Topic: Gm - Bk - 605 MGC
German 605th Machine Gun Company (MGC)
War Diary, 20 to 23 July 1916
605th Machine Gun Company War Diary, 20 to 23 July 1916
The entries
20.VII.16:
Strength of company - 1 officer, 24 O.R. Germans, Turks 74, Arabs 21, horses 10, camels 52. Early this: morning 1 German went with our Arab headman and 3 camels and water casks to a well 2 hours away. This well has better water than those of Bir Mazar. At 6 p.m. we marched off in the direction of Bir El Abd. At 11 p.m. we came up to the line of the well of Moseifig. Our halting place is right and left of the road which passes through a quite damp salt pan.
21.VII.16:
Early this morning the camels were taken to Bir Moseifig but the well yielded only a very little water and so only the horses could be watered. From here we marched at 6 p.m. to Bir Abd via Bir Salmane. At 9 we reached Bir Salmane where we watered the horses and had an hour's halt. At 10.10 we marched on to Bir Abd.
22.VII.16:
At 1.30 a.m. we reached Bir Abd. At 1 p.m. an English plane was over our camp. The machine guns opened fire at once. It turned back and flew in the direction of Katia. About 5.00 p.m. an English plane came again, circled once over our camp and disappeared in the direction of Katia.
23.VII.16:
An English plane came early this morning had circled twice over our camp. We replenish our supplies here. We moved off at 6 p.m. from Bir el Abd to Hod el Dababis and arrived at 8.30 p.m. Here there is an old English well which yields only salt and bitter water. We pitched our camp on a little hill in the vicinity of the little palm grove.
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Further Reading:
German 605th Machine Gun Company (MGC) , Contents
Battles where Australians fought, 1899-1920
Citation: 605th Machine Gun Company War Diary, 20 to 23 July 1916
