The Third Battle of Gaza
Beersheba, Palastine
22 October - 8 November 1917
Beersheba, Palastine
22 October - 8 November 1917
The Third Battle of Gaza was fought in 1917 in southern Palestine during World War I. The British Empire forces under the command of General Edmund Allenby successfully broke the Turkish defensive Gaza-Beersheba line. The critical moment of the battle was the capture of the town of Beersheba on the first day by Australian Light Horse units. General Sir Edmund Allenby's final orders were issued on 22nd October 1917 and contained some modifications due to the absence of the full reinforcements for which he had asked. In essence the plan was simple, although some of he details were complex. It accepted some risks, such as the twenty-mile gap between the main attack and Gaza. Through this however, the nature of the ground and the character of the enemy made any counter-move unlikely. General Allenby at this period envisaged Jaff, forty-five miles beyond Gaza, as the final objective and fixed the date of the main attack, starting with the assault on Beersheba, for the 31st October.
By 4 November, Royal Engineers had managed to produce a water flow of 390,000 gallons a day at Beersheba, enough to support the British mounted forces. However, the Turks still held the water supplies to the north, at Khulweilfe, Jemmameh and Huj, so the mounted brigades could only operate away from Beersheba for one day at a time until these supplies were captured. Although by the 5th November the yield of the Beersheba wells had reached the daily requirements, the poor tracks between the town and the hils at Sheria, ten miles away, led to a continuing shortage of water at the front and the attack on Khuwaeilfe was again postponed in consequence. The better water and transport situation enabled the 10th Division to be brought up on the left, after it had exhausted the last of the 350000 gallons of drinking water stored in the Khasif cisterns. To supplement these sources the 65th Field Company Royal Engineers installed a deep well pump at Sebil and the 60th Field Company Royal Engineers deepened the wells in the Wadi Hanafish.
By 4 November, Royal Engineers had managed to produce a water flow of 390,000 gallons a day at Beersheba, enough to support the British mounted forces. However, the Turks still held the water supplies to the north, at Khulweilfe, Jemmameh and Huj, so the mounted brigades could only operate away from Beersheba for one day at a time until these supplies were captured. Although by the 5th November the yield of the Beersheba wells had reached the daily requirements, the poor tracks between the town and the hils at Sheria, ten miles away, led to a continuing shortage of water at the front and the attack on Khuwaeilfe was again postponed in consequence. The better water and transport situation enabled the 10th Division to be brought up on the left, after it had exhausted the last of the 350000 gallons of drinking water stored in the Khasif cisterns. To supplement these sources the 65th Field Company Royal Engineers installed a deep well pump at Sebil and the 60th Field Company Royal Engineers deepened the wells in the Wadi Hanafish.