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| {{short description|Battle during the Arab Revolt}} | |||
| #REDIRECT ] | |||
| {{Infobox military conflict | |||
| | conflict = Battle of Daraa | |||
| | partof = the ] and the ] | |||
| | image = | |||
| | image_size = | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | date = 27 September 1918 | |||
| | place = ], Syria | |||
| | result = Allied victory | |||
| | combatant1 = {{flagdeco|Arab Revolt}} ] <br> {{flag|British Empire}} <br> {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}} | |||
| | combatant2 = {{flag|Ottoman Empire}} <br> {{Flagcountry|German Empire}} | |||
| | commander1 = {{flagdeco|Arab Revolt}} ] <br> {{flagdeco|Arab Revolt}} ] <br> {{flagdeco|Arab Revolt}} ] <br> {{flagdeco|Arab Revolt}} ] <br> {{flagdeco|British Empire}} ] | |||
| | commander2 = | |||
| | strength1 = | |||
| | strength2 = | |||
| | casualties1 = | |||
| | casualties2 = | |||
| | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Arab Revolt (World War I)}} | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''Battle of Daraa''' took place in 1918 in ], Syria, during the ] in ]. | |||
| ==Background== | |||
| The ] advanced their base of operations from ] to ] to prepare for an attack on the city of ]. A meeting was held in ], led by ] with Arab and British officers, to plan the division of attacking troops into two main groups. The first group, commanded by ] and ], was stationed in Abu al-Lasan and ]. Their mission was to attack Ottoman forces in ] and along the ] section extending to ], while also dispatching a column to ]. The second group, consisting of regular and irregular troops under ], ], ], and ], along with an Arab field medical unit, focused on attacking the sections of the Hejaz railway north of al-Azraq. Concurrently, Prince Faisal tasked Sherif Nasir and ] with recruiting Arab tribes in ], ], and ] to bolster his forces.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://arabrevolt.jo/en/milestones-list/revolt-s-military-routes-in-jordan-and-syria/ |title=Revolt’s Military Routes in Jordan and Syria |publisher=Arab Revolt }}</ref> | |||
| ==Battle== | |||
| The operations around Daraa began on 13 September 1918. Over the next two days, Arab forces successfully destroyed sections of the railway at ] and ]. On 16 September, forces led by ] and al-Said attacked the railway junction at Daraa to disrupt Ottoman lines of communication and distract the ] headquarters.{{sfn|Falls|1930|p=448}}{{sfn|Wavell|1968|pp=199–200.}} Lawrence's initial forces included Camel Corps units, ] machine gunners, British and Australian armoured cars, and French ]. These were joined by up to 3,000 ] and ] tribesmen under renowned chiefs such as Abu Tayi and al-Shaalan.{{sfn|Lawrence|1926|pp=618–619}} Meanwhile, the Ottomans sent reinforcements from ] to defend Daraa.{{sfn|Lawrence|1926|pp=623–624}} | |||
| On 17 September, a regular force led by al-Said, supported by irregular troops and volunteers from Hejaz and Hauran, attacked ] north of Daraa despite facing German air raids. Al-Said later led a force of 350 fighters, joined by Bedouins under Sherif Nasir and a company of camel riders, along with two French mountain guns, to attack ]. They succeeded in sabotaging a {{convert|3|km}} section of the railway, severing Daraa's connection to ] and ]. However, they failed to destroy the station at ] due to the arrival of German-Ottoman forces securing Daraa and its surroundings. At Lawrence's urging, British aircraft began operating from makeshift landing strips at ] starting 22 September. Three ]s shot down several Ottoman aircraft. The ] ferried petrol, ammunition, and spares for the fighters and two ]s. It also bombed the Daraa airfield early on 23 September and nearby ] the following night.{{sfn|Lawrence|1926|pp=638–643}} | |||
| Arab forces remained in the area until 24 September, engaging in nightly skirmishes on trains and bridges, forcing further Ottoman retreats. On 27 September, an Arab force marched north from ] and liberated ], ], ], ], and Tell Arar, aided by local villagers from Hauran. Later that day, Ottoman forces withdrew from Daraa, with Sherif Nasir becoming the first to enter the city.<ref name="auto1"/> | |||
| ==Aftermath== | |||
| On the day Daraa was liberated, withdrawing Turkish forces perpetrated the ], killing over 250 civilians in an effort to demoralize the enemy.{{sfn|Mack|1998|pp=235–237}} On 1 October 1918, Allied forces ]. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| ==Source== | |||
| * {{cite book |last=Falls |first=Cyril |year=1930 |editor=Becke, A. F. |title=Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence |volume=2 |location=London |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |OCLC=256950972 }} | |||
| * {{cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Thomas Edward |author-link=T. E. Lawrence |year=1926 |title=Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph |location=Harmondsworth, Middlesex |publisher=Penguin Modern Classics |isbn=0-14-001696-1 }} | |||
| * {{cite book |last=Mack |first=John E. |title=A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780674704947 }} | |||
| * {{cite book |last=Wavell |first=Earl |author-link=Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell |year=1968 |title=The Palestine Campaigns. A Short History of the British Army (4th ed.) |editor=Eric William |location=London |publisher=Constable & Co. |OCLC=35621223 }} | |||
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Revision as of 18:58, 18 December 2024
Battle during the Arab Revolt| Battle of Daraa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Arab Revolt and the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kingdom of Hejaz  British Empire  France |
 Ottoman Empire  Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Sherif Nasir Auda Abu Tayi Nuri al-Said Nuri al-Shaalan T. E. Lawrence | |||||||
| Arab Revolt | |
|---|---|
The Battle of Daraa took place in 1918 in Daraa, Syria, during the Arab Revolt in World War I.
Background
The Arab Northern Army advanced their base of operations from al-Quweira to al-Azraq to prepare for an attack on the city of Daraa. A meeting was held in Abu al-Lasan, led by Prince Faisal with Arab and British officers, to plan the division of attacking troops into two main groups. The first group, commanded by Prince Zeid bin Hussein and Jaafar al-Askari, was stationed in Abu al-Lasan and Khirbet es-Samra. Their mission was to attack Ottoman forces in Ma'an and along the Hejaz railway section extending to Amman, while also dispatching a column to Madaba. The second group, consisting of regular and irregular troops under Sherif Nasir, Auda Abu Tayi, Nuri al-Said, and Nuri al-Shaalan, along with an Arab field medical unit, focused on attacking the sections of the Hejaz railway north of al-Azraq. Concurrently, Prince Faisal tasked Sherif Nasir and Nasib al-Bakri with recruiting Arab tribes in Wadi Sirhan, Hauran, and Jabal al-Druze to bolster his forces.
Battle
The operations around Daraa began on 13 September 1918. Over the next two days, Arab forces successfully destroyed sections of the railway at Jaber and Nasib. On 16 September, forces led by T. E. Lawrence and al-Said attacked the railway junction at Daraa to disrupt Ottoman lines of communication and distract the Yildirim headquarters. Lawrence's initial forces included Camel Corps units, Gurkha machine gunners, British and Australian armoured cars, and French mountain artillery. These were joined by up to 3,000 Ruwallah and Howeitat tribesmen under renowned chiefs such as Abu Tayi and al-Shaalan. Meanwhile, the Ottomans sent reinforcements from Afula to defend Daraa.
On 17 September, a regular force led by al-Said, supported by irregular troops and volunteers from Hejaz and Hauran, attacked Tell Arar north of Daraa despite facing German air raids. Al-Said later led a force of 350 fighters, joined by Bedouins under Sherif Nasir and a company of camel riders, along with two French mountain guns, to attack Muzayrib. They succeeded in sabotaging a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) section of the railway, severing Daraa's connection to Palestine and Damascus. However, they failed to destroy the station at Tell Shihab due to the arrival of German-Ottoman forces securing Daraa and its surroundings. At Lawrence's urging, British aircraft began operating from makeshift landing strips at Umm al-Surab starting 22 September. Three Bristol F.2 Fighters shot down several Ottoman aircraft. The Handley Page 0/400 ferried petrol, ammunition, and spares for the fighters and two Airco DH.9s. It also bombed the Daraa airfield early on 23 September and nearby Mafraq the following night.
Arab forces remained in the area until 24 September, engaging in nightly skirmishes on trains and bridges, forcing further Ottoman retreats. On 27 September, an Arab force marched north from al-Naimah and liberated Izra, Khirbet Ghazaleh, al-Shaykh Maskin, al-Shaykh Saad, and Tell Arar, aided by local villagers from Hauran. Later that day, Ottoman forces withdrew from Daraa, with Sherif Nasir becoming the first to enter the city.
Aftermath
On the day Daraa was liberated, withdrawing Turkish forces perpetrated the Tafas massacre, killing over 250 civilians in an effort to demoralize the enemy. On 1 October 1918, Allied forces captured Damascus.
References
- ^ "Revolt's Military Routes in Jordan and Syria". Arab Revolt.
- Falls 1930, p. 448.
- Wavell 1968, pp. 199–200..
- Lawrence 1926, pp. 618–619.
- Lawrence 1926, pp. 623–624.
- Lawrence 1926, pp. 638–643.
- Mack 1998, pp. 235–237.
Source
- Falls, Cyril (1930). Becke, A. F. (ed.). Military Operations Egypt & Palestine from June 1917 to the End of the War. Official History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence. Vol. 2. London: H.M. Stationery Office. OCLC 256950972.
- Lawrence, Thomas Edward (1926). Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Modern Classics. ISBN 0-14-001696-1.
- Mack, John E. (1998). A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674704947.
- Wavell, Earl (1968). Eric William (ed.). The Palestine Campaigns. A Short History of the British Army (4th ed.). London: Constable & Co. OCLC 35621223.