued it from the
Infidel.'
Recognising the importance of this hill in operations against
Jerusalem, the Turks next day launched a series of determined attacks
against it, but were unable to retake it. Day after day, till within
a few days of the surrender of the city, the enemy attacked the hill,
and the fiercest and most sustained fighting of the campaign took place
round it. But in spite of all their efforts, it remained in our hands,
and became, at last, the key that opened to us the gates of the Holy
City.
The next four days were comparatively quiet on the mountain front. Both
sides were too exhausted by the arduous fighting they had undergone,
and by the cold and wet, to make much effort, and operations were
confined to minor enterprises.
During this period the Yeomanry Division held a line, running north and
south, along the heights just east of Beit Ur el Foka, and extending
for about three miles. On the 23rd all horses had to be sent back to
Ramleh, as it was impossible any longer to transport forage to them in
the mountains. The following day the division made a demonstration
along the whole front to assist the attack of the infantry against
El Jib, where the Turks held a position barring our advance to the
Nablus road. The enemy, however, was found in too great force for the
attack to be pushed home, and, after being repulsed in three desperate
assaults, our infantry had to abandon the attempt.
Meanwhile, on the plain, the Anzac Division had remained in observation
of the enemy along the Auja, and had been engaged in active patrol
work and reconnaissances for crossing places. Four possible places
had been located; a road bridge at Khurbet Hadrah, a ford about two
miles farther east, another at Jerisheh, and a third at the mouth of
the river. All these crossings were held by parties of the enemy. The
average width of the river was thirty-five yards, and the depth five
to seven feet. The banks were in most places steep, and the bottom was
very muddy.
On the 24th the Division received orders to establish one or more
bridgeheads north of the river, with the object of inducing the enemy
to believe that we intended to make a farther advance along the coast.
At least one of these bridgeheads was to be retained if possible.
General Chaytor decided to force the passage of the river by the ford
at the mouth, where the bottom was sandy, covering the crossing by
demonstrations at Hadrah and at the other two fords. The only troops
available for the enterprise were the New Zealand Brigade and two
battalions of infantry lent by the 54th Division,[14] a small enough
force, in view of the known strength of the enemy. The rest of the
Anzac Division was, however, required to watch the enemy forces on the
right, about Mulebbis, and in the foothills farther east.
The operations commenced shortly after mid-day, the infantry advancing
with much noise and display on the bridge and upper fords, while the
New Zealanders made for the ford at the mouth of the river. They
crossed here without much difficulty, overpowering the small enemy post
covering the ford, and then galloped along the north bank to Sheikh
Muannis. An armoured car battery was now pushed up to the south bank
of the Auja opposite Hadrah, and opened fire on the Turks holding the
bridge there. At the same time the New Zealanders swept down on the
flank from Muannis, and drove off the enemy. A battalion of infantry
now crossed the river, and established a bridgehead on the north
bank, with half the battalion at the bridge and half in the village
of Muannis. During the night two squadrons of the New Zealand Brigade
were posted on the high ground north of Hadrah and Sheikh Muannis, and
a third covered the ford at the mouth of the river. Under cover of the
darkness the divisional engineers threw a pontoon bridge across the
river at Jerisheh, which was held by the other battalion of infantry.
[Illustration: Arrival of Marshal von Falkenhayn in Jerusalem in 1917.
(From an enemy photograph.)]
[Illustration: 9.45 inch Austrian Howitzer on the Nablus road.
(From an enemy photograph.)]
Just after dawn next morning, the cavalry north of the river were
heavily attacked by a large force of Turks, and driven back. The enemy
followed up resolutely, and attacked the bridgehead at Hadrah. The
squadron at the mouth of the river, reinforced by another regiment, was
ordered to move against the Turkish right, while the remaining regiment
of the brigade moved up to the south bank of the Auja at Hadrah. The
Somerset Battery R.H.A., the only available artillery, came into action
close by, the fire of the guns being directed by the battery commander
from a house in Sheikh Muannis, across the river.
At half-past eight, the bridgehead at Hadrah was driven in, and the
infantry fell back across the river. At the same time the two companies
in Sheikh Muannis, which were moving to the support of the bridgehead,
were heavily counter-attacked, and driven back to Jerisheh, where
they crossed by the pontoon bridge, covered by the two squadrons of
New Zealanders. The led horses of these squadrons were sent back to
the ford at the mouth of the river at a gallop. They had to run the
gauntlet of close-range rifle and machine-gun fire, but got through
with comparatively few casualties, and crossed the river under cover of
the squadron there, which then withdrew to the south bank.
The last man to leave Sheikh Muannis was the battery commander. He
remained, coolly directing the fire of his guns, till the Turks were in
the village, and then made a run for it, swimming the river under fire,
and got safely away. His fine work had greatly assisted the retirement
of our small force.
As soon as the last of our troops had been safely withdrawn, the Anzac
Division fell back to a position on the high ground overlooking the
south bank of the Auja, from Yahudieh, through Nebi Tari, to the sea,
and hurriedly dug in, expecting an attack. The Turks, however, seemed
to be content with having thrown our troops back across the river, and
made no further move.
The operations had shown that the enemy was in such force that it would
be impossible to maintain a bridgehead on the right bank, without
holding the whole of the high ground two miles north of the river. As
sufficient troops were not available for this purpose, the line south
of the Auja, which commanded all the crossing places, was entrenched
and held by the Anzac Division, supported by a brigade of infantry,
until the second, and successful, passage of the river four weeks
later.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 14: This division had arrived from Gaza on the 19th, and was
holding a line from the right of the Anzac Division to the village of
Shilta, about five miles west of the left of the Yeomanry Division.]