The cameliers [microform

31 October – 7 November 1917

Third Battle of Gaza

THE SOLDIER

So the meagre reports of the doings of the Light Horsemen continued to percolate through the home papers and the cables to Australia. Romani was billed as a great British victory in which, incidentally, the Australians and New Zealanders participated. But in 1917 a paragraph in the Sydney Bulletin told astonished readers that during the fighting round Katia and Romani the Anzacs had suffered over 87 per cent, of the total casualties. The published reports of the battle, and the subsequent rewards and decorations, never gave a hint of such dispro- portionate losses. If the Light Horse did any particularly good work, the cables in the English papers — zealously copied and con- densed for Australian consumption — referred to **Our Mounted Troops'* or ** The Victorious Desert Column." And later on, at the second battle of Gaza, when the Imperial Camel 59

THE CAMELIERS

Great enterprises hang on little incidents. A fall of rain or a passing mist may decide the fate of a nation. It is the opinion of several British Generals that had there been no mist on the morning of 26th March the first battle of Gaza would have been won. Be that as it may, the whole plan of our operations was very seriously retarded by a heavy mist which enveloped the whole countryside. Spreading hke a pall over the battlefield before dawn, it did not clear off till eight o'clock.

THE CAMELIERS

The second battle of Gaza therefore began on 17th April by the capture of the Sheikh Abbas-Mansura Ridge to the south and south-east of Gaza. Tanks were thrown into the fight, but as there was no element of surprise in their projection they were not an unqualified success. Three of them lumber- ing along in full view of the enemy artillery were pounded with shells and put out of action. However, the first objective, the Sheikh Abbas- Mansura Ridge, was captured without many casualties. Then came two days' further pre- paration and the final assault. The guns of two British monitors and the French battle- ship Reqtiin made excellent practice on the Gaza defences and also got busy amongst the Tmrks assembling for counter-attacks. Three British Infantry Divisions — one Welsh, one Scots, and one English — ^were launched in the main attack. The 53rd Division, in the face of a tremendous fusillade from rifles and machine guns, charged and captured Samson's Ridge and Delilah's Neck on the 126

THE CAMELIERS

It now became a matter of throwing in the reserves — 74th Division — and risking all on a further assault, or digging in. Ahready there had been about 8000 casualties. The G.O.C. Eastern Force and the Divisional Commanders advised against a resumption. So the army dug in, and the second battle of Gaza had been fought and lost.